Hajji Baba quits his mother, and becomes the scribe to a celebrated man
of the law.
I took leave of my mother without much regret, and she did not increase
the tenderness of our parting by any great expression of sorrow. She had
her plans, I had mine; and, considering how we stood circumstanced, the
less we ran in each others way the better. I mounted my mule at break
of day, and, ere the sun had past its meridian, was already considerably
advanced on my road to Kom. I loitered but little on my journey,
notwithstanding the pleasures which a halt at Kashan might have afforded
me, and on the ninth day I once again saw the gilded cupola of the tomb
of Fatimeh.
Alighting at a small caravanserai in the town, I saw my mule well
provided, and then, with my present to the mûshtehed under my arm, I
proceeded to his house. His door was open to every one, for he made no
parade of servants to keep the stranger in awe, as may be seen at the
houses of the great in Persia; and, leaving my carpet at the door with
my shoes, I entered the room, in one corner of which I found the good
man seated.
He immediately recognized me, and, giving me a welcome reception, he
desired me to seat myself, which I did, with all proper respect, at the
very edge of the felt carpet.
He asked me to relate the history of my adventures since I left Kom, for
he professed himself interested in my fate; and, having made him all the
necessary acknowledgments for procuring my release from the sanctuary, I
related all that had befallen me. I also told him what a calling I felt
within me to devote myself to a holy life, and entreated his help
to procure me some situation in which I might show my zeal for the
interests of the true faith.
He reflected for a moment, and said, that very morning he had received
a letter from one of the principal men of the law of Tehran, the Mollah
Nadân, who was much in want of one who would act as half scribe and
half servant; one, in short, who might be of good materials for a future
mollah, and whom he would instruct in all that was necessary in that
vocation.
My heart leaped within me when I heard this, for it was precisely the
place that my imagination had created. Leave it to me, thought I, to
become a whole mollah, when once I have been made half a one.
Without hesitation I entreated the mûshtehed to continue his good
offices in my behalf, which he promised to do; and forthwith addressed a
small note, with his own hand, to the Mollah Nadân. This he sealed, and,
having duly fashioned it in its proper shape with his scissors, rolled
it up and delivered it to me; saying, Proceed to Tehran immediately; no
doubt you will find the place vacant, and the mollah willing to appoint
you to fill it.
I was so happy that I kissed the good mans hand and the hem of his
garment, making him thousands of acknowledgments for his goodness.
I have one more favour to ask of my master, said I, which is, that
he will deign to accept a small _peish-kesh_, a present from his humble
slave; it is a praying-carpet, and, should he honour him so far as to
use it, he hopes that now and then he will not forget the donor in his
prayers.
May your house prosper, Hajji, said he very graciously, and I
am thankful to you for remembering me, not that there was the least
occasion for this present. Be a good Mussulman, wage war against the
infidels, and stone the Sûfis,--that is the only return I ask; and be
assured that, by so doing, you will always find a place in my memory.
I then presented my gift, with which he seemed much pleased; and,
having received my dismissal, I returned to my caravanserai, in the
determination of pursuing my road to the capital as fast as I could. I
did not even give myself time to call upon my other friends at Rom, or
even to take a look at my former unhappy cell in the sanctuary; but,
saddling my mule, I pushed on to the caravanserai of the Pûl-i-dallâk
that very night.
I reached Tehran in the evening, and, in order not to see the spot in
which the unfortunate Zeenab was buried, I made a deviation from my
straight road, and entered by the Casbin gate. I was happy to remark
that I was not recognized by the guards, who, when I was in office, were
accustomed to show themselves on the alert at my approach. But indeed it
was not surprising that the active, bustling, imperious nasakchi should
not be known under the garb of the would-be humble and insignificant
priest; so for the present I felt secure in my disguise, and I boldly
took my way through the bazaars and the most public places of the city,
where formerly nothing but my face was to be seen; and happy was I to
find that no one recollected me. I inquired my way to the house of the
Mollah Nadân, which was speedily pointed out, for he was a well-known
character; but, on second thoughts, I deemed it more prudent and
convenient to put up at a small caravanserai, situated near the house of
my new master, than to present myself, late in the day as it then was,
to him, upon whom it was my interest, by my looks and appearance, to
produce the best possible impression.
Having taken good care of my mule, I slept soundly after the fatigues of
the journey; and the next morning I repaired to the bath, where, having
given a fresh tinge to my beard, and plentifully used the khena to my
hands and feet, I flattered myself that in appearance I was precisely
the sort of person likely to meet with success.
The mollahs house was situated between the royal mosque and the
quarters of the camel artillerymen, and near to the entrance of the
bazaar, which, leading by the gate of the said mosque, opens at its
other extremity immediately on the ditch of the Shahs palace. It had
a mean front; although, having once passed through the gate, the small
courtyard which immediately succeeded was clean, and well watered; and
the room which looked into it, though only whitewashed, had a set of
carpets, which did not indicate wealth, but still spoke the absence of
poverty.
In this room was seated a wan and sickly-looking priest, whom I took to
be the master of the house; but I was mistaken--he was in his anderûn,
and I was told that he would shortly make his appearance.
In order to make known my pretensions to being something more than a
servant, I sat down, and entered into conversation with the priest, who,
from what I could pick from him, was a dependent upon the mollah. He, in
his turn, endeavoured to discover what my business could be; but he did
not so well succeed, although the strange and mysterious questions which
he put drew forth my astonishment.
You are evidently newly arrived in Tehran? said he.
Yes, at your service, said I.
You intend probably to make some stay? added he.
That is not quite certain, said I.
Then, after a pause, he said, It is dull living alone, even for a week,
and Tehran is a city full of enjoyment. If there is any service that I
can perform, I will do it--upon my eyes, be it.
May your kindness never be less! My business is with the Mollah Nadân.
There is no difference between him and me, said he. I can facilitate
any business you may have; and, praise be to Allah, you will be served
to your hearts content. We have at our disposal of all sorts and all
prices.
I am not a merchant, said I.
There is no necessity to be a merchant, said he; it is enough that
you are a man and a stranger. You will find, be it for a year, a month,
a week, a day, or even an hour, that you will pass your time agreeably;
upon my head be it.
I became more and more puzzled at his meaning, and was on the point
of asking him to enlighten my understanding, when the Mollah Nadân, in
person, entered the room.
He was a tall handsome man, about forty years of age, with a jet-black
beard, glossy with fresh dye, and with fine brilliant eyes, painted with
the powder of antimony. He wore on his head an immense turban of white
muslin, whilst a _hirkeh_, or Arab cloak, with broad stripes of white
and brown alternately, was thrown over his shoulders. Although his
athletic person was better suited to the profession of arms than to
that of the law, yet his countenance had none of the frankness of the
soldier, but on the contrary bespoke cunning and design, while at the
same time it announced good-humour.
I got up at his approach, and immediately presented my note from the
mûshtehed, whilst I did not venture again to sit. Having unrolled it, he
looked at me and then at it, as if to divine what could be my business;
but as soon as he had deciphered the seal, his face expanded into a
bright smile, and he requested me to be seated.
You are welcome, said he; and then he asked me a series of questions
concerning the health of the holy man, which I freely answered, as if
intimately acquainted with him.. He read the note with great attention,
but said not a word of its contents. He then began to make apologies for
not having a kalian (a pipe) to offer me, for, said he, I am not a
smoker of tobacco. We, who rigidly uphold the true faith, reject all
such luxuries, and mortify our senses. Our Holy Prophet (upon whom
be blessings and peace!) has forbidden to his followers whatever
intoxicates; and although tobacco be almost universally used throughout
Persia as well as Turkey, yet it is known sometimes to obscure the
understanding, and therefore I abstain from it.
He continued to talk about himself, his fasts, his penance, and his
self-mortification, until I began to think that I should pass my time
but so-so in his house, nor enjoy the delights the priest had just
before promised me; but when I compared his healthy and rubicund face,
his portly and well-fed body, to the regimen which he professed to keep,
I consoled myself by the hope that he allowed great latitude in his
interpretation of the law; and perhaps that I should find, like the
house which he inhabited, which had its public and private apartments,
that his own exterior was fitted up for the purposes of the world,
whilst his interior was devoted to himself and his enjoyments.