Part 4 (2/2)

”I would enter into it now,” said Aben Hassen the Fool

”Thou shalt enter,” said Zadok He stooped, and with his finger-point he drew a circle upon the ground where they stood; then he stamped with his heel upon the circle Instantly the earth opened, and there appeared a flight ofdoard into the earth Zadok led the way down the steps and the young man followed At the bottom of the steps there was a door of adamant Upon the door were these words in letters as black as ink, in the handwriting of the old one:

”Oh, fool! Fool! Behat thou doest Within here shalt thou find death!”

There was a key of brass in the door The King of the De man entered after him

Aben Hassen the Fool found hile carbuncle set in the centre of the doreat basin twenty paces broad, and filled to the brim with arden

The young man could not believe what he saith his own eyes ”Oh, ive me boundless wealth frohed ”This,” said he, ”is nothing; come with me”

He led him from this room to another--like it vaulted, and like it lit by a carbuncle set in the dome of the roof above In the middle of the floor was a basin such as Aben Hassen the Fool had seen in the other rooold as that had been filled with silver, and the gold was like that he had found in the garden When the youngwealth he stood speechless and breathless onder The Dereat, but it is little Come and I will show thee aman by the hand and led him into a third room--vaulted as the other two had been, lit as they had been by a carbuncle in the roof above But when the young man's eyes saas in this third room, he was like a ainst the wall behind hiht made him dizzy

In the middle of the room was such as basin as he had seen in the two other rooms, only it was filled with jewels--diamonds and rubies and emeralds and sapphires and precious stones of all kinds--that sparkled and blazed and fla the basin froolden statues Three of thes and three of theether all this vast and ypt

There was space for a seventh statue, but where it should have stood was a great arched door of adahtly shut, and there was neither lock nor key to it Upon the door ritten these words in letters of flame:

”Behold! Beyond this door is that alone which shall satisfy all thy desires”

”Tellman, after he had filled his soul with all the other wonders that surrounded him--”tell me what is there that lies beyond that door?”

”That I a of the Demons of the Earth

”Then open the door forman; ”for I cannot open it for myself, as there is neither lock nor key to it”

”That also I am forbidden to do,” said Zadok

”I wish that I kneas there,” said the young hed ”Some time,” said he, ”thou o to the palace which thy father built years ago, and which he left behind him when he quitted this place for the place in which thou knewest hi h the vaulted rooh the door of adaave the key to the young ive it to thee as I gave it to thy father I have shown thee how to enter, and thou o in whenever it pleases thee to do so”

They ascended the steps, and so reached the garden above Then Zadok struck his heel upon the ground, and the earth closed as it had opened

He led the young man from the spot until they had come to a wide avenue that led to the palace beyond ”Here I leave thee,” said the Demon, ”But if ever thou hast need of me, call and I will co the younglike one in a dream