Dressed as a merchant’s assistant he was to stand at the door of the shop and show off the wares. And now Said understood why the bad little man wanted him.
Kalum-Bek, being short and very ugly, excited the derision of the passers-by as he stood inviting custom. The boys teased him, the women called him a scarecrow, and everyone made fun of him, but everyone looked with admiration at the tall, handsome youth who handled the goods so cleverly and showed them off to the best advantage.
When Kalum-Bek saw that his plan answered and that Said attracted many more customers than he had been able to, he treated the young man much better, fed him well and saw that he had good clothes to show off his fine face and figure; but these attentions did not soften Said in the least and he made up his mind to escape on the first opportunity.
One day they had done an unusually good trade in the shop, so many things had been bought that the porters were all away carrying home the goods the customers had bought, but a lady entered the shop, bought some goods and asked for a man to carry them home at once.
“In half an hour, I will send them with pleasure,” said Kalum-Bek, “but just now all my men are out; if you cannot wait so long, perhaps you would prefer to engage an outside porter.”
“A fine merchant you are,” said the lady angrily, “to advise me to engage a strange man to carry home my purchases. He would doubtless make off with my goods and who would repay me then? No, according to the custom of the market, it is your duty to provide a man to carry home goods purchased, and I insist upon having one.”
“Certainly, certainly,” said Kalum-Bek, “if you will only wait half an hour I can oblige you.”
Said was to stand at the door of the shop and show off the wares. (P. [298].)
“This is a common shop indeed,” replied the enraged lady, “not to provide sufficient porters. But there stands a great idle fellow, he shall carry home my parcel and I will give him a coin for his pains.”