knew to be able to reply in the Persian tongue.  On one occasion, after speaking with the Ottoman Ambassador, who is always a Persian linguist (Persian being an obligatory subject of qualification for the Tehran post), he passed on to a Minister who was a good Persian scholar.  Further on he found an equally well—­qualified colloquial proficient in another; and on finding himself before a well-known very clever diplomatist for whom he had a great personal liking, he smiled and said pleasantly, ‘Have you learnt any Persian yet?’ The Minister bowed, and, looking duly serious, said in Persian, ‘I know something.’  The Minister meant to say that he knew a little, but the word ‘something,’ as used, could be taken, as in English, to signify ’a thing or two.’  Such a meaning from the diplomatist who spoke was quite appropriate, and the Shah laughed softly and looked much amused.

As another instance (but in this case of grim humour) of seeing the comic side, a Prince Governor of a province, sitting in judgment, ordered a merchant to pay a fine of fifty tomans, but, though well known to be rich, he protested his utter inability to pay, saying he had never seen such a sum of money, and begged for some other punishment which the Prince in his wisdom and mercy would command.  His Highness then suggested a choice of eating fifty raw onions, or eating fifty sticks (the Oriental mode of expression when speaking of bastinado strokes), or paying the fifty tomans.  Persians are fond of raw onions, those they eat being small, and the merchant enjoyed the prospect of thus saving his money.  He thought that the punishment had been ordered in ignorance, so, concealing his feeling of happy surprise, and affecting fear, he elected for onions.  He struggled hard with them, but could not swallow more than half the number.  He was then asked to pay the fine, but he claimed his further choice of the fifty sticks.  Triced up, he underwent the pain of twenty-five well laid on to the soles of his feet, and then called out that he would willingly pay the fifty tomans to have no more.  On this he was cast loose, and the Prince said, ’You fool! you had a choice of one of three punishments, and you took all three.’

Persian servants regard their fixed pay as but a retaining fee, and look for their real wages in perquisites.  They show considerable ingenuity and brightness of idea in reasons for purchasing this, that, and the other thing, not really required, but affording opportunities for ‘pickings.’  A new head-servant, on looking round his master’s premises, and seeing no opening for a fresh purchase, at last cast his eye on the fowls, kept to secure a supply of fresh eggs, instead of the doubtful ones bought in the bazaar.  He introduced stale eggs into the fowl-house, and on their condition being remarked at breakfast, he gravely explained that he had noticed the hens were old, and it sometimes happened that old hens laid stale eggs, whereas young hens always laid fresh eggs; so he suggested clearing out the fowl-house and restocking it with young poultry.