The Orange Fairy Book

in a lonely place in the mountains. The fakeer was seated on a little old b

fficult to believe in what he could not see. The fakeer replied that he was asking a very difficult, and perhaps a very dangerous, thing; but that he would pray for him, and perhaps he might be able to do it; only he warned the king both against the dangers of his unbel

ing to his promise; but, whenever he sent to ask him when he was goin

en the king besought him to remember his promise, and to show him a glimpse of Paradise. The dying fakeer replied that if the king would come to his funeral, and, when the grave was filled in, and everyone else was gone away, he would come and lay his hand upon

alone, he stepped forward, and laid his hand upon the grave! Instantly the ground opened, and the astonished king, peeping in, saw a fl

only stare; but the fakeer beckoned to him to come down, so, m

ide as it were a heavy curtain, and revealed — what? No one knows what was there shown to the king, nor did he ever tell anyone; but, when the fakeer at length dropped the curtain, and the kin

iew! And what WAS it he had seen? He racked his brains to remember, but he could not call to mind a single thing! How curious everything looked too! Why, his own city, which by now he was entering, seemed changed and strange to him! The sun was already up when he turned into the palac

’ said the

this country,’ s

went, he caught sight of himself reflected in the polished steel shield of the bodyguard, and started back in horror! He was old, decrepit, dirty, and ragged! His long white beard and locks were unkempt,

here is my signet, who once sat

of the kingdom, and old coins of previous reigns, and compared them faithfully. At last the king turned to the old man, and said: ‘Old man, such a

dise of the faithful, had been judged already. And he turned and left the hall without a word, and went into the jungle, where he lived for twenty-five ye

ld to Major Campbe