e Queens of Egypt and
Ethiopia and Abyssinia and Persia and India and China with a great and a
memorable teaching.'

And Suleiman-bin-Daoud, still looking after the Butterflies where they
played in the sunlight, said, 'O my Lady and Jewel of my Felicity, when
did this happen? For I have been jesting with a Butterfly ever since I
came into the garden.' And he told Balkis what he had done.

Balkis--The tender and Most Lovely Balkis--said, 'O my Lord and Regent
of my Existence, I hid behind the camphor-tree and saw it all. It was I
who told the Butterfly's Wife to ask the Butterfly to stamp, because I
hoped that for the sake of the jest my Lord would make some great magic
and that the Queens would see it and be frightened.' And she told him
what the Queens had said and seen and thought.

Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud rose up from his seat under the camphor-tree,
and stretched his arms and rejoiced and said, 'O my Lady and Sweetener
of my Days, know that if I had made a magic against my Queens for the
sake of pride or anger, as I made that feast for all the animals, I
should certainly have been put to shame. But by means of your wisdom
I made the magic for the sake of a jest and for the sake of a little
Butterfly, and--behold--it has also delivered me from the vexations of
my vexatious wives! Tell me, therefore, O my Lady and Heart of my Heart,
how did you come to be so wise?' And Balkis the Queen, beautiful and
tall, looked up into Suleiman-bin-Daoud's eyes and put her head a little
on one side, just like the Butterfly, and said, 'First, O my Lord,
because I loved you; and secondly, O my Lord, because I know what
women-folk are.'

Then they went up to the Palace and lived happily ever afterwards.

But wasn't it clever of Balkis?

THERE was never a Queen like Balkis,
From here to the wide world's end;
But Balkis tailed to a butterfly
As you would talk to a friend.

There was never a King like Solomon,
Not since the world began;
But Solomon talked to a butterfly
As a man would talk to a man.

She was Queen of Sabaea--
And he was Asia's Lord--
But they both of 'em talked to butterflies
When they took their walks abroad!

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Just So Stories, by Rudyard Kipling

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JUST SO STORIES ***

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