rite one on gilded
vellum, and, folding it, would hand it to the slave next to her, who
dipped it in frankincense, and handed it to the next one, who sprinkled
it with attar of roses, and passed it to the next, who ran with it as
hard as ever he could to the Prince. For in that kingdom it was not
considered proper for lovers to visit much.

This performance the Queen kept up all the afternoon, writing as fast as
she could, and only stopping long enough to read the answers which the
slaves brought her as they returned. At last, they came back, bringing
with them her last notes unopened, saying that the Prince had gone to
sleep. At which intelligence she shed some tears, but then, like a
sensible Queen, had her supper, and went to bed.

The next day the marriage of the Queen and the Prince took place, and it
was a glorious affair indeed. Twenty-four historians were appointed by
the Crown to write the history of it; they were paid by the quarter, and
it took them a long time, I can assure you.

The whole of the wedding-day, the festivities were kept up, and all the
eating, and drinking, and merry-making, was at the royal expense. During
the day and night everybody spent, and gave away to the poor, all the
wealth they possessed, and in the morning it was all paid back to them
by the royal Treasurer. In the country, the people feasted grandly on
their own herds, and drank up their own wines, and they were also
reimbursed by the Crown.

But the great feature of the royal marriage was the decree, proclaimed
at noon of the wedding-day, that all persons married on that day should
be set up in housekeeping, free of expense!

Never, in the history of that or any other kingdom, were priests kept so
busy as those in this city. They worked as hard as they could, but at
three o'clock they were obliged to commence marrying the folks by
squads; and so, before suppertime, there was not a bachelor or maid in
the whole city,--excepting an old bobstay spinner,--one of the crossest
of old maids, who hated men so much that she had not spoken to one for
forty years; and a crabbed bachelor, who despised women so completely
that he never had his clothes washed, because it would have to be done
by females.

At midnight, the priest Ali-bo-babem was called out of his bed, and
found at the door, desiring to be married, the crabbed old bachelor and
the cross old maid. These two did not live long, but all the rest of the
people were very happy