g my land by erecting this
precious palace on it?"

"I--I----" began Horace, utterly broken down; and then he saw, with
emotions that may be imagined, the Jinnee himself, in his green robes,
standing immediately behind Mr. Wackerbath.

"Greeting to you," said Fakrash, coming forward with his smile of
amiable cunning. "If I mistake not," he added, addressing the startled
estate agent, who had jumped visibly, "thou art the merchant for whom my
son here," and he laid a hand on Horace's shrinking shoulder, "undertook
to construct a mansion?"

"I am," said Mr. Wackerbath, in some mystification. "Have I the pleasure
of addressing Mr. Ventimore, senior?"

"No, no," put in Horace; "no relation. He's a sort of informal partner."

"Hast thou not found him an architect of divine gifts?" inquired the
Jinnee, beaming with pride. "Is not the palace that he hath raised for
thee by his transcendent accomplishments a marvel of beauty and
stateliness, and one that Sultans might envy?"

"No, sir!" shouted the infuriated Mr. Wackerbath; "since you ask my
opinion, it's nothing of the sort! It's a ridiculous tom-fool cross
between the palm-house at Kew and the Brighton Pavilion! There's no
billiard-room, and not a decent bedroom in the house. I've been all over
it, so I ought to know; and as for drainage, there isn't a sign of it.
And he has the brass--ah, I should say, the unblushing effrontery--to
call that a country house!"

Horace's dismay was curiously shot with relief. The Jinnee, who was
certainly very far from being a genius except by courtesy, had taken it
upon himself to erect the palace according to his own notions of Arabian
domestic luxury--and Horace, taught by bitter experience, could
sympathise to some extent with his unfortunate client. On the other
hand, it was balm to his smarting self-respect to find that it was not
his own plans, after all, which had been found so preposterous; and, by
some obscure mental process, which I do not propose to explain, he
became reconciled, and almost grateful, to the officious Fakrash. And
then, too, he was _his_ Jinnee, and Horace had no intention of letting
him be bullied by an outsider.

"Let me explain, Mr. Wackerbath," he said. "Personally I've had nothing
to do with this. This gentleman, wishing to spare me the trouble, has
taken upon himself to build your house for you, without consulting
either of us, and, from what I know of his powers in the direction, I've
no doubt that