e. All around it were gardens blooming with fruit and
flowers, and the like of it mortal man never saw in the world before.

There they made a king of Selim, and put a golden crown on his head; and
that is what the Ring of Good Luck can do for a baker.

But wait a bit! There was something queer about it all, and that is now
to be told.

All that day was feasting and drinking and merry-making, and the
twinging and twanging of music, and dancing of beautiful dancing-girls,
and such things as Selim had never heard tell of in all his life before.
And when night came they lit thousands and thousands of candles of
perfumed wax; so that it was a hard matter to say when night began and
day ended, only that the one smelled sweeter than the other.

But at last it came midnight, and then suddenly, in an instant, all the
lights went out and everything was as dark as pitch--not a spark, not
a glimmer anywhere. And, just as suddenly, all the sound of music and
dancing and merrymaking ceased, and everybody began to wail and cry
until it was enough to wring one's heart to hear. Then, in the midst of
all the wailing and crying, a door was flung open, and in came six tall
and terrible black men, dressed all in black from top to toe, carrying
each a flaming torch; and by the light of the torches King Selim saw
that all--the princes, the noblemen, the dancing-girls--all lay on their
faces on the floor.

The six men took King Selim--who shuddered and shook with fear--by the
arms, and marched him through dark, gloomy entries and passage-ways,
until they came at last to the very heart of the palace.

There was a great high-vaulted room all of black marble, and in the
middle of it was a pedestal with seven steps, all of black marble; and
on the pedestal stood a stone statue of a woman looking as natural as
life, only that her eyes were shut. The statue was dressed like a queen:
she wore a golden crown on her head, and upon her body hung golden
robes, set with diamonds and emeralds and rubies and sapphires and
pearls and all sorts of precious stones.

As for the face of the statue, white paper and black ink could not tell
you how beautiful it was. When Selim looked at it, it made his heart
stand still in his breast, it was so beautiful.

The six men brought Selim up in front of the statue, and then a voice
came as though from the vaulted roof: "Selim! Selim! Selim!" it said,
"what are thou doing? To-day is feasting and drinking and merr