epeated.

But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
simply:

"Little King Loc, I want to return to earth."

Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates
of open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays
of different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a
precious stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands
and there flowed in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins'
stones, emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the
honey emerald because of its colour, and the third a bluish green,
also called beryl, which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies
beautiful as the blood of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the
male sapphire, and the pale blue ones, called the female sapphire, the
cymophanes, hyacinths, euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer
than the dawn, the aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems
were of the purest and most luminous water. And in the midst of these
coloured fires great diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.

"Choose, Honey-Bee," said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her head.

"Little King Loc," she said, "I would rather have a single beam of
sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these gems."

Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so
tender that they seemed to express a thought of love.

"Accept these," said King Loc

"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "these pearls are like the glance
of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love his eyes even
more."

Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened
a third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of
water had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the
crystal was moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also
showed her pieces of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than
jewels had been imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish
their delicate feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resu