DUNSANY.

A Tale of London

"Come," said the Sultan to his hasheesh-eater in the very furthest
lands that know Bagdad, "dream to me now of London."

And the hasheesh-eater made a low obeisance and seated himself
cross-legged upon a purple cushion broidered with golden poppies, on
the floor, beside an ivory bowl where the hasheesh was, and having
eaten liberally of the hasheesh blinked seven times and spoke thus:

"O Friend of God, know then that London is the desiderate town even of
all Earth's cities. Its houses are of ebony and cedar which they roof
with thin copper plates that the hand of Time turns green. They have
golden balconies in which amethysts are where they sit and watch the
sunset. Musicians in the gloaming steal softly along the ways; unheard
their feet fall on the white sea-sand with which those ways are
strewn, and in the darkness suddenly they play on dulcimers and
instruments with strings. Then are there murmurs in the balconies
praising their skill, then are there bracelets cast down to them for
reward and golden necklaces and even pearls.

"Indeed but the city is fair; there is by the sandy ways a paving all
alabaster, and the lanterns along it are of chrysoprase, all night
long they shine green, but of amethyst are the lanterns of the
balconies.

"As the musicians go along the ways dancers gather about them and
dance upon the alabaster pavings, for joy and not for hire. Sometimes
a window opens far up in an ebony palace and a wreath is cast down to
a dancer or orchids showered upon them.

"Indeed of many cities have I dreamt but of none fairer, through many
marble metropolitan gates hasheesh has led me, but London is its
secret, the last gate of all; the ivory bowl has nothing more to show.
And indeed even now the imps that crawl behind me and that will not
let me be are plucking me by the elbow and bidding my spirit return,
for well they know that I have seen too much. 'No, not London,' they
say; and therefore I will speak of some other city, a city of some
less mysterious land, and anger not the imps with forbidden things. I
will speak of Persepolis or famous Thebes."

A shade of annoyance crossed the Sultan's face, a look of thunder that
you had scarcely seen, but in those lands they watched his visage
well, and though his spirit was wandering far away and his eyes were
bleared with hasheesh yet that storyteller there and then perceived
the look that was death, an