said Horace: "I've locked up
the room where your presents are--they won't be able to get in without
the key."

"Against the servants of the Jinn neither bolts nor bars can prevail.
They shall enter therein and remove all that they brought thee, since it
is thy desire."

"Very many thanks," said Horace. "And you do _really_ understand that
I'm every bit as grateful as if I could keep the things? You see, I want
all my time and all my energies to complete the designs for this
building, which," he added gracefully, "I should never be in a position
to do at all, but for your assistance."

"On my arrival," said Fakrash, "I heard thee lamenting the difficulties
of the task; wherein do they consist?"

"Oh," said Horace, "it's a little difficult to please all the different
people concerned, and myself too. I want to make something of it that I
shall be proud of, and that will give me a reputation. It's a large
house, and there will be a good deal of work in it; but I shall manage
it all right."

"This is a great undertaking indeed," remarked the Jinnee, after he had
asked various by no means unintelligent questions and received the
answers. "But be persuaded that it shall all turn out most fortunately
and thou shalt obtain great renown. And now," he concluded, "I am
compelled to take leave of thee, for I am still without any certain
tidings of Suleyman."

"You mustn't let me keep you," said Horace, who had been on thorns for
some minutes lest Beevor should return and find him with his mysterious
visitor. "You see," he added instructively, "so long as you _will_
neglect your own much more important affairs to look after mine, you can
hardly expect to make _much_ progress, can you?"

"How excellent is the saying," replied the Jinnee: "'The time which is
spent in doing kindnesses, call it not wasted.'"

"Yes, that's very good," said Horace, feeling driven to silence this
maxim, if possible, with one of his own invention. "But _we_ have a
saying too--how does it go? Ah, I remember. 'It is possible for a
kindness to be more inconvenient than an injury.'"

"Marvellously gifted was he who discovered such a saying!" cried
Fakrash.

"I imagine," said Horace, "he learnt it from his own experience. By the
way, what place were you thinking of drawing--I mean trying--next for
Suleyman?"

"I purpose to repair to Nineveh, and inquire there."

"Capital," said Ventimore, with hearty approval, for he hoped that this
would take t