ation of being the murderer of the mollah bashi of Tehran.

I leave the gentle reader to judge of my feelings upon hearing this
intelligence. I soon became satisfied of the reason of the mollah's
silence; and although I felt myself secure for the present, yet I was
far from certain how long I might remain so. I immediately declared
that I was perfectly restored to health, and taking a hasty leave of my
hospitable villagers, made the best of my way to Hamadan, in order to
ascertain the truth of the peasant's intelligence.

Nadan's father was well known in the city, and I found no difficulty
in discovering where he lived. I abstained from entering his house,
and making any direct inquiries concerning the fate of my friend; but
I stopped at the shop of a barber in the neighbourhood, both because I
wanted his assistance in giving a decent appearance to my head and face,
and because I knew that he would be the most likely person to inform me
of the real state of the case.

I found him as talkative and as officious as I could wish. When I had
asked him the news of the day, and had pleaded my ignorance of the
recent occurrence that had filled everybody with astonishment, he
stepped back two paces, and exclaimed, 'Whence do you come, that the
iniquities of that dog the mollah Nadan are unknown to you? He was not
satisfied with killing the chief priest, but he must needs dress himself
in his very clothes; and, not content with that, he also has stolen one
of the chief executioner's best horses and furniture. Wondrous dirt has
he been eating!'

I entreated my informant to relate all the particulars of a story of
which I pretended to be totally ignorant; and without waiting for a
second request, he spoke as follows:--

'About ten days ago this Nadan arrived at the gate of his father's
house, mounted on a superb horse, caparisoned in a style more fitting a
khan and a man of the sword than a poor servant of God. He was dressed
in shawls of the finest quality, and looked indeed like the high priest
himself. His appearance in this fashion of dress and equipage created
an extraordinary sensation; because a very short time before it was
reported that he had incurred the Shah's displeasure, and had been
turned out of Tehran in the most ignominious manner. He gave himself
all sorts of airs upon alighting; and when questioned concerning his
expulsion from the capital, he appeared to make very light of it, and
said that he had been mad