d on he flew until he had come to
the farthest part of the desert. There he sat them both down, and it was
as pretty a pickle as ever the king or Jacob Stuck had been in, in all
of their lives. Then the Genie flew back again whence he had come.

There sat the poor princess crying and crying, and there sat the
prime-minister trying to comfort her. "Why do you cry?" said he; "why
are you afraid of me? I will do you no harm. Listen," said he; "I will
use this piece of good luck in a way that Jacob Stuck would never have
thought of. I will make myself king. I will conquer the world, and make
myself emperor over all the earth. Then I will make you my queen."

But the poor princess cried and cried.

"Hast thou any further commands?" said the Genie.

"Not now," said the prime-minister; "you may go now;" and the Genie
vanished like a puff of smoke.

But the princess cried and cried.

The prime-minister sat down beside her. "Why do you cry?" said he.

"Because I am afraid of you," said she.

"And why are you afraid of me?" said he.

"Because of that piece of blue glass. You will rub it again, and then
that great red monster will come again to frighten me."

"I will rub it no more," said he.

"Oh, but you will," said she; "I know you will."

"I will not," said he.

"But I can't trust you," said she "as long as you hold it in your hand."

"Then I will lay it aside," said he, and so he did. Yes, he did; and he
is not the first man who has thrown aside a piece of good luck for the
sake of a pretty face. "Now are you afraid of me?" said he.

"No, I am not," said she; and she reached out her hand as though to give
it to him. But, instead of doing so, she snatched up the piece of blue
glass as quick as a flash.

"Now," said she, "it is my turn;" and then the prime-minister knew that
his end had come.

She blew her breath upon the piece of blue glass and rubbed her thumb
upon it. Instantly, as with a clap of thunder, the great red Genie stood
before her, and the poor prime-minister sat shaking and trembling.

"Whosoever hath that piece of blue crystal," said the Genie, "that one
must I obey. What are your orders, O princess?"

"Take this man," cried the princess, "and carry him away into the desert
where you took those other two, and bring my father and Jacob Stuck back
again."

"To hear is to obey," said the Genie, and instantly he seized the
prime-minister, and, in spite of the poor man's kicks and struggles,