were the most beautiful
flowers, and on the loveliest of them were tied silver bells which
tinkled, so that if you passed you could not help looking at the
flowers. Everything in the Emperor's garden was admirably arranged with
a view to effect; and the garden was so large that even the gardener
himself did not know where it ended. If you ever got beyond it, you came
to a stately forest with great trees and deep lakes in it. The forest
sloped down to the sea, which was a clear blue. Large ships could
sail under the boughs of the trees, and in these trees there lived a
Nightingale. She sang so beautifully that even the poor fisherman who
had so much to do stood and listened when he came at night to cast his
nets. 'How beautiful it is!' he said; but he had to attend to his work,
and forgot about the bird. But when she sang the next night and the
fisherman came there again, he said the same thing, 'How beautiful it
is!'

From all the countries round came travellers to the Emperor's town, who
were astonished at the Palace and the garden. But when they heard the
Nightingale they all said, 'This is the finest thing after all!'

The travellers told all about it when they went home, and learned
scholars wrote many books upon the town, the Palace, and the garden. But
they did not forget the Nightingale; she was praised the most, and all
the poets composed splendid verses on the Nightingale in the forest by
the deep sea.

The books were circulated throughout the world, and some of them reached
the Emperor. He sat in his golden chair, and read and read. He nodded
his head every moment, for he liked reading the brilliant accounts of
the town, the Palace, and the garden. 'But the Nightingale is better
than all,' he saw written.

'What is that?' said the Emperor. 'I don't know anything about the
Nightingale! Is there such a bird in my empire, and so near as in my
garden? I have never heard it! Fancy reading for the first time about it
in a book!'

And he called his First Lord to him. He was so proud that if anyone of
lower rank than his own ventured to speak to him or ask him anything, he
would say nothing but 'P!' and that does not mean anything.

'Here is a most remarkable bird which is called a Nightingale!' said the
Emperor. 'They say it is the most glorious thing in my kingdom. Why has
no one ever said anything to me about it?'

'I have never before heard it mentioned!' said the First Lord. 'I will
look for it and find