The child saluted, assumed a more equable appearance, and followed his brothers out of the room, while Mahmoud, his equipoise a little disturbed by the incident, set himself right by the simple process of drawing from one sleeve a handful of coins and counting them out slowly into the other: a pastime which never failed to restore him to the best of tempers.
AL-JAMAL WA’L-NAKHL
That is:
Camels and Dates
CHAPTER IX
ENTITLED AL-JAMAL WA’L-NAKHL,
OR CAMELS AND DATES
When the hour of public execution had arrived the boys came timorously into their rich uncle’s presence, and seating themselves upon the expensive carpet at the feet of his divan, prepared to hear the continuation of his adventures.