"Dig where thou wilt," replied Yousouf; "we have no right to prevent thee after the discovery thou hast just made here."
The Jew instantly set to work at the wall, but it was now his turn to be astonished, for the wall, hollow it is true, was guiltless of gold or silver either.
Yousouf burst out laughing at the disconcerted and stupified look of the old Jew.
"Never mind," said he, "thy nose has deceived thee for once; but thou must not let that discourage thee. Still, hadst thou frankly told me that as a friend of old Nathan Cohen thou knewest where he had hidden his treasure, in return for thy confidence I should have given thee a quarter of what thou hast found; but since thou hast persisted in assuring me that thy nose is gifted with supernatural powers, I shall give thee much less. Besides, with such a nose as thine no one can doubt but thy fortune is made."
"Ah!" cried the Jew, clasping his withered and wrinkled hands, "Yousouf! Yousouf! since thou art good and just, as Mohammed says, take pity on my poverty; it impelled me to deal falsely with thee; I confess it now; and spite of its singular form, my nose has nothing but what is common to other noses. Accord then to my tardy sincerity that which thou wouldst at first have given me."
Yousouf consulted Mohammed again, who replied thus:
"Thou art just and pious; act according to thy own desire."
Yousouf then counted out to the old Jew the fourth part of what he had just found, thus rendering him happy for the remainder of his days.
Then, finding himself alone with his friend, he began to divide into two equal parts the gold and silver which remained.
"Give me none! give me none, Yousouf!" exclaimed Mohammed, "I am no longer deserving of thy friendship."