"
In the tranquil hour of midnight an apparition stood before him, in the
habit of a fakir. The merchant cried: "What art thou?" It answered: "I
am the apparition of thy good fortune and the genius of thy future
happiness. When thou, with such unbounded generosity, didst bequeath all
thy wealth to the poor, I determined not to pass by thy door unnoticed,
but to endow thee with an inexhaustible treasure, conformable to the
greatness of thy capacious soul. To accomplish which I will, every
morning, in this shape, appear to thee; thou shalt strike me a few blows
on the head, when I shall instantly fall low at thy feet, transformed
into an image of gold. From this freely take as much as thou shalt have
occasion for; and every member or joint that shall be separated from the
image shall be instantly replaced by another of the same precious
metal."[47]
[47] If the members severed from the golden image were to be
instantly replaced by others, what need was there for
the daily appearance of the "fakir," as promised?--But
_n'importe_!
At daybreak the demon of avarice had conducted Hajm, the covetous, to
the durbar of Abdal-Malik, the generous. Soon after his arrival the
apparition presented itself. Abdal-Malik immediately arose, and after
striking it several blows on the head it fell down before him, and was
changed into an image of gold.
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