THE SULTANA AND THE WOOD-CUTTER. 243 of Baghdad. The Caliph was in an ill-humor, for a beautiful Georgian slave whom his vizier had recently brought him, had disappeared from the harem, and he saw in this the work of Zubeydek, who was always jealous of any rival to her beauty. Now as they were sitting there, looking down into the street, a poor wood-cutter came along, with a bundle of sticks upon his head. His body was lean with poverty, and his only clothing was a tattered cloth, bound around his waist. But; the most wonderful thing was, that in passing through the wood where he had collected his load, a serpent had seized him by the heel, but his feet were so hardened by toil that they resembled the hoofs of a camel, and he neither felt the teeth of the serpent, nor knew that he was still dragging it after him as he walked. The Caliph marvelled when he beheld this, but Zubeydeh exclaimed : ' See, 0 Commander of the Faithful ! there is the man's wife ! ' ' What ! ' exclaimed Haroun, with sudden wrath : ' Is the wife then a serpent to the man, which stings him none the less because he does not feel it ? Thou serpent, because thou hast stung me, and because thou hast made sport of the honest poverty of that poor creature, thou shalt take the serpent's place ! ' Zubeydeh answered not a word, for she knew that to speak would but increase the Caliph's anger. Haroun clapped his hands thrice, and presently Mesrour, his chief eunuch, appeared. ' Here, Mesrour ! ' said he, ' take this woman with thee, follow yonder wood-cutter, and present her to him as his wife, whom the Caliph hath ordered him to accept.'

"• Mesrour laid his hands upon his breast and bowed his head, in token of obedience. He then beckoned to Zubeydeh, who rose, covered herself with a veil and a feridjee, such as is worn