The Story Told by the Tailor

Know, O King of the age, that what hath happened to
me is more wonderful than the events which have happened
to all the others. Before I met the humpback, I was, early
in the morning, at an entertainment given to certain trades-
men of my acquaintance, consisting of tailors and linen-
drapers and carpenters and others; and when the sun had
risen, the repast was brought for us to eat ; and lo, the
master of the house came in to us, accompanied by a strange
and handsome young man, of the inhabitants of Baghdad.
He was attirfed in clothes of the handsomest description,
and was a most comely person, except that he was lame;
and as soon as he had entered and saluted us, we rose to
him; but when he was about to seat himself, he observed
among us a man who was a barber, whereupon he refused
to sit down, and desired to depart from us. We and the
master of the house, however, prevented him, and urged him
to seat himself; and the host conjured him, saying. What is
the reason of thy entering, and then immediately departing?
• — By Allah, O my master, replied he. offer me no opposition ;
for the cause of my departure is this barber, who is sitting
with you. And when the host heard this, he was exceedingly
surprised, and said, How is it that the heart of this young
man, who is from Baghdad, is troubled by the presence of
this barber? We then looked towards him, and said. Relate
to us the cause of thy displeasure against this barber; and
the young man replied, O company, a surprising adventure
to me with this barber in Baghdad, my city; and
he was the cause of my lameness, and of the breaking of my
leg; and I have sworn that I will not sit in any place where
he is present, nor dwell in any town where he resides : I
quitted Baghdad and took up my abode in this city, and
I will not pass the next night without departing from it. —
Upon this, we said to him, We conjure thee, by Allah, to
relate to us thy adventure with him. — And the countenance
of the barber turned pale when he heard its make this request.
The young man then said, —

Know, O good people, that my father was one of the
chief merchants of Baghdad; and God (whose name be
exalted!) blessed him with no son but myself; and when
I grew up, and had attained to manhood, my father was
admitted to the mercy of God, leaving me wealth and
servants and other dependants; whereupon I began to at-
tire myself in clothes of the handsomest description, and
to feed upon the most delicious meats. Now God (whose
perfection be extolled!) made me to be a hater of women;
and so I continued, until, one day, I was walking through
the streets of Baghdad, when a party of them stopped my
way: I therefore fled from them, and, entering a by-street
which was not a thoroughfare, I reclined upon a mastabah
at its further extremity. Here I had been seated but a
short time when, lo, a window opposite the place where I
sat was opened, and there looked out from it a damsel
like the full moon, such as I had never in my life beheld.
She had some flowers, which she was watering, beneath the
window ; and she looked to the right and left, and then
shut the window, and disappeared from before me. Fire
had been shot into my heart, and my mind was absorbed
by her; my hatred of women was turned into love, and I
continued sitting in the same place until sunset, in a state
of distraction from the violence of my passion, when, lo,
the Kadi of the city came riding along, with slaves before
him and servants behind him, and alighted, and entered
the house from which the damsel had looked out : so I knew
tiiat he must be her father.

I then returned to my house, sorrowful and fell upon
my bed, full of anxious thoughts; and my female slaves
came in to me, and seated themselves around me, not_ low-
ing what was the matter with me; and I acquainted "them
not with my case, nor returned any answers to their ques-
tions; and my disorder increased. The neighbours, there-
fore, came to cheer me with their visits; and among those
who visited me was an old woman, who, as soon as she
saw me, discovered my state ; whereupon she seated her-
self at my head, and, addressing me in a kind manner,
said, O my son, tell me what hath happened to thee? So
I related to her my story, and she said, O my son, this is
the daughter of the Kadi of Baghdad, and she is kept in
close confinement : the place where thou sawest her is her
apartment, and her father occupies a large saloon below,
leaving her alone; and often do I visit her: thou canst
obtain an interview with her only through me: so brace up
thy nerves. When I heard, therefore, what she said, I took
courage, and fortified my heart; and my family rejoiced
that day. I rose up firm in limb, and hoping for complete
restoration; and the old woman departed; but she returned
with her countenance changed, and said, O my son, ask not
what she did when I told her of thy case ; for she said, If
thou abstain not, O ill-omened old woman, from this dis-
course, I will treat thee as thou deservest: — but I must go
to her a second time.

On hearing this, my disorder increased : after some days,
however, the old woman came again, and said, O my son, I
desire of thee a reward for good tidings. My soul returned
to my body at these words, and I replied, Thou shalt receive
from me everything that thou canst wish. She then said. I
went yesterday to the damsel, and when she beheld me with
broken heart and weeping eye, she said to me, O my aunt,
wherefore do I see thee with contracted heart? — and when
she had thus said, I wept, and answered, O my daughter
and mistress, I came to thee yesterday from visiting a youth
who loveth thee, and he is at the point of death on thy
account : — and, her heart being moved with compassion, she
asked, Who is this youth of whom thou speakest ? I answcreil.
He is my son, and the child that is dear to my soul : he saw
thee at the window some days ago, while thou wast watering
thy flowers; and when he beheld thy face, he became dis-
tracted with love for thee: I informed him of the conversa-
tion that I had with thee the first time ; upon which his
disorder increased, and he took to his pillow: he is now
dying, and there is no doubt of his fate. — And upon this,
her countenance became pale and she said, Is this all on
my account? — Yea, by Allah, I answered; and what dost
thou order me to do? — Go to him, said she; convey to him
my salutation, and tell him that my love is greater than his;
and on Friday next, before the congregation prayers, let
him come hither: I will give orders to open the door to
him, i.nd to bring him up to me, and I will have a short
interview with him, and he shall return before my father
comes back from the prayers.

When I heard these words of the old woman, the anguish
which I had suffered ceased; my heart was set at rest, and
I gave her the suit of clothes which I was then wearing, and
she departed, saying to me, Cheer up thy heart. I replied,
I have no longer any pain. The people of my house, and
my friends, communicated, one to another, the good news
of my restoration to health, and I remained thus until the
Friday, when the old woman came in to me, and asked me
respecting my state; so I informed her that I was happy
and well. I then dressed and perfumed myself, and sat
waiting for the people to go to prayers, that I might repair
to the damsel ; but the old woman said to me, Thou hast
yet more than ample time, and if thou go to the bath and
shave, especially for the sake of obliterating the traces of
thy disorder, it will be more becoming. — It is a judicious
piece of advice, replied I ; but I will sliave my head first,
and then go into the bath.

So I sent for a barber to shave my head, saying to the
boy, Go to the market, and bring me a barber, one who is a
man of sense, little inclined to impertinence, that he may
not make my head ache by his chattering. And the boy
went, and brought this sheykh, who, on entering, saluted
me ; and when I returned his salutation, he said to me.
May God dispel thy grief and thine anxiety, and misfortunes
and sorrows ! I responded. May God accept thy prayer !
He then said. Be cheerful, O my master; for health hath
returned to thee. Dost thou desire to be shaved or to be
bled? — for it hath been handed down, on the authority of
Ibn-' Abbas'^ that the Prophet said, Whoso shortenelh his
hair on Friday, God will avert from him seventy diseases; —
and it hath been handed down also, on the same authority,
that the Prophet said, Whoso is cupped on Friday will not
be secure from the loss of sight and from frequent disease.
— Abstain, said I, from this useless discourse, and come
immediately, shave my head for I am weak. And he arose,
and, stretching forth his hand, took out a handkerchiei", and
opened it; and lo, there was in it an astrolabe, consisting of
seven plates; and he took it, and went into the middle of
the courtj where he raised his head towards the san, and
looked for a considerable time; after which he said to me.
Know that there have passed, of this our day, — which is
Friday, and which is the tenth of Safar, of the year 263 of
the Flight of the Prophet, — upon whom be the most excellent
of blessings and peace ! — and the ascendant star of which,
according to the required rules of the science of computa-
tion, is the planet Mars, — seven degrees and six minutes ;
and it happeneth that Mercury hath come in conjunction
with that planet; and this indicateth that the shaving of
hair is now a most excellent operation : and it hath indicated
to me, also, that thou desirest to confer a benefit upon a
person : and fortunate is he ! — but after that, there is an
announcement ¦ that presenteth itself to me respecting a
matter which I will not mention to thee.

By Allah, I exclaimed, thou hast wearied me, and dissi-
pated my mind, and augured against me, when I required
thee only to shave my head : arise, then, and shave it ; and
prolong not thy discourse to me. But he replied, By Allah,
if thou knewest the truth of the case, thou wouldst demand
of me a further explication; and I counsel thee to do this
day as I direct thee, according to the calculations deduced
from the stars : it is thy duty to praise God, and not to
oppose me; for I am one who giveth thee good advice, and
who rcgardeth thee with compassion : I would that I were
in thy service for a whole year, that thou mightest do me
justice ; and I desire not any pay from thee for so doing. —
When I heard this, I said to him, Verily thou art kilh'ng me
this day, and there is no escape for me. — O my master, he
replied, I am he whom the people call Es-Samit, [" the
Silent,"] on account of the paucity of my speech, by which I
am distinguished above my brothers : for my eldest brother is
named El-Bakbuk; and the second, El-Heddar; and the
third, Bakbak"^; and the fourth is named El-Kuz el-Aswani;
and the fifth, El-Feshshar ; and the sixth is named Shakalik ;
and the seventh brother is named Es-Samit; and he is myself.
Now when this barber thus overwhelmed me with his
talk, I felt as if my gall-bladder had burst, and said to the
boy, Give him a quarter of a piece of gold and let him
depart from me for the sake of Allah: for I have no need
to shave my head. But the barber on hearing what I said
to the boy, exclaimed, What is this that thou hast said, O
my lord? By Allah, I will accept from thee no pay unless
I serve thee; and serve thee I must; for to do so is
incumbent on me, and to perform what thou requirest; and
I care not if I receive from thee no money. If thou knowest
not my worth, I know thine ; and thy father — may Allah have
mercy upon him ! — treated us with beneficence ; for he was
a man of generosity. By Allah, thy father sent for me one
day, like this blessed day, and when I went to him, he had
a number of his friends with him, and he said to lue. Take
some blood from me. So I took the astrolabe, and observed
the altitude for him, and found the ascendant of the hour to
be of evil omen, and that the letting of blood would be
attended with trouble: I therefore acquainted him with this,
and he conformed to my wish, and waited until the arrival
of the approved hour, when I took the blood from him. He
did not oppose me ; but, on the contrary, thanked me ; and
in like manner all the many present thanked me; and thy
father gave me a hundred pieces of gold for services similar
to the letting of blood. — May God, said I, shew no mercy
to my father for knowing such a man as thou ! — and the
barber laughed, and exclaimed. There is no deity but God !
Mohammad is God's Apostle ! Extolled be the perfection
of Him who changeth others, but is not changed ! I did
not imagine thee to be otherwise than a man of sense; but
thou hast talked nonsense in consequence of thine illness.
God hath mentioned, in his Excellent Book, those who re-
strain their anger, and who forgive men : — but thou art
excused in every case. I am unacquainted, however, with
the cause of thy haste; and thou knowest that thy father
used to do nothing without consulting me; and it hath
been said, that the person to whom one applies for advice
should be trusted: now thou wilt find no one better ac-
quainted with the affairs of the world than myself, and I
am standing on my feet to serve thee. I am not displeased
with thee, and how then art thou displeased with me? But
I will have patience with thee on account of the favours
which I have received from thy father. — By Allah, said I,
thou hast wearied me with thy discourse, and overcome me
with thy speech! I desire that thou shave my head and
depart from me.

I gave vent to my rage; and would have risen, even if
he had wetted my head, when he said, I knew that dis-
pleasure with me had overcome thee; but I will not be
angry with thee, for thy sense is weak, and thou art a youth:
a short time ago I used to carry thee on my shoulder, and
take thee to the school. — Upon this, I said to him, O my
brother, I conjure thee by Allah, depart from me that I may
perform my business, and go thou thy way. Then I rent
my clothes; and when he saw me do this, he took the
razor, and sharpened it, and continued to do so until my soul
almost parted from my body ; then advancing to my head,
he shaved a small portion of it; after which he raised his
hand, and said, O my lord, haste is from the Devil; — and
he repeated this couplet: —

Deliberate, and haste not to accomplish thy desire ; and be merciful,

so shalt thou meet with one merciful :
For there is no hand but God's hand is above it ; nor oppressor

that shall not meet with an oppressor.

O my lord (he then continued), I do not imagine that thou
knowest my condition in society; for my hand lighteth
upon the heads of kings and emirs and wezirs and sages
and learned men ; and of such a one as myself hath the
poet said, —

The trades altogether are like a necklace, and this barber is the

chief pearl of the strings.
He excelleth all that are endowed with skill, and under his hands

are the heads of Kings.

— Leave, said I, that which doth not concern thee ! Thou hast
contracted my heart, and troubled my mind. — I fancy that
thou art in haste, he rejoined. I replied, Yes! Yes! Yes! —
Proceed slowly, said he; for verily haste is from the Devil,
and it giveth occasion to repentance and disappointment;
and he upon whom be blessing and peace hath said, The
best of affairs is that which is commenced with deliber-
ation: — and, by Allah, I am in doubt as to thine affair: I
wish, therefore, that thou wouldst make known to me wliat
thou art hasting to do; and may it be good; for I fear it
is otherwise.

There now remained, to the appointed time, three hours;
and he threw the razor from his hand in anger, and, taking
the astrolabe, went again to observe the sun ; then after he
had waited a long time, he returned, saying, There remain,
to the hour of prayer, three hours, neither more nor less. —
For the sake of Allah, said I, be silent ; for thou hast
crumbled my liver! — and thereupon he took the razor, and
sharpened it as he had done the first time, and shaved
another portion of my head. Then stopping again, he said,
I am in anxiety on account of thy hurry: if thou wouldst
acquaint me with the cause of it, it would be better for thee ;
for thou knowest that thy father used to do nothing without
consulting me.

I perceived now that I could not avoid his importunity,
and said within myself. The time of prayer is almost come,
and I desire to go before the people come out from the
service : if I delay a little longer, I know not how to gain
admission to her. I therefore said to him, Be quick, and
cease from this chattering and impertinence ; for I desire
to repair to an entertainment with my friends. But when
he heard the mention of the entertainment, he exclaimed.
The day is a blessed day for me! I yesterday conjured a
party of my intimate friends to come and feast with me,
and forgot to prepare for them anything to eat ; and now
I have remembered it. Alas for the disgrace that I shall
experience from them ! — So I said to him, Be in no anxiety
on this account, since thou hast been told that I am going
to-day to an entertainment; for all the food and drink that
is in my house shall be thine if thou use expedition in my
affair, and quickly finish shaving my head. — May God
recompense thee with every blessing! he repHed: describe
to me what thou hast for my guests, that I may knov^r it. —
I have, said I, five dishes of meat, and ten fowls fricandoed,
and a roasted lamb. — Cause them to be brought before me,
he said, that I may see them. So I had them brought to
him, and he exclaimed. Divinely art thou gifted! How
generous is thy soul ; But the incense and perfumes are
wanting. — I brought him, therefore, a box containing nedd"
and aloes-wood and ambergris and musk, worth fifty pieces
of gold. — The time had now become contracted, like my
own heart ; so I said to him. Receive this, and shave the
whole of my head, by the existence of Mohammad, God
bless and save him ! But he replied, By Allah, I will not
take it until I see all that it contains. I therefore ordered
the boy, and he opened the box to him; whereupon the
barber threw down the astrolabe from his hand, and seat-
ing himself upon the ground, turned over the perfumes and
incense and aloes-wood in the box until my soul almost
quitted my body.

He then advanced, and took the razor, and shaved
another small p^ortion of my head ; after which he said. By
Allah, O my son, I know not whether I should thank thee
or thank thy father; for my entertainment to-day is entirely
derived from thy bounty and kindness, and I have no one
among my visitors deserving of it ; for my guests are Zeytun
the bath-keeper, and Sali' the wheat-seller, and 'Awkal the
bean-seller, and 'Akresheh the grocer, and Homcyd the
dustman, and 'Akarish the milk-seller, and each of these
hath a peculiar dance which he performeth. and peculiar
verses which he reciteth ; and the best of their qualities is,
that they are like thy servant, the memluk who is before
thee; and I, thy slave, know neither loquacity nor imper-
tinence. As to the bath-keeper, he saith, H I go not to
the feast, it cometh to my house ! — and as to the dustman,
he is witty, and full of frolic: often doth he dance, and
say, News, with my wife, is not kept in a chest ! — and each
of my friends hath jests that another hath not: but the
description is not like the actual observation. If thou
choose, therefore, to come to us, it will be more pleasant
both to thee and to us: relinquish, then, thy visit to thy
friends of whom thou hast told us that thou desirest to go
to them: for the traces of disease are yet upon thee, and
probably thou art going to a people of many words, who
will talk of that which concerneth them not; or probably
there will be among them one impertinent person ; and thy
soul is already disquieted by disease. — I replied, If it be the
will of God, that shall be on some other day: — but he said.
It will be more proper that thou first join my party of
friends, that thou mayest enjoy their conviviality, and delight
thyself with their salt. Act in accordance with the saying
of the poet : —

Defer not a pleasure when it can be had; for fortune often
destroyeth our plans.

Upon this I laughed from a heart laden witR anger, and
said to him, Do what I require, that I may go in the care
of God, whose name be exalted ! and do thou go to thy friends,
for they are awaiting thine arrival. He replied, I desire noth-
ing but to introduce thee into the society of these people ;
for verily they are of the sons of that class among which is
no impertinent person ; and if thou didst but behold them once,
thou wouldst leave all thine own companions. — May God,
said I, give thee abundant joy with them, and I must bring
them together here some day. — If that be thy wish, he re-
joined, and thou wilt first attend the entertainment of thy
friends this day, wait until T take this present with which thou
hast honoured me, and place it before my friends, that they
may eat and drink without waiting for me, and then I will
return to thee, and go with thee to thy companions; for there
is no false delicacy between me and my companions that
should prevent my leaving them ; so I will return to thee
quickly, and repair with thee whithersoever thou goest. — Upon
this I exclaimed, There is no strength nor power but in God,
the High, the Great ! Go thou to thy companions, and delight
thy heart with them, and leave me to repair to mine, and to
remain with them this day, for they are waiting my arrival. —
But he said, I will not leave thee to go alone. — The place to
which I am going, said I, none can enter except myself. — I
suppose then, he rejoined, that thou hast an appointment to-
day with some female : otherwise, thou wouldst take me with
thee; for I am more deserving than all other men, and will
assist thee to attain what thou desirest. I fear that thou art
going to visit some strange woman, and that thy life will be
lost ; for in this city of Baghdad no one can do anything of this
kind, especially on such a day as this ; seeing that the Wali of
Baghdad is a terrible, sharp sword. — Wo to thee, O wicked
old man ! I exclaimed, what are these words with which thou
addressest me! — And upon this, he kept a long silence.

The time of prayer had now arrived, and the time of
the Khutbeh" was near, when he had finished shaving my
head: So I said to him. Go with this food and drink to thy
friends, and I will wait for thee until thou return, and
thou shalt accompany me: — and I continued my endeavours
to deceive him ; that he might go away ; but he said to me,
Verily thou- art deceiving me, and wilt go alone, and pre-
cipitate thyself into a calamity from which there will be no
escape for thee ; by Allah ! by Allah ! then quit not this
spot imtil I return to thee, and accompany thee, that I may
know what will be the result of thine affair. — I replied,
Well: prolong not thine absence from me. And he took
the food and drink and other things which I had given him,
but intrusted them to a porter to convey them to his abode,
and concealed himself in one of the by-streets. I then
immediately arose. The mueddins on the menarehs had
chanted the Selam of Friday ; and I put on my clothes, and
went forth alone, and, arriving at the by-street, stopped at
the door of the house where I had seen the damsel : and lo,
the barber was behind me, and I knew it not. I found the
door open, and entered; and immediately the master of the
house returned from the- prayers, and entered the saloon,
and closed the door; and I said within myself, How did
this devil discover me?

Now it happened, just at this time, for the fulfilment
of God's purpose to rend the veil of protection before me,
that a female slave belonging to the master of the house
committed some offence, in consequence of which he beat
her, and she cried out ; whereupon a male slave came in to
him to liberate her ; but he beat him also, and he likewise
cried out ; and the barber concluded that he was beating me ;
so he cried, and rent his clothes, and sprinkled dust upon his
head, shrieking, and calling for assistance. He was sur-
rounded by people, and said to them, My master hath been
killed in the house of the Kadi ! Then running to my house,
crying out all the while, and with a crowd behind him, he
gave the news to my family ; and I knew not what he had
done when they approached, crying, Alas for our master ! —
the barber all the while being before them, with his clothes
rent, and a number of the people of the city with them.
They continued shrieking, the barber shrieking at their head,
and all of them exclaiming, Alas for our slain ! — Thus they
advanced to the house in which I was confined; and when
the Kadi heard of this occurrence, the event troubled him,
and he arose, and opened the door, and seeing a great
crowd, he was confounded, and said, O people, what is the
news ?

The servants replied. Thou hast killed our master. —
O people, rejoined he, what hath your master done unto
me that I should kill him; and wherefore do I see this
barber before you? — Thou hast just now beaten him with
mikra'ahs, said 'the barber; and I heard his cries. — What
hath he done that I should kill him? repeated the Kadi.
And whence, he » added, came he; and whither would he go?
• — Be not an old man of malevolence, exclaimed the barber ;
for I know the story, and the reason of his entering thy
house, and the truth of the whole affair; thy daughter is in
love with him, and he is in love with her; and thou hast
discovered that he had entered thy house, and hast ordered
thy young men, and they have beaten him. By Allah, none
shall decide between us and thee except the Khali fch; or
thou shalt bring forth to us our master that his family may
take him ; and oblige me not to enter and take him forth
from you: haste then thyself to produce him.


Upon this, the Kadi was withheld from speaking, and
became utterly abashed before the people: but presently he
said to the barber. If thou speak truth, enter thyself, and
bring him forth. So the barber advanced, and entered the
house; and when I saw him do so, I sought for a way to
escape; but I found no place of refuge except a large chest
which I observed in the same apartment in which I then
was; I therefore entered this, and shut down the lid, and
held in my breath. Immediately after, the barber ran into
the saloon, and, without looking in any other direction than
that in which I had concealed myself, came thither: then
turning his eyes to the right and left, and seeing nothing
but the chest, he raised it upon his head; whereupon my
reason forsook me. He quickly descended with it ; and
I, being now certain that he would not quit me, opened the
chest, and threw myself upon the ground. My leg was
broken by the fall; and when I -came to the door of the
house, I found a multitude of people: I had never seen
such a crowd as was there collected on that day ; so I
began to scatter gold among them, to divert them; and
while they were busied in picking it up, I hastened through
the by-streets of Baghdad, followed by this barber; and
wherever I entered, he entered after me, crying, They
would have plunged me into affliction on account of my
master! Praise be to God who aided me against them,
and delivered my master from their hands ! Thou con-
tinuedst, O my master, to be excited by haste for the ac-
complishment of thine evil design until thou broughtest
upon thyself this event; and if God had not blessed thee
with me, thou hadst not escaped from this calamity into
which thou hast fallen ; and they might have involved thee
in a calamity from which thou wouldst never have escaped.
Beg, therefore, of God, that I may live for thy sake, to
liberate thee in future. By Allah, thou hast almost destroyed
me by thine evil design, desiring to go alone ; but we will
not be angry with thee for thine ignorance, for thou art
endowed with little sense and of a hasty disposition. — Art
thou not satisfied, replied I. with that which thou hast done,
but wilt thou run after me through the market-streets? — And
I desired for death to liberate me from him; but found it
not; and in the excess of my rage I ran from him, and,
entering a shop in the midst of the market, implored the
protection of its owner; and he drove away the barber
from me.

I then seated myself in a magazine belonging to him,
and said within myself, I cannot now rid myself of this
barber; but he will be with me night and day, and I cannot
endure the sight of his face. So I immediately summoned
witnesses, and wrote a document, dividing my property
among my family, and appointing a guardian over them,
and I ordered him to sell the house and all the immovable
possessions, charging him with the care of the old and
young, and set forth at once on a journey in order to escape
from this wretch. I then arrived in your country, where I
took up my abode, and have remained a considerable time;
and when ye invited me, and I came unto you, I saw this
vile wretch among you, seated at the upper end of the
room. How, then, can my heart be at ease, or my sitting
in your company be pleasant to me, with this fellow, who
hath brought these events upon me, and been the cause of
the breaking of my leg?

The young man still persevered in his refusal to remain
with us; and when we had heard his story, we said to the
barber. Is this true which the young man hath said of thee ?
— By Allah, he answered, it was through my intelligence
that I acted thus towards him; and had I not done so, he
had perished: myself only was the cause of his escape;
and it was through the goodness of God, by my means, that
he was afflicted by the breaking of his leg instead of being
punished by the loss of his life. Were I a person of many
words, I had not done him this kindness; and now I will
relate to you an event that happened to me, that ye may
believe me to be a man of few words, and less of an im-
pertinent than my brothers; and it was this "The Barber's Story of Himself."