he will, and he perceives that you have opened the
jar, what opinion will he form of your friendship and integrity? I
conjure you to abandon your design."

This good woman argued at length, because she saw, by her husband's
countenance, that he was resolved to have his own way. In fact, he got
up, and, taking a light and a dish, went to his warehouse. "Remember
at least," said the wife, "that I have no share in what you are going
to do; so do not attribute any fault to me if you have hereafter to
repent of the action."

The merchant still persisted in his purpose. When he had entered the
warehouse he opened the jar, and found the olives all spoiled; but to
see whether those that were underneath were as bad as the upper ones
he poured some out into the dish, and as he shook the jar to make them
fall out the easier some pieces of gold fell out also. At the sight of
this money the merchant, who was naturally avaricious, looked into
the jar, and perceived that he had emptied almost all the olives into
the dish, and that what remained was money in pieces of gold. He put
the olives again into the jar, and, covering it, left the warehouse.

"You spoke the truth, wife," said he, when he returned. "The olives
are all spoiled, and I have stopped up the jar again, so that if Ali
Cogia ever comes back he will not discover that I have touched it."
"You would have done better to take my advice," returned the wife,
"not to have meddled with it. God grant that no evil may come of it."
The merchant paid as little attention to these last words of his wife
as he had done to her former remonstrance. He passed almost the whole
night in devising means to take possession of Ali Cogia's money in
such a way that he might enjoy it in security should the owner ever
return and claim the jar. The next morning, very early, he went out
to buy some olives of that year's growth. He threw away those which
had been in Ali Cogia's jar, and, taking out the gold, he put it in a
place of safety; then filling the jar with the fresh olives he had
just bought he put on the same cover, and placed it in the same spot
where Ali Cogia had left it.

About a month after the merchant had committed this treacherous act
Ali Cogia arrived at Bagdad, after his long absence from that city. As
he had leased his house before his departure he alighted at a khan,
where he took a lodging until he had informed his tenant of his
return, that the latter might procure himself