"Pilij, pilij, pilij."
"Yes, but what is it?"
"Pilij, pilij—she doesn't know pilij, and she learns it every day."
He begins to crow like a cock.
"Oh yes, I know."
"Ah, ah, now she knows! Peki; pilij 3 piastres. Have you written it?"
"Yes."
"Peki, Effendim."
And so we go on through all the items, and finally add up the total in our respective languages. By means of holding up our ten fingers a large number of times, we ascertain whether the results tally, for in those early days I could only count in Turkish up to twenty-nine, and knew the words for a hundred and a thousand. Then Hassan would give a great sigh, close his book, fold his spectacles, take off his fez, and wipe his head all over, and finally forget his troubles under the soothing influence of tobacco.
