here, and I love them
so much."

So the merchant set out and reached the town as quickly as possible, but
only to find that his former companions, believing him to be dead, had
divided between them the goods which the ship had brought; and after six
months of trouble and expense he found himself as poor as when he started,
having been able to recover only just enough to pay the cost of his
journey. To make matters worse, he was obliged to leave the town in the
most terrible weather, so that by the time he was within a few leagues of
his home he was almost exhausted with cold and fatigue. Though he knew it
would take some hours to get through the forest, he was so anxious to be
at his journey's end that he resolved to go on; but night overtook him,
and the deep snow and bitter frost made it impossible for his horse to
carry him any further. Not a house was to be seen; the only shelter he
could get was the hollow trunk of a great tree, and there he crouched all
the night, which seemed to him the longest he had ever known. In spite of
his weariness the howling of the wolves kept him awake, and even when at
last the day broke he was not much better off, for the falling snow had
covered up every path, and he did not know which way to turn.

[Illustration]

At length he made out some sort of track, and though at the beginning it
was so rough and slippery that he fell down more than once, it presently
became easier, and led him into an avenue of trees which ended in a
splendid castle. It seemed to the merchant very strange that no snow had
fallen in the avenue, which was entirely composed of orange trees, covered
with flowers and fruit. When he reached the first court of the castle he
saw before him a flight of agate steps, and went up them, and passed
through several splendidly furnished rooms. The pleasant warmth of the air
revived him, and he felt very hungry; but there seemed to be nobody in all
this vast and splendid palace whom he could ask to give him something to
eat. Deep silence reigned everywhere, and at last, tired of roaming
through empty rooms and galleries, he stopped in a room smaller than the
rest, where a clear fire was burning and a couch was drawn up cosily close
to it. Thinking that this must be prepared for someone who was expected,
he sat down to wait till he should come, and very soon fell into a sweet
sleep.

When his extreme hunger wakened him after several hours, he w