THE BARBER’S FOURTH BROTHER. 241

for them out of this particular money ; he therefore went to his
box, and opened it; but he was in the greatest astonishment
when he discovered, instead of his money, only a parcel of
leaves cut round. He immediately began to beat himself, and
made so great a noise that he brought all his neighbours about
him, whose surprise was as great as his own, when he informed
them of what had passed. “I wish,” cried my brother, with
tears in his eyes, “that this treacherous old man would at this
instant make his appearance with his hypocritical face”” He
had hardly spoken these words, when he saw him coming
along at a distance. He ran in the greatest hurry to meet him,
and having seized hold of him, “ Mussulmen,” he vociferated
with all his force, “assist me; only listen to the shameful trick
that this infamous man has played me.” He then related toa
large crowd of people, who had collected round him, the same
story he had before done to his neighbours. When he had
finished his tale, the old man, without the least emotion, quietly
answered, “ You would do much better to let me go, and by
this action make reparation for the affront you have thus offered
me before so many people, lest I should return you the compli-
ment in a more serious manner, which I should be sorry to
do.” “And what have you, pray, to say against me?” replied my
brother ; “‘I am an honest man in my business, and I fear you
not.” “You wish, then, that I should make it public,” returned
the old man in the same tone of voice. ‘Learn, then,” added
he, addressing himself to the people, “that instead of selling
the flesh of sheep, as he ought to do, this man sells human flesh ;
for at this very moment, there is a man with his throat cut
hanging up on the outside of his shop like a sheep. Go there,
and we shall soon know whether I have spoken the truth.”
Before my brother had opened the box where the leaves were,
he had that morning killed a sheep, and had dressed and exposed
it on the outside of his shop as usual. He therefore protested
that what the old man had said was false; but in spite of
all his protestations, the credulous mob, enraged at the idea of a
man’s being guilty of so shocking a crime, wished to be assured
of the fact on the spot. They therefore obliged my brother to let
the old man go, and laid hold of him instead, and ran to his shop,
where they saw a man with his throat cut, and hung up exactly
as the accuser had stated : for this old man was, in fact, a magi-
Q