it true that I am
not fit for my office? It will never do for me to say that I cannot see
the stuffs."

"Well, sir, do you say nothing about the cloth?" asked the one who was
pretending to go on with his work.

"Oh, it is most elegant, most beautiful!" said the dazed old man, as he
peered again through his spectacles. "What a fine pattern, and what fine
colors! I will certainly tell the emperor how pleased I am with the
stuff."

"We are glad of that," said both the weavers; and then they named the
colors and pointed out the special features of the pattern. To all of
this the minister paid great attention, so that he might be able to
repeat it to the emperor when he went back to him.

And now the cheats called for more money, more silk, and more gold
thread, to be able to proceed with the weaving, but they put it all
into their own pockets, and not a thread went into the stuff, though
they went on as before, weaving at the empty looms.

After a little time the emperor sent another honest statesman to see how
the weaving was progressing, and if the stuff would soon be ready. The
same thing happened with him as with the minister. He gazed and gazed,
but as there was nothing but empty looms, he could see nothing else.

"Is not this an exquisite piece of stuff?" asked the weavers, pointing
to one of the looms and explaining the beautiful pattern and the colors
which were not there to be seen.

"I am not stupid, I know I am not!" thought the man, "so it must be that
I am not fit for my good office. It is very strange, but I must not let
it be noticed." So he praised the cloth he did not see and assured the
weavers of his delight in the lovely colors and the exquisite pattern.
"It is perfectly charming," he reported to the emperor.

Everybody in the town was talking of the splendid cloth. The emperor
thought he should like to see it himself while it was still on the
loom. With a company of carefully selected men, among whom were the two
worthy officials who had been there before, he went to visit the crafty
impostors, who were working as hard as ever at the empty looms.

"Is it not magnificent?" said both the honest statesmen. "See, your
Majesty, what splendid colors, and what a pattern!" And they pointed to
the looms, for they believed that others, no doubt, could see what they
did not.

"What!" thought the emperor. "I see nothing at all. This is terrible! Am
I a fool? Am I not fit to be emperor? Why nothing more