while the sultan was in his palace waiting till the fortieth day
should dawn, and wondering that not one spadeful of earth should have
been dug out of the hill.

'If that old woman has been playing me a trick,' thought he, 'I will
hang her! And I will put up a gallows to-morrow on the hill itself.'

But when to-morrow came there was no hill, and when the sultan opened
his eyes he could not imagine why the room was so much lighter than
usual, and what was the reason of the sweet smell of flowers that
filled the air.

'Can there be a fire?' he said to himself; 'the sun never came in at
this window before. I must get up and see.' So he rose and looked out,
and underneath him flowers from every part of the world were
blooming, and creepers of every colour hung in chains from tree to
tree.

Then he remembered. 'Certainly that old woman's son is a clever
magician!' cried he; 'I never met anyone as clever as that. What shall
I give him to do next? Let me think. Ah! I know.' And he sent for the
old woman, who by the orders of the head, was waiting below.

'Your son has carried out my wishes very nicely,' he said. 'The garden
is larger and better than that of any other king. But when I walk
across it I shall need some place to rest on the other side. In forty
days he must build me a palace, in which every room shall be filled
with different furniture from a different country, and each more
magnificent than any room that ever was seen.' And having said this he
turned round and went away.

'Oh! he will never be able to do that,' thought she; 'it is much more
difficult than the hill.' And she walked home slowly, with her head
bent.

'Well, what am I to do next?' asked the head cheerfully. And the old
woman told her story.

'Dear me! is that all? why it is child's play,' answered the head; and
troubled no more about the palace for thirty-nine days. Then he told
the old woman to go to the bridge and call for Hassan.

'What do you want, old woman?' asked Hassan, when he appeared, for he
was not as polite as the others had been.

'Your master commands you to build the most magnificent palace that
ever was seen,' replied she; 'and you are to place it on the borders
of the new garden.'

'He shall be obeyed,' answered Hassan. And when the sultan woke he
saw, in the distance, a palace built of soft blue marble, resting on
slender pillars of pure gold.

'That old woman's son is certainly all-powerful,' cried he; 'what
shall