bade the slave call aloud to him and Abu Niyyah went upstairs to the sitting room, where he found the owner, a merchant of repute, and salam'd to him. The other returned his greeting and said, "Ho fellow!" and the other said "Yes," when the first resumed, "The slave, what did he give thee?" "He gave me," said Abu Niyyah, "nine Ashrafis;" and the house-master rejoined, "Wherefore didst thou declare, There faileth me one gold piece? Hast thou a legal claim of debt upon us for an Ashrafi, O thou scanty of shame?" He answered, "No, by Allah, O my lord; my intent was not that but there befel me with a man which was a beggar such-and-such matter." Hereupon the merchant understood his meaning and said to him, "Do thou sit thee down here and pass the night with us." So Abu Niyyah seated himself by his side and nighted with the merchant until the morning. Now this was the season for the payment of the poor-rates,[FN#399] and that merchant was wont to take the sum from his property by weight of scales, so he summoned the official weigher who by means of his balance computed the account and took out the poor-rate and gave the whole proceeds to Abu Niyyah. Quoth he, "O my lord, what shall I do with all this good, especially as thou hast favoured me with thy regard?" "No matter for that," quoth the other; so Abu Niyyah went forth from the presence of his patron and hiring himself a shop fell to buying what suited him of all kinds of merchandise such as a portion of coffee-beans and of pepper and of tin;[FN#400] and stuffs of Al-Hind, together with other matters, saying to himself, "Verily this shop is the property of thy hand." So he sat there selling and buying and he was in the easiest of life and in all comfort rife for a while of time when behold, his quondam companion, Abu Niyyatayn was seen passing along the market-street. His eyes were deep[FN#401] sunken and he was propped upon a staff as he begged and cried, "O good folk, O ye beneficent, give me an alms for the love of Allah!" But when his sometime associate, Abu Niyyah looked upon him, he knew him and said to the slave whom he had bought for his service, "Go thou and bring me yonder man." Hereat the chattel went and brought him and Abu Niyyah seated him upon the shop-board and sent his servile to buy somewhat of food and he set it before Abu Niyyatayn who ate till he was filled. After this the wanderer asked leave to depart but the other said to him, "Sit thou here, O Shaykh; for thou art my guest during the coming night." Accordingly he seated himself in the shop till the hour of sundown, when Abu Niyyah took him and led him to his lodging where the slave served up the supper-tray and they ate till they had eaten their sufficiency. Then they washed their hands and abode talking together till at last quoth Abu Niyyah, "O my brother, hast thou not recognised me?" to which the other responded, "No, by Allah, O my brother." Hereupon said the