lay upon the coast, but after
they had dwelt for many weeks in the place, this King, who was named
Janees, returned victorious from his war and prepared to celebrate a
triumph.

While he was making ready for this triumph his courtiers told him of
these pearl-merchants, and, desiring pearls for his adornment on that
great day, he went in disguise to the house of those who sold them. As
it chanced he arrived late, and requested to see the gems just as Tua,
according to her custom, was playing upon her harp. Then she began to
sing, and this King Janees, who was a man of under forty years of age,
listened intently to her beautiful voice, forgetting all about the
pearls that he had come to buy. Her song finished, the veiled Asti rose,
and bowing to all the company gathered in the street, bade her servants
shut up the coffers and remove the goods.

"But I would buy pearls, Merchant, if you have such to sell," said
Janees.

"Then you must return this afternoon, Purchaser," replied Asti, scanning
his pale and haughty face, "for even if you were the King of Tat I would
not sell to you out of my hours."

"You speak high words, Woman," exclaimed Janees angrily.

"High or low, they are what I mean," answered Asti, and went away.

The end of it was that this King Janees returned at the evening hour,
led thither more by a desire to hear that lovely voice again than to
purchase gems. Still he asked to see pearls, and Asti showed him some
which he thrust aside as too small. Then she produced those that were
larger, and again he thrust them aside, and so it went on for a long
while. At length from somewhere in her clothing Asti drew two of the
biggest that she had, perfect pearls of the size of the middle nail of
a man's finger, and at the sight of these the eyes of Janees brightened,
for such gems he had never seen before. Then he asked the price. Asti
answered carelessly that it was doubtless more than he would wish to
pay, since there were few such pearls in the whole world, and she named
a weight in gold that caused him to step back from her amazed, for it
was a quarter of the tribute that he had taken from his new-conquered
kingdom.

"Woman, you jest," he said, "surely there is some abatement."

"Man," she answered, "I jest not; there is no abatement," and she
replaced the pearls in her garments.

Now he grew very angry, and asked:

"Did you know that I am the King of Tat, and if I will, can take your
pearls without a