nterpreter. Cyril rather
enjoyed himself. He warmed to his work, and told the tale of the Phoenix
and the Carpet, and the Lone Tower, and the Queen-Cook, in language that
grew insensibly more and more Arabian Nightsy, and the ranee and her
ladies listened to the interpreter, and rolled about on their fat
cushions with laughter.

When the story was ended she spoke, and the interpreter explained that
she had said, 'Little one, thou art a heaven-born teller of tales,' and
she threw him a string of turquoises from round her neck.

'OH, how lovely!' cried Jane and Anthea.

Cyril bowed several times, and then cleared his throat and said--

'Thank her very, very much; but I would much rather she gave me some of
the cheap things in the bazaar. Tell her I want them to sell again, and
give the money to buy clothes for poor people who haven't any.'

'Tell him he has my leave to sell my gift and clothe the naked with its
price,' said the queen, when this was translated.

But Cyril said very firmly, 'No, thank you. The things have got to be
sold to-day at our bazaar, and no one would buy a turquoise necklace at
an English bazaar. They'd think it was sham, or else they'd want to know
where we got it.'

So then the queen sent out for little pretty things, and her servants
piled the carpet with them.

'I must needs lend you an elephant to carry them away,' she said,
laughing.

But Anthea said, 'If the queen will lend us a comb and let us wash our
hands and faces, she shall see a magic thing. We and the carpet and all
these brass trays and pots and carved things and stuffs and things will
just vanish away like smoke.'

The queen clapped her hands at this idea, and lent the children a
sandal-wood comb inlaid with ivory lotus-flowers. And they washed their
faces and hands in silver basins. Then Cyril made a very polite farewell
speech, and quite suddenly he ended with the words--

'And I wish we were at the bazaar at our schools.'

And of course they were. And the queen and her ladies were left with
their mouths open, gazing at the bare space on the inlaid marble floor
where the carpet and the children had been.

'That is magic, if ever magic was!' said the queen, delighted with the
incident; which, indeed, has given the ladies of that court something to
talk about on wet days ever since.

Cyril's stories had taken some time, so had the meal of strange sweet
foods that they had had while the little pretty things were bein