"He swore to it," replied the justice, humbly.
"Then you swore falsely?" thundered the caliph, as the merchant, pale and trembling, stood before him.
"Allah, Allah!" cried Kalum. "I certainly don't want to dispute the grand vizier's word; he is a truthful man, but alas! the purse does belong to me and that rascal of a Said stole it. I would give a thousand tomans if he was in this room now."
"What did you do with this Said?" asked the caliph. "Speak up! where shall we have to send for him, that he may come and make confession before me?"
"I banished him to a desert island," said the police justice.
"O Said! my son, my son!" cried the unhappy father.
"Indeed, then he acknowledged the crime, did he?" inquired Haroun.
The police justice turned pale. He rolled his eyes about restlessly, and finally said: "If I remember rightly--yes."
"You are not certain about it, then?" continued the caliph in a terrible voice; "then we will ask the young man himself. Step forth, Said, and you Kalum-Bek, to begin with, will count out one thousand gold pieces, as Said is now in the room."
Kalum and the police justice thought it was a ghost that stood before them. They prostrated themselves and cried: "Mercy! Mercy!" Benezar, half-fainting with joy, fell into the arms of his long-lost son. But, with great severity of manner, the caliph said: "Police Justice, here stands Said; did he confess?"