she would have a great or a small one. The other asked for a small
one. She bade her stay a little, and she would readily fetch one.

The sister-in-law did so, but as she knew Ali Baba's poverty, she
was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure,
and, artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the measure,
brought it to her, with the excuse that she was sorry that she had
made her stay so long, but that she could not find it sooner.

Ali Baba's wife went home, set the measure upon the heap of gold,
filled it, and emptied it often upon the sofa, till she had done,
when she was very well satisfied to find the number of measures
amounted to so many as they did, and went to tell her husband, who
had almost finished digging the hole. While Ali Baba was burying
the gold, his wife, to show her exactness and diligence to her
sister-in-law, carried the measure back again, but without taking
notice that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom. "Sister,"
said she, giving it to her again, "you see that I have not kept
your measure long. I am obliged to you for it, and return it with
thanks."

As soon as Ali Baba's wife was gone, Cassim's wife looked at the
bottom of the measure, and was in inexpressible surprise to find a
piece of gold sticking to it. Envy immediately possessed her
breast. "What!" said she, "has Ali Baba gold so plentiful as to
measure it? Whence has he all this wealth?"

Cassim, her husband, was at his counting-house. When he came home
his wife said to him, "Cassim, I know you think yourself rich, but
Ali Baba is infinitely richer than you. He does not count his