“It cannot be my ferejeh, of course,” said the Cadi hastily; “though there is a similarity which at first deceived me.”

“Then I will keep it till the man claims it,” said the Khoja.

And he did so.

Tale 20.—­The Two Pans.

One day the Khoja borrowed a big pan of his next-door neighbour.

[Illustration:  THE KHOJA IS ARTFUL.]

When he had done with it he put a smaller pan inside it, and carried it back.

“What is this?” said the neighbour.

“It is a young pan,” replied the Khoja.  “It is the child of your big pan, and therefore belongs to you.”

The neighbour laughed in his sleeve.

“If this Khoja is mad,” said he, “a sensible man like myself need not refuse to profit by his whims.”

So he replied, “It is well, O Khoja!  The pan is a very good pan.  May its posterity be increased!”

And he took the Khoja’s pan as well as his own, and the Khoja departed.

After a few days the Khoja came again to borrow the big pan, which his neighbour lent him willingly, saying to himself, “Doubtless something else will come back in it.”  But after he had waited two—­three—­four—­and five days, and the Khoja did not return it, the neighbour betook himself to the Khoja’s house and asked for his pan.

The Khoja came to the door with a sad countenance.

“Allah preserve you, neighbour!” said he.  “May your health be better than that of our departed friend, who will return to you no more.  The big pan is dead.”

“Nonsense, Khoja Effendi!” said the neighbour, “You know well enough that a pan cannot die.”

“You were quite willing to believe that it had had a child,” said the Khoja; “it seems odd you cannot believe that it is dead.”

Tale 21.—­The Day of the Month.

One day Khoja Effendi walked into the bazaar.  As he went about among the buyers and sellers, a man came up to him and said, “Is it the third or fourth day of the month to-day?”

“How should I know?” replied the Khoja.  “I don’t deal in the moon.”

Tale 22.—­The Khoja’s Dream.

One night when he was asleep the Khoja dreamed that he found nine pieces of money.

“Bountiful heaven!” said he, “let me have been mistaken.  I will count them afresh.  Let there be ten!” And when he counted them there were ten.  Then he said, “Let there be nineteen!” And vehemently contending for nineteen he awoke.  But when he was awake and found that there was nothing in his hands, he shut his eyes again, and stretching his hands out said, “Make it nine pieces, I’ll not say another word.”

Tale 23.—­The Old Moon.

One day some of the neighbours said, “Let us ask this Khoja something that will puzzle him, and see what he will say.”  So they came to the Khoja and said, “The moon is on the wane, Khoja Effendi, and we shall soon have a new one; what will be done with the old moon?”