单选题 Mr. Payne was on holiday. He was staying in a small desert (荒凉的) town. One sunny morning he went to the market and saw a beautiful carpet (地毯) there. It was big, and full of rich colors. He looked at it for a long time, but went away. The next day he passed and saw it again. He asked the price.
"How much is it?"
"It's a special carpet, sir. So it is not cheap. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's very beautiful, but it is old."
"It's very old, sir. It belonged to a great man many years ago. So I can't sell it cheaply."
"No, how much is it?" Mr. Payne asked again.
"A beautiful, old carpet, sir. And it is also a magic carpet, a magic flying carpet. A man came this morning and would pay five hundred pounds for it."
"Oh," said Mr. Payne.
"But I like you, sir. You are a very nice gentleman, I'll sell it to you. Five hundred and fifty pounds."
"Hmm," Mr. Payne thought for a while. "All right."
"Very good, sir," said the man. "Will you pay now and take it with you?"
"No," said Mr. Payne. "Here's my address. Fly over on the carpet, and I'll pay you when you arrive./