TWILIGHT LAND

whole castle, so sweet and musical that it made him
tremble to listen. Then suddenly the figure opened its
eyes and looked straight at him.

“At last!” she said; ‘have you come at last ?”

“Yes,” said Gebhart, ‘‘I have come.”

Then the beautiful woman arose and stepped down
from the table to the floor; and if Gebhart thought her
beautiful before, he thought her a thousand times more
beautiful now that her eyes looked into his.

“Listen,” said she. “J have been asleep for hundreds
upon hundreds of years, for so it was fated to be until
he should come who was to bring me back to life again.
You are he, and now you shall live with me for ever. In
this castle is the wealth gathered by the king of the
genii, and it is greater than all the riches of the world.
It and the castle likewise shall be yours. I can transport
everything into any part of the world you choose, and
can by my arts make you prince or king or emperor.
Come.”

“Stop,” said Gebhart. ‘I must first do as my master
bade me.”

He led the way into the other room, the lady following
him, and so they both stood together by the couch where
the wise man lay. When the lady saw his face she cried
out in a loud voice: “It is the great master! What are
you going to do?”

‘Tam going to sprinkle his face with this water,” said
Gebhart.

“Stop!” said she. “Listen to what I have to say.
In your hand you hold the water of life and the dagger of
death. The master is not dead, but sleeping; if you
sprinkle that water upon him he will awaken, young,

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