which stood half open, and went in, as nobody came when he knocked. He passed through a magnificent courtyard and still saw no one, though he called aloud several times. 

He entered large halls where the carpets were of silk, the lounges and sofas covered with tapestry from Mecca, and the hangings of the most beautiful Indian stuffs of gold and silver. Then he found himself in a splendid room, with a fountain supported by golden lions. The water out of the lions' mouths turned into diamonds and pearls, and the leaping water almost touched a most beautifully-painted dome. The palace was surrounded on three sides by magnificent gardens, little lakes, and woods. Birds sang in the trees, which were netted over to keep them always there. 

Still the Sultan saw no one, till he heard a plaintive cry, and a voice which said, "Oh that I could die, for I am too unhappy to wish to live any longer!" 

The Sultan looked round to discover who it was who thus bemoaned his fate, and at last saw a handsome young man, richly clothed, who was sitting on a throne raised slightly from the ground. His face was very sad. 

The sultan approached him and bowed to him. The young man bent his head very low, but did not rise. 

"Sire," he said to the Sultan, "I cannot rise and do you the reverence that I am sure should be paid to your rank." 

"Sir," answered the Sultan, "I am sure you have a good reason for not doing so, and having heard your cry of distress, I am come to offer you my help. Whose is this palace, and why is it thus empty?" 

Instead of answering the young man lifted up his robe, and showed the Sultan that, from the waist downwards, he was a block of black marble. 

The Sultan was horrified, and begged the young man to tell him his story. 

"Willingly I will tell you my sad history," said the young man. 

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles 

You must know, sire, that my father was Mahmoud, the king of this country, the Black Isles, so called from the four little mountains which were once islands, while the capital was the place where now the great lake lies. My story will tell you how these changes came about. 

My father died when he was sixty-six, and I succeeded him. I married my cousin, 

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