“But the house is old,” said the daughter. Isa again noticed her black eyes and elegant clothes. “It’s not fit to live in.”

“You’re not buying a house to live in, of course,” Isa said. “It’s a site to build on, as Al-Hajj19 Husain just pointed out. It’s a good location, and the price is right. You can make your own inquiries and find out for yourself!”

“And that’s just the present,” Al-Hajj Husain continued. “The entire quarter’s guaranteed for the future as well. There’s no quarter in the world like this one; it’s in a perfect location, there are so many people living here, and transportation is good—it’s ideal.”

The daughter asked Isa about the dimensions of the property. She had a guttural voice that was rounded like her face, but provocative at the same time. Her magnificent appearance indicated to him that she was a woman who deserved some respect; she might be quite desirable too, for a while.

“A thousand square meters,” he replied. “Al-Hajj Husain may have told you the price I’m asking.”

“Ten thousand pounds!” the old lady exclaimed. “Where will you find someone to pay that much?!”

“Here!” Isa replied, pointing at her with a laugh.

“It’s the kind of opportunity the world doesn’t offer twice,” Al-Hajj Husain said emphatically. “God be my witness!”

Isa refused to consider lowering the price a single piaster. The bargaining went on interminably, but it foundered on his determination. During all this haggling Isa and the daughter exchanged probing glances which had nothing at all to do with business. He got the impression that she was not married, and told himself that she was rich and acceptable. She was not the type he liked, it was true, and they were not the same age, but she was wealthy, placid, and well mannered, as far as he could tell. These were just passing notions, but it struck him that the old lady was following his train of thought. The meeting came to end without his changing his mind or the old lady accepting his price.

TWENTY-ONE

The agent advised him to do a bit of bargaining, but he felt a pressing need to make his future secure and so he refused. His share of the selling price of the house would enable him to maintain his present standard of living for ten years at least, and during that long period of time a suitable job might open up for him. None of his three sisters disagreed with the position he had taken, and he was given absolute freedom to accept or reject the offer.