gave him better things to eat than before, and was careful to keep
him finely dressed. But Said was little touched by this display of
mildness in his master; and the whole day long, and even in his dreams,
tried to hit upon some means of returning to his native city.

One day when the sales had been very large, and all the errand boys who
delivered parcels at the houses were out on their rounds, a woman
entered and made several purchases. She then wanted some one to carry
her packages home. "I can send them all up to you in half an hour,"
said Kalum-Bek; "you will either have to wait that long or else take
some outside porter."

"Do you pretend to be a merchant and advise your customers to employ
strange porters?" exclaimed the woman. "Might not such a fellow run off
with my parcels in the crowd? And then whom should I look to? No, you
are bound by the practice of the bazar to send my bundles home for me,
and I insist on your doing it!"

"But wait for just half an hour, worthy lady!" exclaimed the merchant
excitedly. "All my errand boys have been sent out."

"It's a poor shop that don't have errand boys constantly at
hand," interrupted the angry woman. "But there stands one of your
good-for-nothings now! Come, young fellow, take my parcel and follow
after me."

"Stop! Stop!" cried Kalum-Bek. "He is my signboard, my crier, my
magnet! He cannot stir from the threshold!"

"What's that!" exclaimed the old lady, thrusting her bundle under
Said's arm without further parley. "It is a poor merchant that depends
on such a useless clown for a sign, and those are miserable wares that
cannot speak for themselves. Go, go, fellow; you shall earn a fee
to-day."

"Go then, in the name of Ariman and all evil spirits!" muttered
Kalum-Bek to his magnet, "and see that you come right back; the old hag
might give me a bad name all over the bazar if I refuse to comply with
her demands."

Said followed the woman, who hastened through the square and down the
streets at a much quicker pace than one would have believed a woman
of her age capable of. At last she stopped before a splendid house,
and knocked; the folding doors flew open, and she ascended a marble
stair-case, beckoning Said to follow. They came shortly to a high and
wide salon, more magnificent than any Said had ever seen before. The
old woman sank down exhausted on a cushion, motioned the young man to
lay down his bundle, handed him a small silver coin, and bade him go.