eternity."

Among such earnest considerations and soliloquies, he had hardly
observed that a large variegated butterfly, hovering over the
neighbouring flower-bed, moved slowly to and fro, just as if it were
undecided in choosing on which flower it would alight. He was very
attentive to its broad wings, which glittered with the most splendid
colours, while the insect, brilliantly variegated, settled on a
scarlet poppy, as though it wished to eclipse the magnificence of the
flower with the variety of its different hues.

"What splendid colours! What beautifully delineated wings!" exclaimed
Jussuf. "Oh that I might possess the rare insect! The dyers who stain
my silk stuffs, and the weavers, might take the liveliness of the
colours, the design, and the well-wrought combination of colours, for
a pattern."

When the butterfly settled itself quietly on the poppy, Jussuf
approached it carefully to catch it; but, as he had no other
convenient thing at his hand, he took off his turban, and covered the
butterfly and the flower. The butterfly had not flown away, therefore
it must be under the turban. Already he rejoiced at his lucky capture,
and was proceeding to raise the turban slowly a little on one side, in
order to seize the imprisoned insect securely, when he remarked that
the turban was raising itself, and that under it a human form was
growing up higher and higher out of the flower. Full of astonishment,
he drew back a step. As he kept his eyes fixed on the object, a maiden
of astonishing beauty appeared before him, such as he had never before
seen. Her face was veiled, and his turban was on her head: smilingly
she removed it, and extended it to him, saying, with a mischievous
look,

"There, friend Jussuf, take it again: this turban is accustomed to
ornament a brain in which rule very earnest and high thoughts; it
would, perhaps, feel very badly honoured were it to serve as a
covering for my frivolous caprices."

"Thou jestest, high daughter of a genius," exclaimed Jussuf, sinking
on his knees: "thy incomparable beauty testifies that thou art no
ordinary mortal, if even the wonderful manner in which thou hast
appeared had not fixed it beyond all doubt."

"It may be," replied the maiden, "that thou hast rightly guessed. But
that is no matter; I am come here to-day to help to banish your idle
thoughts: come, run a race with me."

Immediately she threw the poppy which he had covered with his turban
roughly in his