it was manufactured. But the Beörekgee, with a solemn face, only admonished them to suppress all curiosity, and enjoy the repast before them. Supposing the man was afraid of competition, one of the gentlemen answered him, that they had no idea of setting up a rival establishment, but were only desirous to have it made at their own houses. As Mustapha was inexorable, they tried to overcome his reluctance by the offer of a goodly sum of piasters. Whether the refined appearance and polite demeanor of these dervishes, or the apparent length of their purses, suddenly changed the word of the man of the wonderful pastry, is uncertain; but he promised to show them the peculiar process after they had finished eating. Much amused by the prospect of having their curiosity gratified, the dervishes soon arose, and were conducted to the fountain for the purpose of washing their hands. This fountain was in the back part of the shop, behind the oven, within a closet so small that but one person could enter. After some time had passed, the dervish who was awaiting his turn outside, gently opened the door to see what his friend was about, when lo! he found the closet deserted. Much alarmed at the disappearance of his companion, he summoned the Beörekgee, who assured him that there was no cause for alarm; his friend had only gone to the place where the pastry was prepared, and that if he had the same curiosity, he had only to perform his ablutions, and he would also be conducted there. He accordingly entered the closet, and as he was washing his hands, suddenly the floor beneath his feet seemed to give way, and in a moment more he found himself in a large subterranean hall. The atmosphere was humid, cold, and redolent of noxious vapors, too heavy to breathe, where terror alone almost sufficed to stifle respiration.

'Several lamps suspended from the ceiling cast a lurid light on the scene before our trembling dervish; huge figures flitted before him, now and then a deep sigh or stifled groan came heavily to his ears; yet there were no human voices. Almost paralyzed with fear, he tried to call out for his friend, but his speech failed him. What were those naked forms hovering about, knives and hatchets in hand? What meant those severed limbs, those scattered hands and feet, those trunkless heads with starting eye-balls? He stepped forward into a pool of blood! he reeled back over a dead body! he listened, and only caught the echoes of the axe or the knife!

'Bound hand and foot, he saw several men standing, of SO marblelike hue, that he doubted whether they were men or corpses; among these he discovered his own companion.

Along one side of this charnel-house was a long table, at which several individuals were busily employed, and at one end was a vast heap of human bones, which were gathered together by a man who seemed to be in attendance for no other purpose.

The famous pastry-maker now appeared, and taking our two terror-stricken dervishes by the hand, began to initiate them into the mysteries of his work-shop. Selecting a man from the group, he summoned the principal butcher of these regions, who, in a

twinkling, with his glittering axe, severed the head from the body to which it had so many years belonged. Fearful silence prevailed, and an icy shiver pervaded the life-blood in the veins of the lookers-on. They now turn to the tables, where the men dexterously strip the yet quivering flesh from the human limbs, freeing the bones from the clinging morsels, and with wonderful dispatch creating but two heaps of the late body: one a pile of flesh, the other of bones. This meat is now carefully chopped up and placed on trays, which are borne away.

"Here, then, my Effendis, is the secret of the Kassem Pasha Biörekyee,' said the proprietor of this famous establishment. Nothing so savory, nothing so delicate, nothing so meltingly delicious as the flesh of a gentleman - a well-fed, fat, pampered gentleman. Does he not live on the rarest viands, quaff the purest wines, sip the most cooling sherbets? He is never wearied with the toils of life, nor does his body suffer from fatigue. He strolls in sweetly-perfumed gardens, and lingers by cooling streams, or reposes on silken couches. The pastry you eat just now,' continued Mustapha, 'pleased you well, my friends; it so surpassed all you had ever before tasted, that prudence was overcome, and curiosity became a passion in your breasts. No wonder you liked it, it was the pure white flesh of the Mir Akhor, or Master of the Horse of the Palace, they called him Abdullah, which, enveloped in a tissue of flour, so tickled your palates.'

"Hafiz Allah!' (GOD preserve us,) exclaimed the dervishes in a breath for they knew Abdullah very well, and a sudden faintness almost overcame them. Take all our money, all we have,' they cried, only send us away from this awful place.'

"None go from here alive,' said the Beörekgee. What! to tell my secret, to spoil my business! Your money is mine, and your bodies too. Mashallah! you will make even better mince-meat than Abdullah himself. You look very tempting, your flesh is firm, and will surpass any I have ever had,' said this connoisseur in human meat, as he rudely pressed his fingers upon the rounded forms of our dervishes. Oh! no! to-morrow my gay Selim will have good reason to sing out:

''KASSEM PASHA's pastry sweet

Pit pat makes the heart beat.'

'Now the names of our dervishes were Ali and Hassan. Ali seemed to be of superior rank, if one might judge by the deference rendered to him by his companion; but Hassan was very shrewd, and in this awful emergency began to consider in what manner they could be saved from their impending fate. After a little pause, he thus addressed the Beörekgee. "Master, to kill us would be of little use to you, compared to the great profit you might make by keeping us alive. Our dead bodies could only serve for a tray or two of pastry, but by saving us, your gains would be prolonged, and constant from day to day.' It cannot be,' said the stubborn Mustapha. To let you escape

from here is impossible, unless, like your predecessors, in the form of minced-meat and pastry, to regale the subjects of our great Padischah, the sultanas, the houris of the harem. By Allah, you shall be sent direct to the royal palace: a special order has come for a supply of Kassem Pasha's beoreyee for the Sultan's harem.' 'Hassan almost lost his sang-froid at this new threat; but life was too sweet to be parted from without another effort.

"Now, friend, let me tell you,' he again said to Mustapha, 'how you can make your fortune much sooner than by manufacturing pastry. My companion, Ali, is a man of surprising skill; he knows how to weave a certain style of carpet which excels the finest tapestry in curious and exquisite workmanship. Now, only keep us alive a few days, and try how much you will gain by selling these carpets as fast as Ali can weave them. If you do not find them profitable, you still have us in safe keeping, and can then make us into any thing you like. Get the loom, the silks, and let Ali make but one; take it to the bazaars, and you will get more for it than for a whole year's work at pastry.

"Ah! you think to cheat me,' said Mustapha; 'I have seen too many men like you, full of expedients to spin out the thread of life, even for a few short hours. No, I can't afford to let your fine flesh deteriorate by staying here: to-morrow's pastry must be the best that was ever made at Kassem Pasha's;' and, so saying, this hard-hearted monster left our dervishes to all the agony of anticipating their awful doom.'

The Meddah here rose from his seat, announcing that he was somewhat fatigued, and would take a moment's repose. He accordingly withdrew to an adjoining apartment, where the eager attendants served him with a pipe and coffee, over which he seemed to linger most unreasonably, much to the chagrin of the ladies, who began to be clamorous, declaring that the Meddah was too long refreshing himself.

For aught we know, he might have tarried till morning, had it not been for the appearance of the black eunuchs of the Sultana, holding in their hands the most persuasive arguments, in the form of sundry embroidered handkerchiefs, in the corners of which were tied up certain valuable pieces of gold. These having been presented to the Meddah in the name of the Sultana and her ladies, did not fail to remind him that his tale was not yet finished; so taking one last long puff of the all-inspiring weed, he again repaired to the hall, and resumed his seat and his story, saying:

The situation in which we left the dervishes is not to be envied, and we shall learn in the sequel what destiny was in store for them. The unfortunate Ali and his ingenious companion spent all the wearisome hours of this horrible day in bewailing their fate; now cursing their too fatal curiosity, and anon deprecating the unparalleled depravity of Mustapha: even Hassan, with all his shrewdness, all his apparent sang-froid, felt a deep despair taking possession of his soul. Were they indeed to be sacrificed? they? Could it be that Ali, the redoubted, the honorable, the powerful

Ali was thus to perish in this execrable den, by the hands of these cold-blooded wretches?

"Istah fur-Ullah! La vé la, illa koovet ul-Illah!' devoutly exclaimed Hassan, folding his hands upon his breast, as all human resources seemed to fail him.

"God forbid! There is none, none, no power but in GOD AL

MIGHTY.'

'It was now evening, and the dervishes thought their last hour was approaching. They seemed to hear the fluttering wings of Azraël, the Angel of Death; they felt as if the shadows around them were deeper, the darkness more profound; and excluding the world from their thoughts, as it seemed to be from their bodily senses, they commended their souls to the keeping of Allah. Falling on their knees, they solemnly repeated the Fatiha,' or the LORD's Prayer of the Mussulmans.

Praise be to GOD, the LORD of all creatures; the most merciful, the King of the Day of Judgment. THEE do we worship, and of THEE do we beg assistance. Direct us in the right way, in the way of those to whom THOU hast been gracious; not of those against whom THOU art incensed, nor of those who go astray.'

Then addressing the Angel of Death: 'Take not our souls in a rough and cruel manner from the inmost recesses of these our bodies, as the souls of the wicked, but as the souls of the Faithful, gently, and without violence.'

'Ali and Hassan, without any more lingering desires after earthly objects, now calmly fixed their thoughts upon the joys of Paradise, which await all true believers.

"They had almost forgotten their real condition, when suddenly another visitor was introduced into this hall of horrors a youth of the noblest proportions, and in the beauty and freshness of perfect health, and evidently of high rank. Mustapha made his appearance also, and immediately ordered him to be sacrificed. Ali and Hassan now expected that their time had come; but the Beörekgee had determined otherwise.

"You are to live a few days longer,' said he, addressing them. 'I shall make a trial of your skill.' The loom and the silks were procured, and the work was commenced by Ali. He was most assiduous; for with the boon of life, even for a few days, hope again returned. One beautiful shade was mingled with another in varying tints: there were exquisite intertwinings of threads of gold and silk in fantastic shapings, and around the whole a rich border in arabesque, until by great diligence, working day and night, the carpet was soon finished. It was a seddjade, or small praying-carpet, such as the faithful use in their devotions, and excited the highest admiration of Mustapha, who was almost tempted to keep it for himself; as if such as he ever addressed the throne of Allah.

'But avarice was too strong a passion in his breast, and according to Hassan's directions, he took it to the Bezesden, to be sold at public auction. It was there examined and admired for

some time, until at last one of the 'Hodjakees,' or licensed stallkeepers, ventured to offer an enormous price, as a start. The bidding was now kept up pretty lively, much to the astonishment and delight of Mustapha. There was great emulation, as each one of the Hodjakees was desirous to carry the carpet to the palace; for they considered it one of those gems of art which ought to pass into the possession of royalty itself. Perceiving this, Mustapha resolved not to part with it at any price. The Hodjakees then offered to accompany him, if he would take it himself to the palace, assuring him that his majesty would remunerate him highly, even for a sight of it, if he did not choose to part with it. They accordingly repaired to the royal residence, where their ar rival was announced to the Lord Chamberlain, who ordered that they should be ushered into his presence. After requesting them to be seated, he evinced the greatest anxiety to know whether they had brought him any important tidings. One of the Hodjakees, making a respectful salutation, thus addressed his Excellency:

We are not the bearers of tidings, my lord; but it has been our good luck to fall in with a beautiful praying-carpet at the Bezesden. As it is of the most exquisite workmanship, we were anxious to purchase it for the use of his majesty. But the owner,' and he pointed to Mustapha, by some caprice or other, having changed his mind, concluded not to part with it. We have persuaded him to bring it here for the royal inspection.'

'So saying, he unfolded the carpet, and held it up to view. When the Lord Chamberlain saw the carpet, he was astonished and agitated; for he knew but one person who possessed the skill to weave such a wonderful seddjadé.

Can it be?' he suddenly thought: if so, there must be some characters interwoven among the figures, which would be unobserved by vulgar eyes.'

'He then eagerly approached the carpet, and seemed to touch it with an indefinable reverence. He anxiously scanned it, while all regarded him in profound silence. Then suddenly he seized it from the hands of the Hodjakee, and rushed from the apartment into the presence of the Silihdar, or Sword-Bearer, and spreading it upon the floor, pointed to the arabesque characters in the border. They both knelt, and began to decipher the inscription, with frequent exclamations of: 'Hafiz Allah! Hafiz Allah!''

"The Sword-Bearer now anxiously said: 'But is he yet alive?' "We shall soon find that out,' said the Lord Chamberlain, and returned to the room where were left the Hodjakees.

"Friend,' said he to Mustapha, since you refuse to part with your carpet, can you not procure me another just like it?'

'Mustapha replied: "That depends on circumstances, my lord; there is no limit to the munificence of our august sovereign.'

'He again left the room, ordering the attendants to offer refreshments to Mustapha and the Hodjakees, stationing a guard at the door with injunctions to let no one pass.