iew of his court.

The Aga carried no light, although the laws ordained that all who moved
about after night-fall should do so; but Bacri knew him as well by his
outline and gait as if he had seen his face in the sunshine.

Descending the stair at once, the Jew opened the door and let him in.

"Thou art surprised, Bacri?" said Hamet, swaggering into the skiffa,
where Angela chanced to be at work at the time.--"Ha! thou hast a pretty
daughter," he added, with a gaze of insolent admiration.

"The girl is passing fair," replied the Jew, opening the door of his
study, and purposely avoiding the correction of the Aga's mistake.
"Please to enter here."

Hamet obeyed; remarking as he passed that the girl were worthy of being
the wife of a Dey, if she had not been a Jewess.

"Bacri," he said, sitting down, while the master of the house stood
respectfully before him, "thou knowest the object of my visit--eh?
Come, it is not the first time thou hast had to do with such as I. The
plot thickens, Bacri, and thou must play thy part, willing or not
willing. Say, how much is it to be?"

"How much do you demand?" asked the Jew.

The Aga rose and whispered in his ear.

"Impossible!" said Bacri, shaking his head decidedly.

"How, dog! impossible?" exclaimed the Turk sternly. "Dost know that I
can let the whole Turkish army loose on thee and thy false-hearted
race?"

"My race is maligned alike by Mohammedan and Christian," returned the
Jew, with dignity. "You know full well, Sidi Hamet, that the sum you
have named would ruin all the Jews in the town. If the security of my
people is not to be purchased for a smaller sum, we must perish. My
utmost efforts would not avail to raise more than the half thereof
within the specified time. You may indeed ruin us, if you will, but it
were wise to remember that if you kill the goose that lays the golden
eggs, there will be no more golden eggs to lay."

"True, O Bacri," returned Hamet, laughing; "thou art wise, and I shall
act on thy wisdom--having first, however, acted on mine own when I
demanded double the sum I expected to receive, knowing thine inveterate
tendency to drive a hard bargain! Now, good-night," he said, rising and
leaving the room.--"Ha! thy pretty daughter has fled. Well, we shall
hope to see her again. Mean while, have a care; our plot is in your
hands, but thine every movement shall be watched from this hour, and if
a note of warning escapes thee, thou art bu