d, shut the
gates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered the bags, carried
them into his house, and ranged them in order before his wife, who sat
on a sofa. His wife handled the bags, and finding them full of money,
suspected that her husband had been robbing, insomuch that she could not
help saying: "Ali Baba, have you been so unhappy as to----" "Be quiet,
wife," interrupted Ali Baba, "do not frighten yourself; I am no robber,
unless he may be one who steals from robbers. You will no longer
entertain an ill opinion of me, when I shall tell you my good fortune."
He then emptied the bags, which raised such a great heap of gold as
dazzled his wife's eyes; and when he had done, told her the whole
adventure from beginning to end; and, above all, recommended her to keep
it secret. The wife, cured of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at
their good fortune, and would count all the gold piece by piece. "Wife,"
replied Ali Baba, "you do not know what you undertake, when you pretend
to count the money; you will never have done. I will dig a hole, and
bury it; there is no time to be lost." "You are in the right, husband,"
replied she; "but let us know, as nigh as possible, how much we have. I
will borrow a small measure in the neighbourhood, and measure it, while
you dig the hole." "What you are going to do is to no purpose, wife,"
said Ali Baba; "if you would take my advice, you had better let it
alone; but keep the secret, and do what you please." Away the wife ran
to her brother-in-law Cassim, who lived just by, but was not then at
home; and addressing herself to his wife, desired her to lend her a
measure for a little while. Her sister-in-law asked her, whether she
would have a great or a small one. The wife asked for a small one. The
sister-in-law agreed to lend one, but as she knew Ali Baba's poverty,
she was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure,
and artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, brought it
to her with an excuse, that she was sorry that she had made her stay so
long, but that she could not find it sooner. Ali Baba's wife went home,
set the measure upon the heap of gold, filled it and emptied it often
upon the sofa, till she had done: when she was very well satisfied to
find the number of measures amounted to so many as they did, and went to
tell her husband, who had almost finished digging the hole. While Ali
Baba was burying the gold, his wife, to show her exactn