"Oh, they"re nothing, thanks," said Horace, feeling decidedly embarra.s.sed. "I got stuck over my work for the moment, and it worried me a little--that"s all."
"Then thou hast not yet received the gifts which I commanded should be delivered at thy dwelling-place?"
"Oh, indeed I have!" replied Horace; "and--and I really don"t know how to thank you for them."
"A few trifling presents," answered the Jinnee, "and by no means suited to thy dignity--yet the best in my power to bestow upon thee for the time being."
"My dear sir, they simply overwhelm me with their magnificence! They"re beyond all price, and--and I"ve no idea what to do with such a superabundance."
"A superfluity of good things is good," was the Jinnee"s sententious reply.
"Not in my particular case. I--I quite feel your goodness and generosity; but, indeed, as I told you before, it"s really impossible for me to accept any such reward."
Fakrash"s brows contracted slightly. "How sayest thou that it is impossible--seeing that these things are already in thy possession?"
"I know," said Horace; "but--you won"t be offended if I speak quite plainly?"
"Art thou not even as a son to me, and can I be angered at any words of thine?"
"Well," said Horace, with sudden hope, "honestly, then, I would very much rather--if you"re sure you don"t mind--that you would take them all back again."
"What? Dost thou demand that I, Fakrash-el-Aamash, should consent to receive back the gifts I have bestowed? Are they, then, of so little value in thy sight?"
"They"re of too much value. If I took such a reward for--for a very ordinary service, I should never be able to respect myself again."
"This is not the reasoning of an intelligent person," said the Jinnee, coldly.
"If you think me a fool, I can"t help it. I"m not an ungrateful fool, at all events. But I feel very strongly that I can"t keep these gifts of yours."
"So thou wouldst have me break the oath which I swore to reward thee fitly for thy kind action?"
"But you _have_ rewarded me already," said Horace, "by contriving that a wealthy merchant should engage me to build him a residence. And--forgive my plain speaking--if you truly desire my happiness (as I am sure you do) you will relieve me of all these precious gems and merchandise, because, to be frank, they will _not_ make me happy. On the contrary, they are making me extremely uncomfortable."
"In the days of old," said Fakrash, "all men pursued wealth; nor could any ama.s.s enough to satisfy his desires. Have riches, then, become so contemptible in mortal eyes that thou findest them but an enc.u.mbrance?
Explain the matter."
Horace felt a natural delicacy in giving his real reasons. "I can"t answer for other men," he said. "All I know is that I"ve never been accustomed to being rich, and I"d rather get used to it gradually, and be able to feel that I owed it, as far as possible, to my own exertions.
For, as I needn"t tell _you_, Mr. Fakrash, riches alone don"t make any fellow happy. You must have observed that they"re apt to--well, to land him in all kinds of messes and worries.... I"m talking like a confounded copybook," he thought, "but I don"t care how priggish I am if I can only get my way!"
Fakrash was deeply impressed. "O young man of marvellous moderation!" he cried. "Thy sentiments are not inferior to those of the Great Suleyman himself (on whom be peace!). Yet even he doth not utterly despise them, for he hath gold and ivory and precious stones in abundance. Nor hitherto have I ever met a human being capable of rejecting them when offered. But, since thou seemest sincere in holding that my poor and paltry gifts will not advance thy welfare, and since I would do thee good and not evil--be it even as thou wouldst. For excellently was it said: "The worth of a present depends not on itself, nor on the giver, but on the receiver alone.""
Horace could hardly believe that he had really prevailed. "It"s extremely good of you, sir," he said, "to take it so well. And if you _could_ let that caravan call for them as soon as possible, it would be a great convenience to me. I mean--er--the fact is, I"m expecting a few friends to dine with me to-morrow, and, as my rooms are rather small at the best of times, I don"t quite know how I can manage to entertain them at all unless something is done."
"It will be the easiest of actions," replied Fakrash; "therefore, have no fear that, when the time cometh, thou wilt not be able to entertain thy friends in a fitting manner. And for the caravan, it shall set out without delay."
"By Jove, though, I"d forgotten one thing," said Horace: "I"ve locked up the room where your presents are--they won"t be able to get in without the key."
"Against the servants of the Jinn neither bolts nor bars can prevail.
They shall enter therein and remove all that they brought thee, since it is thy desire."
"Very many thanks," said Horace. "And you do _really_ understand that I"m every bit as grateful as if I could keep the things? You see, I want all my time and all my energies to complete the designs for this building, which," he added gracefully, "I should never be in a position to do at all, but for your a.s.sistance."
"On my arrival," said Fakrash, "I heard thee lamenting the difficulties of the task; wherein do they consist?"
"Oh," said Horace, "it"s a little difficult to please all the different people concerned, and myself too. I want to make something of it that I shall be proud of, and that will give me a reputation. It"s a large house, and there will be a good deal of work in it; but I shall manage it all right."
"This is a great undertaking indeed," remarked the Jinnee, after he had asked various by no means unintelligent questions and received the answers. "But be persuaded that it shall all turn out most fortunately and thou shalt obtain great renown. And now," he concluded, "I am compelled to take leave of thee, for I am still without any certain tidings of Suleyman."
"You mustn"t let me keep you," said Horace, who had been on thorns for some minutes lest Beevor should return and find him with his mysterious visitor. "You see," he added instructively, "so long as you _will_ neglect your own much more important affairs to look after mine, you can hardly expect to make _much_ progress, can you?"
"How excellent is the saying," replied the Jinnee: ""The time which is spent in doing kindnesses, call it not wasted.""
"Yes, that"s very good," said Horace, feeling driven to silence this maxim, if possible, with one of his own invention. "But _we_ have a saying too--how does it go? Ah, I remember. "It is possible for a kindness to be more inconvenient than an injury.""
"Marvellously gifted was he who discovered such a saying!" cried Fakrash.
"I imagine," said Horace, "he learnt it from his own experience. By the way, what place were you thinking of drawing--I mean trying--next for Suleyman?"
"I purpose to repair to Nineveh, and inquire there."
"Capital," said Ventimore, with hearty approval, for he hoped that this would take the Jinnee some little time. "Wonderful city, Nineveh, from all I"ve heard--though not quite what it used to be, perhaps. Then there"s Babylon--you might go on there. And if you shouldn"t hear of him there, why not strike down into Central Africa, and do that thoroughly?
Or South America; it"s a pity to lose any chance--you"ve never been to South America yet?"
"I have not so much as heard of such a country, and how should Suleyman be there?"
"Pardon me, I didn"t say he _was_ there. All I meant to convey was, that he"s quite as likely to be there as anywhere else. But if you"re going to Nineveh first, you"d better lose no more time, for I"ve always understood that it"s rather an awkward place to get at--though probably _you_ won"t find it very difficult."
"I care not," said Fakrash, "though the search be long, for in travel there are five advantages----"
"I know," interrupted Horace, "so don"t stop to describe them now. I should like to see you fairly started, and you really mustn"t think it necessary to break off your search again on my account, because, thanks to you, I shall get on splendidly alone for the future--if you"ll kindly see that that merchandise is removed."
"Thine abode shall not be enc.u.mbered with it for another hour," said the Jinnee. "O thou judicious one, in whose estimation wealth is of no value, know that I have never encountered a mortal who pleased me as thou hast; and moreover, be a.s.sured that such magnanimity as thine shall not go without a recompense!"
"How often must I tell you," said Horace, in a glow of impatience, "that I am already much more than recompensed? Now, my kind, generous old friend," he added, with an emotion that was not wholly insincere, "the time has come to bid you farewell--for ever. Let me picture you as revisiting your former haunts, penetrating to quarters of the globe (for, whether you are aware of it or not, this earth of ours _is_ a globe) hitherto unknown to you, refreshing your mind by foreign travel and the study of mankind--but never, never for a moment losing sight of your main object, the eventual discovery of and reconciliation with Suleyman (on whom be peace!). That is the greatest, the only happiness you can give me now. Good-bye, and _bon voyage_!"
"May Allah never deprive thy friends of thy presence!" returned the Jinnee, who was apparently touched by this exordium, "for truly thou art a most excellent young man!"
And stepping back into the fireplace, he was gone in an instant.
Ventimore sank back in his chair with a sigh of relief. He had begun to fear that the Jinnee never would take himself off, but he had gone at last--and for good.
He was half ashamed of himself for feeling so glad, for Fakrash was a good-natured old thing enough in his way. Only he _would_ overdo things: he had no sense of proportion. "Why," thought Horace, "if a fellow expressed a modest wish for a canary in a cage he"s just the sort of old Jinnee to bring him a whole covey of rocs in an aviary about ten times the size of the Crystal Palace. However, he _does_ understand now that I can"t take anything more from him, and he isn"t offended either, so _that"s_ all settled. Now I can set to work and knock off these plans in peace and quietness."
But he had not done much before he heard sounds in the next room which told him that Beevor had returned at last. He had been expected back from the country for the last day or two, and it was fortunate that he had delayed so long, thought Ventimore, as he went in to see him and to tell him the unexpected piece of good fortune that he himself had met with since they last met. It is needless to say that, in giving his account, he abstained from any mention of the bra.s.s bottle or the Jinnee, as unessential elements in his story.
Beevor"s congratulations were quite as cordial as could be expected, as soon as he fully understood that no hoax was intended. "Well, old man,"
he said, "I _am_ glad. I really am, you know. To think of a prize like that coming to you the very first time! And you don"t even know how this Mr. Wackerbath came to hear of you--just happened to see your name up outside and came in, I expect. Why, I dare say, if I hadn"t chanced to go away as I did--and about a couple of paltry two thousand pound houses, too! Ah, well, I don"t grudge you your luck, though it _does_ seem rather---- It was worth waiting for; you"ll be cutting _me_ out before long--if you don"t make a mess of this job. I mean, you know, old chap, if you don"t go and give your City man a Gothic castle when what he wants is something with plenty of plate-gla.s.s windows and a Corinthian portico. That"s the rock I see ahead of _you_. You mustn"t mind my giving you a word of warning!"