t he might obtain a
knowledge of the localities necessary to the discoveries which he hoped
to make. He remained there a full quarter of an hour, and when he came
out requested me to collect those who were in my father's intimacy, and
in the habit of much frequenting the house, and that he would return,
they being assembled, and begin his operations.

Without saying a word to my mother about the diviner, I requested her to
invite her most intimate friends for the following morning, it being my
intention to give them a breakfast; and I myself begged the attendance
of the akhon, the capiji, my father's nephew by his first wife, and a
brother of my mother, with others who had free entrance into the house.

They came punctually; and when they had partaken of such fare as I could
place before them, they were informed of the predicament in which I
stood, and that I had requested their attendance to be witnesses to the
endeavours of the diviner to discover where my father was wont to keep
his money, of the existence of which, somewhere or other, nobody who
knew him could doubt. I looked into each man's face as I made this
speech, hoping to remark some expression which might throw a light upon
my suspicions, but everybody seemed ready to help my investigation, and
maintained the most unequivocal innocence of countenance.

At length the dervish, Teez Negah (for that was the name of the
conjuror), was introduced, accompanied by an attendant who carried
something wrapped up in a handkerchief. Having ordered the women in the
andenun to keep themselves veiled, because they would probably soon be
visited by men, I requested the dervish to begin his operations.

He first looked at every one present with great earnestness, but more
particularly fixed his basilisk eyes upon the akhon, who evidently could
not stand the scrutiny, but exclaimed '_Allah il Allah!_'--there is
but one God--stroked down his face and beard, and blew first over one
shoulder and then over the other, by way of keeping off the evil spirit.
Some merriment was raised at his expense; but he did not appear to be in
a humour to meet any one's jokes.

After this, the dervish called to his attendant, who from the
handkerchief drew forth a brass cup, of a plain surface, but written all
over with quotations from the Koran, having reference to the crime of
stealing, and defrauding the orphan of his lawful property. He was a man
of few words, and simply saying, 'In the na