stars; but she still retained the crown of diamonds. She now walked
back to the coffin to take the emerald sceptre that had laid at her
side, and as she seized it she exclaimed: "Now I have regained the
power I lost; thanks be to Ali's courage, which has disenchanted me!"

Ali knelt down; he knew from Gulhyndi's description that she was the
beautiful fairy who had once appeared to his beloved in a dream, who
had often comforted her, and of whom they had heard nothing of late.

"You see the cause of my not having appeared to Gulhyndi," said the
gracious _Peribanu_, who guessed his thoughts; "I am still your mutual
friend. Follow me to the mosque; a few words will disclose all the
past."

Thus saying, she took his hand and led him to the splendid vault, sat
down upon a couch at some distance from the radiating globe, and said
as follows: "I am a good fairy, and have been living for some time at
enmity with the wicked Zelulu. Being once inflamed with love for me,
he solicited my hand, and on my treating him with contempt, he has ever
since entertained a violent hatred towards me. As he was not able to
vent it on me, he has wreaked his vengeance on many innocent persons.
This inveterate hatred towards them proceeds from his belief that they
do not really possess any good qualities. He thinks that their
inclinations deserve nothing better than to be disappointed, and he has
repeatedly told me, that he has no more compassion for a fallen man,
than for the insect that flies of its own accord into the flame, and
burns its wings.

"When I once met him in a windy moonlight night, in a desert of Upper
Asia, I cried to him as I passed, 'Zelulu, have pity on poor humanity.'

"'Peribanu,' he replied, 'you have none on me, and why should I have
any on wretched mortals?'

"'Love cannot be forced,' said I, 'but reason rules every thing, and
ought to rule you. Do you not tremble at the vengeance of the judge?'

"'Teach me to esteem them,' he exclaimed, 'and I will cease to
persecute them.'

"Some time after that he came to me in a friendly manner, saying,
'Peribanu, allow me to present you with a magnificent ornament for the
bosom. I shall consider your acceptance of it the only way of
compensating for the contempt you have expressed.'

"I was imprudent enough to accept this beautiful serpent of precious
stones, which you now hold in your hand, and placed it on my bosom. I
had scarcely done so when I fell into a death-l