176 Haroun, the Lonely Man of Shiraz. [Aue. 
diamonds and gold. As he drew it back again, Haroun observed that 
to the Cadi’s hand, being perhaps rather warm and moist, several of the 
diamonds had adhered rather tenaciously, especially in the palm and 
between the fingers ; but it would ill have become him to, observe more 
than this, especially in a minister of justice, whose hands, besides the 
diamonds, held the two ends of the bowstring of strangulation. The 
Cadi, having adjusted his inner robes, which at that moment, from his 
fumbling so much among them, seemed to sit ill upon him, began now 
to make the usual judicial inquiries. “Had this robber any wives?” 
for no man in Persia who has the courage to wive at all, has the 
prudence to restrict himself to one wife; he must have a plurality of 
wives, or none. “He had, my lord the Cadi,” answered an officer. 
«« How many ?”—* Only four,” was the reply. “ Only four!” exclaimed 
Haroun; “Oh Mahomet! that a thief should be indulged with four 
wives, whilst an honest poor man like myself has not yet been blessed 
with one! But this, among other things, induces me to agree with the 
philosopher Sadi, that ‘ nothing is as it ought to be.’”—* What children 
had he ?” still further inquired the Cadi.“ Forty, my lord,” replied the 
officer. ‘‘ You must husband the wives, honest Haroun, and father the 
children,” commanded the Cadi, addressing himself to the astounded 
basket-maker. “ What!” exclaimed he, ‘marry an honest man to the 
four wives of a notorious robber ?”—“ The better reason,” urged the 
-Cadi; “you may thus make honest women of them.”— But the young 
rogues, his sons—what can I hope for with forty thieves for my sons ? 
I have not forty jars to suffocate them in,” half whimpered he. “ Teach 
them honesty,” counselled the Cadi, as he toyed with the diamond heap, 
and slid his hand under his robes. ‘‘Oh Mahomet, this is too much !” 
cried Haroun ; “bring in the bowstring, and shew me the suddenest 
way to Paradise.” —“ Tush, tush, man,” soothed the Cadi ; “ the King, in 
consideration of your loyalty and singular honesty, will, in his liberality, 
portion you with a hundred pieces, and you will be rich, which few 
honest men expect to be, if not happy, which no husband with four 
wives hopes to be.” 
At this moment the bowstringers entered. Haroun eyed them 
attentively, and sighed out, “ Well, lead me to my fate !”—“ Which 
fate?” inquired the officers; “ the string or the wives ?”—* Is there 
any difference ?” asked Haroun of one of the executioners, who 
happened to be an old acquaintance ; “ Task youas a friend ?” continued 
he, looking in his face with a face most pathetically perplexed. « There 
is; and be advised by me,” said the humane strangler; “ the King, 
being old, has a marvellous love for gold and diamonds, and will not 
fail to reward him who adds so largely to his stores as you have done. 
It is the interest, too, of the Cadi to see that you are not forgotten in 
this matter, for he will not forget himself. Be advised, then, good 
Haroun, and live.” —« Well, since it must be so, the wives—whatever is 
was to be, I suppose,” murmured he discontentedly. 
He was accordingly led out of the court to the house of the robber, 
which was hard by, and in a few minutes they had entered the doors. 
It was a handsome and well-furnished mansion, which showed that the 
late proprietor was a thriving thief. His wives and children were with 
all possible tenderness informed of the melancholy circumstances of his 
death: the wives were employed in domestic matters at the time; they 
did not, however, suspend their business for a moment, but went on 
