wife. As she went out of the door she looked back. ‘Stay,’ said the Cogia, ‘I am just dead, and here’s a little money I have left behind me.’

   One day the Cogia and his wife went to the side of a pool, in order to wash their linen. As they were making a beginning with their linen by beating it upon the plain and using soap to it, a raven coming seized the soap and flew away with it. ‘O Cogia,’ shrieked the wife, ‘the raven has taken away the soap.’ ‘Say nothing, wife,’ said the Cogia, ‘it was dirty enough after our using it; let him take it and wash it.’

   One day the Cogia and his wife made an agreement to copulate every Friday night. The wife

   was perfectly satisfied with the arrangement; ‘But,’ said the Cogia, ‘let us agree upon a sign by which I may know that the time for doing my duty is come.’ The wife said, ‘When Friday night is come I will hang your turban above the alcove; you will know by that that it is Friday night.’ ‘Good, good!’ said the Cogia. One night, however, which was not Friday night, the Cogia’s wife being desirous for copulation, as soon as she arose to go to bed, placed the Cogia’s turban above the alcove. Said the Cogia, ‘O wife, this is not Friday night!’ ‘It is Friday night,’ said the wife. Whereupon the Cogia said, ‘O wife, in this house either let Friday night keep the reckoning, or let me.’

   One day the Cogia’s wife went with the wife of a neighbour to wash at a pool. It happened that the Governor of the country, who was taking a walk, came up and looked at them. Said the wife of the Cogia, ‘Pray, man, what are you looking at?’ ‘Who is that woman?’ said the Governor to some one who was standing by. ‘She is the wife of Cogia Nasr Eddin Efendi,’ replied the individual. On the following day the Governor, sending for the Cogia, said to him, ‘Is such and such a woman your wife?’ ‘Yes,’ said the Cogia, ‘she is my wife.’ Said the Governor, ‘Go and bring her to me.’ ‘What do you want with her?’ said the Cogia. ‘I have a question to ask her,’ said the Governor. ‘Do you only tell me the question,’ said the Cogia, ‘and I will go and put it to her.’

   One day some people said to the Cogia’s son, ‘What is padligean?’ ‘It is a little deaf thing which walks without opening its eyes,’ said the child. ‘It did not know that of itself: I taught it,’ said the Cogia.

   One day a chariot departed for the Castle of Siouri. The Cogia also set off for that place, running quite naked. The drivers, on arriving at the town, having given information of the 

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