shame that they do not become so,' said I; 'but they are
too fond of money. There is yourself, with two hundred thousand pounds
in your pocket, craving for more, whilst you might be turning your wealth
to the service of your country.'

'In what manner?' said the Armenian.

'I have heard you say that the grand oppressor of your country is the
Persian; why not attempt to free your country from his oppression--you
have two hundred thousand pounds, and money is the sinew of war?'

'Would you, then, have me attack the Persian?'

'I scarcely know what to say; fighting is a rough trade, and I am by no
means certain that you are calculated for the scratch. It is not every
one who has been brought up in the school of Mr. Petulengro and Tawno
Chikno. All I can say is, that if I were an Armenian, and had two
hundred thousand pounds to back me, I would attack the Persian.'

'Hem!' said the Armenian.

CHAPTER LI

The one half-crown--Merit in patience--Cementer of friendship--Dreadful
perplexity--The usual guttural--Armenian letters--Much indebted to
you--Pure helplessness--Dumb people.

One morning on getting up I discovered that my whole worldly wealth was
reduced to one half-crown--throughout that day I walked about in
considerable distress of mind; it was now requisite that I should come to
a speedy decision with respect to what I was to do; I had not many
alternatives, and, before I had retired to rest on the night of the day
in question, I had determined that I could do no better than accept the
first proposal of the Armenian, and translate under his superintendence
the Haik Esop into English.

I reflected, for I made a virtue of necessity, that, after all, such an
employment would be an honest and honourable one; honest, inasmuch as by
engaging in it I should do harm to nobody; honourable, inasmuch as it was
a literary task, which not every one was capable of executing. it was not
every one of the booksellers' writers of London who was competent to
translate the Haik Esop. I determined to accept the offer of the
Armenian.

Once or twice the thought of what I might have to undergo in the
translation from certain peculiarities of the Armenian's temper almost
unsettled me; but a mechanical diving of my hand into my pocket, and the
feeling of the solitary half-crown, confirmed me; after all, this was a
life of trial and tribulation, and I had read somewhere or other that
there was much merit in patience, so