an emblematic bouquet of flowers in the Eastern fashion; but Prince
Gregory thought it better to purchase some pipes at the brother's,
which could not fail to soften his wild temper, and would certainly
please the lady a very great deal, as she was much of a smoker.

"Let's be off at once to buy them!" said Tartarin, full of ardour.

"No, no! Let me go alone. I can get them cheaper."

"Eh, what? Would you save me the trouble? O prince, prince, you
do me proud!"

Quite abashed, the good-hearted fellow offered his purse to the
obliging Montenegrin, urging him to overlook nothing by which the
lady would be gratified.

Unfortunately the suit, albeit capitally commenced, did not progress
as rapidly as might have been anticipated. It appeared that the
Moorish beauty was very deeply affected by Tartarin's eloquence,
and, for that matter, three-parts won beforehand, so that she wished
nothing better than to receive him; but that brother of hers had
qualms, and to lull them it was necessary to buy pipes by the
dozens; nay, the gross -- well, we had best say by the shipload at
once.

"What the plague can Baya do with all these pipes?" poor Tartarin
wanted to know more than once; but he paid the bills all the same,
and without niggardliness.

At length, after having purchased a mountainous stack of pipes and