palace there was feasting.

'Master,' said the gazelle the following morning, 'I am setting out on
a journey, and I shall not be back for seven days, and perhaps not then.
But be careful not to leave the house till I come.'

And the master answered, 'I will not leave the house.'

And it went to the sultan of the country and said to him: 'My lord,
Sultan Darai has sent me to his town to get the house in order. It will
take me seven days, and if I am not back in seven days he will not leave
the palace till I return.'

'Very good,' said the sultan.

And it went and it went through the forest and wilderness, till it
arrived at a town full of fine houses. At the end of the chief road was
a great house, beautiful exceedingly, built of sapphire and turquoise
and marbles. 'That,' thought the gazelle, 'is the house for my master,
and I will call up my courage and go and look at the people who are
in it, if any people there are. For in this town have I as yet seen no
people. If I die, I die, and if I live, I live. Here can I think of no
plan, so if anything is to kill me, it will kill me.'

Then it knocked twice at the door, and cried 'Open,' but no one
answered. And it cried again, and a voice replied:

'Who are you that are crying "Open"?'

And the gazelle said, 'It is I, great mistress, your grandchild.'

'If you are my grandchild,' returned the voice, 'go back whence you
came. Don't come and die here, and bring me to my death as well.'

'Open, mistress, I entreat, I have something to say to you.'

'Grandchild,' replied she, 'I fear to put your life in danger, and my
own too.'

'Oh, mistress, my life will not be lost, nor yours either; open, I pray
you.' So she opened the door.

'What is the news where you come from, my grandson,' asked she.

'Great lady, where I come from it is well, and with you it is well.'

'Ah, my son, here it is not well at all. If you seek a way to die, or if
you have not yet seen death, then is to-day the day for you to know what
dying is.'

'If I am to know it, I shall know it,' replied the gazelle; 'but tell
me, who is the lord of this house?'

And she said: 'Ah, father! in this house is much wealth, and much
people, and much food, and many horses. And the lord of it all is an
exceeding great and wonderful snake.'

'Oh!' cried the gazelle when he heard this; 'tell me how I can get at
the snake to kill him?'

'My son,' returned the old woman, 'do not say words like these; you ri