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evket; causing the boy to cry; and had the barber’s

apprentice and two other men move Shekure; Hayriye and the children a safe

distance away。 The theology student told me he’d take me home by way of a

shortcut; that is; he didn’t let me stay with the others。 Was this a twist of fate

or some cunning attempt to keep secret the whereabouts of their hideout?

There was a shop; which I understood to be a coffeehouse; at the end of this

narrow street we were passing down。 Perhaps the swordfight stopped as soon

as it’d begun。 Crowds of men were hooting as they entered and left; at first I

thought they were looting; but no; they were destroying the coffeehouse。 They

carefully took out all of the ceramic cups; brass pots; glasses and low tables

under the light of the torches of the onlookers and destroyed them all as a

warning。 They roughed up a man who tried to stop them; but he was able to

get away。 Originally; I thought their target was only coffee; as they themselves

claimed。 They were condemning its ill effects; how it harmed the sight and the

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stomach; how it dulled the intellect and caused men to lose their faith; how it

was the poison of the Franks and how Exalted Muhammad had turned down

coffee even though it was offered to him by a beautiful woman—Satan in

disguise。 It was as if this were the theatrics for a night of instruction in moral

etiquette; and if I finally made it home; I thought I might even scold Nesim;

warning him not to drink too much of that poison。

Since there ing houses and cheap inns nearby; a

curious crowd formed in no time; made up of idle wa