moved a well-known figure. "The Marquis de Tête Perdu!" cried the lawyer aghast! "My lover! my lover!" screamed Laura. My eye!

that's the hereditary hangman!" said a bystander with open mouth. "Hereditary hangman!" said an English lord, who was by chance an attendant at the spectacle.

Hereditary hang

man!—what a burlesque on the peerage!" Is it

a burlesque truly, or is the one about as wise as the other?

[NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.]

STORY OF CASSEM;

OR, AVARICE PROPERLY REWARDED

THERE dwelt at Bagdad, an old merchant, named Abou Cassem, noted for his avarice. Although he was very rich, his clothes were nothing but patches and rags; his turban was of the coarsest cloth, and so dirty that it was difficult to distinguish the colour. But of his whole dress, his papooshes [slippers] were what merited most the attention of the curious; the soles were armed with large nails, and the upper leathers were an assemblage of botches; the famous ship Argo had not so many pieces in it; and ever since they

had been papooshes, which was about ten years, the most skilful cobblers in all Bagdad had exhausted their ingenuity to keep them together. They were even become so heavy that they passed into a proverb; and when any one wanted to express a thing that was remarkably clumsy, Cassem's papooshes were always the object of comparison.

One day, this merchant was walking in the bazaar, when an offer was made him of a large quantity of crystal, of which he made an advantageous purchase; and hearing some days after that a perfumer, whose affairs were in a ruinous state, had some excellent rose-water to sell, which was his last resource, he instantly took advantage of the poor man's misfortunes, and bought his rose-water for half the value. This new bargain put him into good-humour; however, instead of giving an entertainment to his neighbours, according to the custom of the mer

chants of the East, when they have made a fortunate purchase, he found it more convenient to go to the public baths, where he had not been for a long time. As he was undressing, a person whom he took to be his friend, for the covetous rarely have any real ones, told him that his papooshes were the ridicule of the whole city, and that he ought to buy a new pair. "I have thought of it a long time," replied Cassem; "however, they are not yet so bad but they may serve a little longer." During this conversation he was quite undressed, and retired to the bath.

While he was bathing, the Kazee of Bagdad came likewise to bathe. Cassem coming out before the judge, passed first into the dressingroom, and having put on his clothes, he sought in vain for his papooshes, in the room of which he discovered a new pair. Our avaricious merchant, persuaded, because he wished it so, that the

person who had just rebuked him about his old slippers, had made him a present of the new pair, put them on his feet without hesitation, and quitted the place, overjoyed at the thought of being saved the expense of buying.

When the Kazee had done bathing, the slaves looked about for their master's papooshes, instead of which they could only find a vile old pair, which were readily known to be Cassem's; the Kazee's officers went directly in search of the suspected thief, and finding him with the stolen effects upon him, after exchanging papooshes, the Kazee sent him to prison; and as he was reputed to be as rich as he was covetous, he was obliged to compromise the matter with the Kazee, by the payment of a considerable sum of money.

On his return home, the afflicted Cassem, for very spite, threw his slippers into the Tigris, which ran under his windows. Some days afterwards, a fisherman, pulling up his net, found