THE INSPECTOR. Do not be alarmed. Hepou is an old fox who will fool anyone. Do you wish him to appear as a distinguished merchant he will present himself before you, and you yourself would not recognize him. You are doubtless unaware of the fact that he is of a race whose skill has been tested. He is the son of Heides-Qouli, whose foot was cut off. One day, Heides-Qouli was seen in the city of Eher. He traversed on foot two posts during the night, and reached Tebriz, stole from the house of the defunct governor a casket of pearls belonging to the latter, and returned to Eher the same night; at dawn, he was found asleep in the corridor of the caravansary. Everyone was astounded at this feat. It was only on account of the credit he got for it that he was not put to death immediately on detection. They merely cut off his foot and let him go. AGA-MERDAN. This, then, is the son of Heides of the docked foot? Very good; but we will change his name. All these men are well acquainted with legal procedure, are they not? THE INSPECTOR. Let your mind be easy on that point; they are all educated; by my life, they could make slippers for the devil. There is none like them; every day they meet together and offer the Lord’s Prayer in the mosque. AGA-MERDAN. Very good. Do they know what sort of testimony they are expected to give? THE INSPECTOR. No, you will have to teach them that yourself. AGA-MERDAN. Good. They must depose as follows: One evening at sunset a week before the death of Hadji-Ghafour, we were going all four of us to pay a visit to the houses of the dead. In passing before the house of Hadji-Ghafour we saw him standing at his gate and holding in his arms a babe in long clothes. We saluted him, and asked him how his health was? “Whose child is that?” we said to him. “It is my own,” he answered, “he was born three weeks ago. He is my only son; I have no other child.” THE INSPECTOR [_turning to the witnesses_]. Do you understand, boys? HEPOU. Yes, we understand. AGA-MERDAN. Can you repeat the story as I told it? HANIFE. Undoubtedly so; there are no far-fetched expressions to puzzle us. AGA-MERDAN. Very good, my friends. May God bless you! CHEIDA. How in the name of everything, Aga-Merdan, would God bless such a transaction as this? AGA-MERDAN. Why not? My dear friend, if you were acquainted with the whole affair you would certainly say yourself that God would bless it. The unhappy widow of Hadji-Ghafour has been for ten years mistress of his house and fortune. Would it be just that a sickly wench should carry off all this money, and proceed to enjoy it with a base loafer, a heretic, and for the sole reason that the latter is to have criminal relations with her? According to the words of your doctors, the Sunnites are excluded from the court of heaven. CHEIDA. Now, by God, but you speak the truth! THE INSPECTOR. Come now, Aga-Merdan, fix the fee to be paid the boys.