TWILIGHT LAND

down, and it was as pretty a pickle as ever the king or
Jacob Stuck had been in, in all of their lives. Then the
‘Genie flew back again whence he had come.

There sat the poor princess crying and crying, and
there sat the prime-minister trying to comfort her.
“Why do you cry?” said he; “why are you afraid of
me? I will do youno harm. Listen,” said he; ‘TI will
use this piece of good luck in a way that Jacob Stuck
would never have thought of. I will make myself king.
I will, by means of it, summon a great army. I will
conquer the world, and make myself emperor over all the
earth. Then I will make you my queen.”

But the poor princess cried and cried.

“ Hast thou any further commands?” said the
Genie.

“Not now,” said the prime-minister ; “you may go
now;” and the Genie vanished like a puff of smoke.

But the princess cried and cried.

The prime-minister sat down beside her. “ Why do
you cry ?”’ said he.

‘Because I am afraid of you,” said she.

“ And why are you afraid of me?” said he.

“ Because of that piece of blue glass. You will rub it
again ; and then that great red monster will come again to
frighten me.”

“‘T will rub it no more,” said he.

‘Oh, but you will,” said she; “I know you will.”

“ T will not,” said he.

“But I can’t trust you,” said she, “as longas you hold
it in your hand.”

“Then I will lay it aside,” said he, and so he did.
Yes, he did; and he is not the first man who has thrown

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