this hour of the night? Yes or no?"

"No! no! no!" said the echoes.

Here the knight lifted his vizier, because he was warm; and the old
woman, seeing how handsome he was, said to him:

"Come in, handsome youth; you shall be cared for and well looked
after."

"After! after!" warned the echoes; but the knight was fear-less and
entered, the old woman promising that he should fare well.

"Farewell, farewell!" sighed the echoes.

"Go on, old lady," said the knight.

"I am called Lady Berberisca," interposed the old woman, very crossly;
"and I am the mistress of Albastretch."

"Wretch! wretch!" groaned the echoes.

"Won't you be silent, cursed chatterers?" exclaimed Lady Berberisca.
"I am your humble servant," she continued, making a deep curtsey to
the knight, "and if you like I will be your wife, and you shall live
with me here as grand as a Pacha."

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the echoes.

"Would you have me marry you? You must be a hundred. You are foolish,
and mad as well."

"Well, well," said the echoes.

"What I want," said the knight, "is the registry of the castle, to
examine and amend."

"Amen! amen!" sighed the echoes.

Lady Berberisca's pride was deeply wounded; she gave a hasty glance at
the Knight of the Fish, and intimating to him that he should follow
her, she showed him over the castle, where he beheld many strange
things, but she did not afford him any opportunity of referring to
them. The wicked old woman took him through an obscure corridor, where
there was a trap-door, into which he fell and disappeared into an
abyss, where his voice was added to the echoes, which were the voices
of many other gallant and accomplished knights, whom the shameless old
Berberisca had punished in the same manner for having despised her
venerable charms.

* * * * *

Let us now turn to the other Knight of the Fish, who, after long
travels, arrived at Madrid. As he entered the city gates the
sentinels presented arms, the drums beat the royal march and several
of the palace servitors surrounded him, saying that the princess was
in constant tears through his prolonged absence, fearing that some
misfortune had happened to him in the enchanted castle of Albastretch.

"It is necessary that I should pass for my brother," thought the
knight, "to whom, it would appear, some good fortune has occurred. I
must be quiet, and we shall see what will come to pass."

They carried him almost i