ake him my heir.' These words
produced an immediate effect; I could no longer restrain my desire to
make myself known, and I exclaimed, 'Hajji is here!--Hajji is come to
receive your blessing--I am your son--do not reject him!'

Upon which I knelt down by the bedside, and taking up the dying man's
hand, I kissed it, and added loud sobs and lamentations, to demonstrate
my filial affection.

The sensation which I produced upon all present was very great. I
saw looks of disappointment in some, of incredulity in others, and of
astonishment in all.

My father's eyes, that were almost closed, brightened up for one short
interval as he endeavoured to make out my features, and clasping his
trembling hands together, exclaimed, '_Il hem dillah!_ Praise be to God,
I have seen my son, I have got an heir!' Then addressing me, he said,
'Have you done well, O my son, to leave me for so many years? Why did
you not come before?'

He would have gone on, but the exertion and the agitation produced by
such an event were too much for his strength, and he sunk down inanimate
on his pillow.

'Stop,' said my old schoolmaster, who had at once recognized me--'stop,
Hajji; say no more: let him recover himself; he has still his will to
make.'

'Yes,' said a youngish man, who had eyed me with looks of great
hostility, 'yes, we have also still to see whether this is Hajji Baba,
or not.' I afterwards found he was son to a brother of my father's first
wife, and had expected to inherit the greatest part of the property; and
when I inquired who were the other members of the assembly, I found that
they were all relations of that stamp, who had flocked together in the
hope of getting a share of the spoil, of which I had now deprived them.

They all seemed to doubt whether I was myself, and perhaps would have
unanimously set me down for an impostor, if the schoolmaster had not
been present: and from his testimony there was no appeal.

However, all doubts as to my identity were immediately hushed when my
mother appeared, who, having heard of my arrival, could no longer keep
to the limits of her anderun, but rushed into the assembly with extended
arms and a flowing veil, exclaiming, 'Where, where is he? where is my
son?--Hajji, my soul, where art thou?'

As soon as I had made myself known, she threw herself upon my neck,
weeping aloud, making use of every expression of tenderness which her
imagination could devise, and looking at me from head to f