The Strand 1912-9 Vol-XLIV № 261 September mich

THE EXPERIMENT OF STEPHEN GLASK. IRONMONGER. 343 of golf clubs at my last place. I am so glad to find there's some sort of a course here. I can get the agenpy for Merlon's clubs—best irons in the world—and I shall order a mashie down purposely for Miss Malcolm, if she'll allow me.'' most anxious to procure things locally when possible.\" The butler opened the paddock gate and walked towards them. Like everything else associated with the Malcolms, he was a most correct and dignified appendage. \"HE FINALLY TOOK THE CLU3 FROM HER HAND AND HIMSELF PLAYED A FKW MASTERLY SHOTS.\" \" I should love you to ! \" the young lady exclaimed, eagerly. \" You seem to know exactly what I want, Mr.—Mr. \" \" Glask—G-1-a-s-k,\" her visitor interrupted. \" The name's being painted up to-day. And you won't forget the other things you've promised to buy from me, Miss Malcolm ? \" The girl smiled at him in a somewhat puzzled manner. \" Certainly not, Mr. Glask,\" she assured him, stiffening slightly. \" I will speak to the housekeeper. I am sure—we are always \" Tea is served, miss,\" he announced. They all turned together towards the house. The young man, who had lingered for a moment to pick up the golf-balls, walked between them. His ready-made clothes and many other slight evidences of his station were there, but never in this world did any young man seem so unconscious of them. On their way out they had to pass the tea- table. Stephen Glask was obviously hot with his exertions. Sir Austen glanced stealthily at his sister, and found his sister

34 V THE STRAND MAGAZINE. stealthily watching him. Sir Austen coughed. The slight smile which had flickered for a. moment at the corners of his lips vanished. He spoke with perfect gravity. \" You must let my sister give you a cup of tea after your exertions, Mr. Glask,\" he said. \" Yes, please do stop,\" she begged. \" It is so hot this afternoon.\" The young man acccp'.ed the suggestion without hesitation. Further, he accepted it quite naturally and as a matter of course. He sat in a wicker chair between the brother and sister, and consumed bread and butter with an appetite which he took no pains to conceal. \" Rather scamped my luncheon to-day,\" he remarked. \" I was busy opening some cases—a new sort of lamp, Miss Malcolm. I hope you'll let me show you when you come in. Do you mind if I have some more tea ? \" Then, without any warning, the vicar's wife descended upon them. Mrs. Randale was stout and middle-aged. Her complexion was florid, and she wore a pince-nez which seemed always balanced on the extreme tip of a rubicund nose. She greeted Austen Malcolm and his sister with the easy familiarity of old acquaintance. It was just about this time that a long-dormant sense of humour in the former leaped permanently into life. \"And who,\" the new-comer asked, smiling graciously, \" is our young visitor ? We see so few strangers in Faringdon.\" \" This is Mr. Glask—Mrs. Randale, our vicar's wife,\" Eve hastened to explain. \" Mr. Glask cannot properly be termed a stranger. He has come to live in Faringdon.\" Mrs. Randale's features exhibited the liveliest interest. She also seemed a trifle puzzled. \" To live here ! \" she repeated. \" How delightful ! But whose house have you taken, Mr. Glask ? Curiously enough, the name seems familiar.\" \" Have you been in the town this morning, Mrs. Randale ? \" the young man asked. \" I—yes, I have been in the town,\" Mrs. Randale admitted. \" That's it, then,\" Stephen Glask declared, helping himself once more to bread and butter. \" I bought old Johnson's ironmongery busi- ness, you know. You very likely saw them painting the name up.\" Mrs. Randale was not used to shocks; neither had she any idea how to deal with situations. Consequently she stared at this cheerful young man with her mouth open, and she looked neither agreeable nor a lady. \" Why, you're the new ironmonger ! \" she- exclaimed. The young man smiled genially. \" And I do hope,\" he begged, \" that you are going to be kinder to me than you were lo poor old Johnson. I may as well teJl you at once that I shall expect your custom, Mrs.

THE EXPERIMENT OF STEPHEN GLASK, IRONMONGER. 345 ungraceful leave. Mrs. Randale stared after \" Austen found him on a seat on the hill. He him blankly. tried to sell him petrol and cartridges and \" Eve ! \" she exclaimed. \" Why on earth household things. Austen told him I kept —what on earth—your brother, too ! Sir house, so he called in here and stayed to give Austen—the most exclusive man I ever met! me a golf lesson.\" \" FOR A QUARTER OF AN HOUR F.VE WAS OVF.RWHRLMF.D WITH A SHEBR FLOOD OF KI.OQUF.NCE.\" For goodness' sake explain! Has Austen Mrs. Randale became very severe indeed. turned Socialist ? \" \" My dear Eve,\" she said, firmly, \" Austen Eve was wiping her eyes. ought to be ashamed of himself! No wonder \" I don't know \" she murmured, weaklv. the lower orders forget themselves ! Austen, VoL ,li».-27.

346 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. too, of all men ; the most punctilious, the most aristocratic person. He ought to be ashamed of himself ! \" \" He is good-looking, though, isn't he ? \" Eve faltered, still wiping her eyes. \" Who ? Austen ? \" \" No, the ironmonger ! \" Stephen Glask pushed his assistant out of the way. He had seen the pony-cart stop outside, and he was behind the counter, ready to greet Eve, when she entered. \" Good morning, Miss Malcolm ! \" he exclaimed, heartily. \" I am glad to see you. I thought you'd be coming in one morning.\" Eve looked at him steadfastly. She wore a fresh white linen dress, a charming straw hat wreathed with flowers, and white buck- skin driving-gloves. Her shoes and stockings were, as usual, perfection. She looked exactly what she was — a thoroughbred young Englishwoman with an unusual knack for wearing her clothes ; a trifle spoilt, a trifle supercilious. The young man behind the counter was wearing the same ready- made suit of clothes, his hair was tumbled, for he had been in the cellars, and there was a smut upon his cheek. She fully meant, when she came in, that he should be abashed, and she was a young woman of resolution. Nevertheless, although she looked at him for several seconds with uplifted eyebrows, she failed. He returned her gaze with bland and pleasant interest. She turned away, biting her lip. \" I want some kilt-hen lamps,\" she said ; \" a saucepan, if you have the sort we use ; and a few other oddments. I should like, too, to compare your prices for oil.\" For a quarter of an hour Eve was over- whelmed with a sheer flood of eloquence. At last the young man paused for lack of breath. His assistant, a son of his predecessor, was listening, rapt in admiration. \" I seem to have bought a lot of things,\" Eve remarked. \" You have bought just what you wanted, and you have given no more for anything than you would have done at the Stores,\" the young man replied, with conviction. \" Don't you bother any further. I'll see that you get the things all right. And you shall have the full cash discount if I get the money within a month.\" \" I pay all the household bills on Monday mornings,\" Eve explained. \" Quite satisfactory,\" Stephen Glask de- clared. \" Going to the cricket match to- morrow, Miss Malcolm ? \" She looked at him in precisely the manner in which she was accustomed to look at Simpkins the grocer—only it didn't seem to produce in the least the same effect. \" I always go to the cricket matches,\" she answered, coldly. The young man nodded. \" They've asked me to play,\" he remarked. \" Are you any good ? \" she inquired, a little eagerly.

THE EXPERIMENT OF STEPHEN GLASK, IRONMONGER. 347 \" I never told him to give you golf lessons,\" Sir Austen protested. \" I simply sent him to acquaint you with the price of oil.\" \" He's sold me more than we can use for three months,\" Eve murmured, weakly; \" told me the price was certain to go up.\" Once more their eyes met, and once more they laughed. Then Stephen Glask strolled up to them. \" I kept my word, you see, Miss Malcolm,\" he-remarked. \" I noticed it,\" she admitted. \" Why didn't you go on bowling ? \" \" All rabbits except Sinclair,\" he explained, easily. \" You see, as I told you, I nearly became a cricket pro. instead of an iron- monger. By the by, there's a matter about one of those safety lamps, Miss Malcolm, I should like to explain to you. It's a question- of wick.\" Sir Austen turned away. His sister hesi- tated for a moment, but finally remained. \" A question of wick ? \" she repeated, demurely. He looked at her with a smile which she was beginning to find delightful. \" After all, need we bother about that ? \" he begged. \" I am a privileged person for this one afternoon. Even Mrs. Randale has shaken hands with me ! Couldn't we sit down for a little time over there ? \" She glanced toward the seat. It was in a shady spot and had an air of seclusion about it. Really, the whole thing was too absurd ! Lady Riverstone was watching, and Austen, and \" Oh, I suppose so,\" she answered, \" if you want to. I don't know that anything much matters.\" Austen Malcolm and his sister dined le'e-d-tett that night. Dinner was a meal served at Faringdon House with some formality. The round table, small though it was, glittered with fruit and flowers and glass. Eve wore always a low-necked dress, and her brother seldom descended to the informality of a dinner-jacket. The butler was assisted by a footman and the trimmest of parlour-maids. Nothing was scamped or done hurriedly. The Malcolms, a county family of real antiquity, believed in themselves and in the things which they represented. Even Austen, with his Fellowship at Oxford, his long and leisurely travels across the world, believed in Faringdon House and the things which it represented. No Malcolm had ever committed a real indiscretion. Dinner was concluded with the service of coffee. The servants left the room. Through the open windows brother and sister looked out over a grey-terraced front, across flower- bordered lawns, to a lake and wood beyond. The night was warm, and the moon was shining from behind the trees. Austen lit a cigarette and broke the silence, which had been a little unduly prolonged. \" With reference, my dear Eve,\" he began, looking fixedly at the end of his cigarette, \" to this young ironmonger. You will not

348 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. To put the matter plainly, I think it would be better if he were kept in his place.\" Eve was looking out of the window. Her face was expression- less. \" I have no doubt that you are right,\" she said, calmly. \"By the by,\"SirAus'.en continued, \" Hensham is coming down to-morrow for the week-end. You will be glad to see him ? \" \"Of course,\" she answered. She flitted away into the gardens, a few minutes later, and Sir Austen went to his study. She passed through the rose- gardens to the laurelled walk border- ing the path which led to the hill, and at the end of it Stephen G1 a s k was waiting. She h e s i- tated when she saw him, and glanced half-fearfully towards the house. He vaulted lightly over the iron railing, however, and she had no time to retreat. She looked at him for a moment. She was half - fluttered, half - frightened. She was frightened because she had come, frightened because she had wanted so much to come. \" ' I THINK,' HE SAID, SOFTLY THING THAT 1C \"Mr.Glask,\" she protested, \" you mustn't come in here— you mustn't, really. If my brother were

THE EXPERIMENT OF STEPHEN GLASK, IRONMONGER. 349 Malcolm. She felt curiously weak—and she went. They passed down the sheltered walk, between the rose-bushes and the drooping lilac-blossom. She was ashamed and fright- ened and happy. His attitude was not in the least correct. He was leaning over so that his lips almost touched her hair. \" I think,\" he said, softly, \" that you are the sweetest thing that ever breathed.\" His fingers clasped hers. \" You mustn't! \" she murmured. \" Oh, please don't! I—I trusted you.\" He released her at once. \" But I love you,\" he whispered. \" Don't you know that ? \" For a moment, she was angry—angry with Fate, herself, and him. \" You must not talk like that,\" she declared. \" You ought to- know that you must not. It is wrong of you.\" \" Because I am an ironmonger ? \" he asked, with a slight twitching at the corner of his lips. \" Yes ! \" she answered, fiercely. \" Be- cause — oh! how dare you be an iron- monger !\" He laughed outright. This time she was really angry. She slipped along a dark path, and before he could pursue her she was on the lawn, the centre of a little halo of light streaming out from the house. For more than an hour Stephen Glask remained linger- ing in the shadows. Hut Eve did not return. Hensham arrived on the following evening, and at dinner-time they talked about books. hi.hi , way he was a very important person— editor of a well-known review and reader to a great firm of publishers. \" Enderby's the man my people are going for just now,\" he remarked, as the little party of three lingered over their fruit and wine. \" Of course, theirs is the commercial point of view, but I must say that for once I am with them. I find his novels the most interesting fiction of the day.\" Sir Austen nodded approvingly. \" Endcrby writes excellent English,\" he pronounced. \" His stories, too, are wonder- fully lifelike.\" \" That's because he's so thorough,\" Hensham continued, cracking a walnut. \" A month or so ago we had a tremendous dis- cussion on the effect of a sense of humour upon instinctive and hereditary snobbery. Enderby had a theory of his own, and lie was so keen upon it that he has buried himself somewhere in a small country town, turned himself into a tradesman—an ironmonger, I believe — to make experi- ments. That's going in'.o the thing thoroughly, isn't it ? \" There was a brief but very intense silence. The brother and sister sat looking at one another. \" Does Mr. Enderby—play cricket ? \" Eve asked, calmly. \" Rather ! \" Hensham replied. \" He played

PERPLEXITIES. By Henry E. Duaeney. ' • loo.—ST. GEORGE AND THE DRAGON. HERE is a little puzzle on a reduced chessboard of forty-nine squares. St. George wishes to kill the Dragon. Killing dragons was a well-known pastime of his, and, being a knight, it was only natural that he should desire to |>erform the feat in a series of knight's moves. Can you show how, starting from that central square, he may visit once, and only once, every square of the board in a chain of chess knight's moves, and end by capturing the Dragon on his last move ? Of course a variety of different ways are open to him, so try to discover a route that forms some pretty design when you have marked each successive leap by a straight line from square to square. loi.—AN EASY SQUARE PUZZLE. IF you take a rectan- gular piece of cardboard, twice as long as it is broad, and cut it in half diagon- ally, you will get two of the pieces shown in the illustration. The puzzle is with five such pieces of equal size to form a square. One of the pieces may be cut in two, but the others must be used intact. 102.—THE THE illustration is resembling the British flag, the Union Jack. It is not possible to draw the whole of it without lifting the pencil from the paper or going over the same line twice. The puzzle is to find out just hffU' much of the drawing it is possible to make without lifting y«ur ]>encil or going twice over the same line. Take your pencil and see what is the best you can do. UNION JACK, a rough sketch somewhat Solutions to Last Month a Puzzles. 97.—STEPPING STONES. NUMBER the stepping stones i to 8 in regular order Then proceed as follows : I, (bank), i, 2, 3, (2), 3. 4, 5, (4). 5. 6. 7, (6), 7. 8, bank, (8), bank. The steps in brackets are taken in a backward direction. It will thus be seen that by returning to the bank after the first step, and then always going three steps forward for one step backward, we perform the required feat in nineteen steps. 98.—CONCERNING WHEELS. IF you mark a point A on the circumference of a wheel that runs on the surface ol a level road, like an ordinary cart-wheel, the curve described by that point will be a common cycloid, as in Fig. i. But if you mark a point B on the circumference of the flange of a railway-wheel, the curve will be a curtate cycloid, as in Fig. 2, terminating in nodes. Now, if we consider

PRlflCEPElEE - AND THE, ) Re-tola from tlie Russian by Post Wheeler. A STORY FOR CHILDREN. IllustrateJ ty H. R. Millar. N old times, when the world was full of wizards and forest monsters, and when the rivers ran with sweet milk, there lived a Czar named Bel- Belianin with his Queen and their three sons, Alexe, Dimitry, and Peter. One day the Queen, who had gone out to walk, failed to return to the palace, and, though search was made, no trace could be found of her. Then Czar Bel-Belianin called together his Ministers and officers, his sages, his grandees, and councillors, and asked their' advice, and when they had deliberated for three weeks the eldest among them came before him and said :— \" Your Majesty ! It is clear that the Queen has been spirited away by Kastchey, the most powerful of all the wizards. While his own realm and castle is beyond three times nine lands, he possesses rnany strong- holds in other kingdoms, and it has long been known that his most splendid palaces are upon the tops of the highest, most inaccessible mountains in the next kingdom to your own. It is, however, hopeless to war' against him, for his palaces are surrounded by enchantment, and Kastchey himself can- not lie killed by mortal means, since he carries his life not in his body, but in a secret place that is known only to himself.\" Copyright, 191?. The Czar was deeply saddened by, this speech. He sent for his three sons. \" My dear sons,\" he said, \" you know how the loss of your mother oppresses my heart and soul, and I am minded now to send one of you forth in search of her. You, therefore, Alexe, who are my eldest, take my fatherly blessing, with as much gold and as many troops as you require, and try your fortune in the quest. If you succeed you shall inherit my kingdom.\" So, boasting much, Prince Alexe took from the treasury a full purse, and, with fifty thousand soldiers, armed with iron lances, set out from the capital. He rode a month, and two and three, until he had passed beyond the borders of his father's kingdom, but no one had heard of the lost Queen or of the strongholds of Kastchey the Wizard. At length he came, through fen and morass, to a desert land where only earth and sky were to be seen, and the sand was as hot as cinder-cakes, and here his host vanished one by one till but ten remained. Beyond the desert was a forest, and on the skirt of the forest, in a patch of wild hemp and bramble, he came upon an old greybeard, a yard tall, sitting on a stone. \" Health to you, grandfather ! \" said Prince Alexe.

352 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. \" I seek the stronghold of Kastchey the Wizard,\" answered Prince Alexe. \" who has stolen away my mother.\" \" You are on the right track,\" said the other, \" but you will not be able to reach it.\" \" Why not ? \" asked the Prince. \" Because,\" said the greybeard, \" there are three broad rivers between, over which you must be ferried, and the price asked is a great one.\" Prince Alexe threw the old man a piece of gold. \" I have gold and to spare,\" he said, haughtily, and, spurring forward, rode on to the first of the three rivers. There waited on its bank a ferryman covered with scales of copper like tortoise, with a head like a cask, and so huge of stature that the horses which carried the Prince's ten men snorted with terror, and, turning, galloped away with their riders. The Prince approached trembling, and asked : \" Ferry- man, will you ferry me over ? \" \" If you pay me my price,\" answered the ferryman. \" And what is your price ? \" asked the Prince. \" I will bring you back for nothing,\" said the other ; \" but for carrying you across I shall strike off your right hand.\" Prince Alexe saw the sharp sword girded at the ferryman's side, and his huge head drooped lower than his broad shoulders. \" Of small use to myself should I be without my good right hand.\" he thought. \" Yet, if I succeed, I shall be Czar, and a kingdom is worth the price.\" So he bade the other take him across, and on the farther side the ferryman drew his sword and struck off his right hand, and, bemoaning its loss, the Prince spurred on alone. He rode until he came to the second river, and on its bank waited a ferryman as tall as a fir tree, armoured with plates of silver, and of such a countenance that Prince Alexe's heart fainted for very fear, and, turning, he struck spurs to his steed and rode back the way he had come to his own kingdom. Then Czar Bel-Belianin, having heard his story, embraced him and wept over him, and, summoning his second son, said : \" My dear son Dimitry, take my blessing, with gold and troops as much and many as you will, and go forth and try. And if you succeed, you shall have my kingdom after me.\" And Dimitry, vowing he would do better than his brother, took a knapsack full of gold and a hundred thousand soldiers and set out. He, too, came at length to the desert of hot sand, and here his men vanished till there were left but a score. But when they saw the gigantic ferry- man, with his frame covered with copper armour, the horses his twenty men rode, stricken with terror, galloped away, and the Prince approached him trembling. He, too, was ferried over at the cost of his right hand, and, lamenting its loss, rode on alone

1>RI.\\CE PETER AND THE WIZARD. 353 He rode for one month and for ihree. He passed the quagmire and the fiery desert, and at the edge of the forest, in the plot of wild hemp and briar, met the little old man sit- ting on a stone. He told him of his errand,and the greybeard said: \" You have a keen sword and the horse of a hero, but all the same you will not get to Kastchey.\" \"Why not?\" asked the Prince. \" Because.' replied the other, \" you must first pass three rivers. At each river is a ferry, and the price each ferry- man asks is a great one, for the first will strike off your right hand, the second your left foot, and the third your head.\" \"Well,\" answered Prince Peter, \" a man can die but once !\" And he thanked him and made to ride on, but the old man stopped him. \" You are both brave and courteous too,\" he said, \" and perchance you may cross the three rivers. If you do, ride straight on till you reach a high mountain; on whose top are the four palaces of Kastchey. At the base of the mountain is a cave with an iron door. Enter it and you will find four iron claws. Bind these to your hands and feet, and it may be you will be able to reach the top.\" The Prince bade the old man farewell, rode to the first river, and demanded to be ferried over. \" Will you pay me my price ? \" asked thi huge ferryman, vol. xii*'.-aa \" Time enough to talk of price when you have done me your service,\" said the Prince, and rode his horse into the boat. So they crossed, and when they came to the

354 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. left foot, the Prince, drawing sword, sprang upon him before his blade had left its scabbard and smote him with a blow that shore through the silver plates of his armour and killed him. Then the Prince secured the boat and rode on to the third river. And on its bank stood a wild man, as tall as a giant and as thick as a hay-stack, with a shield, helmet, and breastplate all of gold, and with an oak club in his hand. Prince Peter, however, was not daunted, nor did his horse show fear. He rode aboard and bade the giant ferry him over, and when they were come to the other side he asked : \" What is there to pay ? \" \"Stretch out your neck,\" said the ferryman, \" that I may strike off your head.\" But even as he lifted his huge oak club the Prince sprang in under his shield and smote him such a blow with his tested sword that the point pierced the gold breast- plate and killed him. till he came upon the iron door, and entered the cave. Here he found the four iron claws, and, binding them to his hands and feet, began to climb the mountain. For a whole month he climbed, higher and higher, and finally he reached the top, which was so high that from it one could see the whole world, with all its countries, spread out as if on the palm of the hand. Here he took off his iron claws, thanked God, and, after resting three days, went straight before him. He came at length to a vast palace, wealthy and magnificent, which blazed like .Zl \"HE KKI.L WITH A CRASH INIO THE WATER.\" Prince Peter fastened the boat and rode on, and presently he came to a mountain so high that its top was propped against the sky, and he could scarcely lift his eyes to its summit. He turned out his good horse to graze on the wheat in the open field, searched fire in the sunlight, for it was built entirely of gold. It was unguarded, so he entered and explored it, and in its inmost chamber he found a damsel sitting on a golden divan, making lace upon a golden pillow, and both the shuttle and the thread were of pure gold. The damsel was of such beauty that it could not be described, and Prince Peter could not look at her enough. \" Health to you, beautiful maiden ! \" he said.

PRI.\\CE PETER AND THE WIZARD. 355 \" Health to you, Prince ! \" she replied. \" But how came you hither ? By your own •wVU, or by force ? \" \" By mine own will,\" he answered. \" I seek my mother, who has been stolen away from my father's kingdom by Kast- chev. Can you tell me where she is ? \" \" I can,\" she re- joined. \" I, too, was stolen from my father's kingdom by the wizard, who visits me here once each month. But your mother he keeps in his fourth palace, which is built of pearl, and thither you must go. But, I implore you, if you overcome and slay the monster, remember me and take me with you out into the world.\" \" Sooner than leave you here to Kast- chey would I give mine own life I \" he an- swered. \" Never fear that I could ever forget you!\" \\ UK FOUND A DAMSEL SITTING ON A I-iIVAN MAKING LACE. \" Hearken, now,\" she said. \" When you come to the last of the wizard's palaces, you will see that it lies in a garden which is sur- rounded like a wall by an enormous serpent co\\1ed with its tail in its mouth. .Take this bundle of herbs, and when you come into tho open field about the palace, choose a spot whence the wind blows from you toward the serpent, and there build a fire and throw some of the herb into the flame. Mind that you do not use it all, and that you stand behind the wind. The smoke will cause the serpent to fall asleep, and you may then climb over its bodvand enter the palace.\" Prince Peter bade her farewell and set out, and when he had travelled a day he came to a palace which

356 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. the power of this mighty wizard, who comes to me every day. You will strive to over- come him, yet is he strong in his enchant- ments, while you are but an untried youth, so that I greatly fear for you ! \" \" The wind does not blow for ever,\" said the Prince, and he comforted his mother, and they kissed and caressed one another, when there rose a roaring of.wind so that all the crystal windows rattled. \" Kastchey is coming,\" she said. \" Hide quickly beneath my mantle ! \" He concealed himself, and scarce had he done so when the wizard entered, green-eyed and hairy, with a bared sword in\" one hand, and a nose curved like a scimitar.' He hastened to the Queen and began to pet Next day, as they sat together, there came again the so'und of the howling wind, and ' a second time she concealed the Prince beneath_her mantle, when the wizard entered and began to fondle her as before. Presently he saw the broom, and asked : \" Why, you dearest of women, have you sewn a common s broom with jewels ? \" and fondle her. \" Have you been lonely, light of mine^eyes ? \" he asked. \" Yes,\" she answered. \" You travel far and have many enemies, and I fear for your life.\" \" No fear of that,\" he said. \" My life I carry not in my body, but in another place.\" \" Where is that place ? \" she asked. \" It is in the broom that stands beside the door,\" he answered ; \" but now I am tired and I would sleep.\" He laid his head on the Queen's knees and slept, while the Prince lay hidden, and when he woke he bade her farewell till the morrow, and departed in a whirlwind from the palace. Then the Queen went and fetched the broom, and, bringing a quantity of precious stones, bade Prince Peter sew them all about it. This he did, when she returned it to its place, and they spent the afternoon in conversation. THE WIND DROVE THE SMOKE TOWARDS THE SERPENT, CAUSING IT TO FALL ASLEEP.\" \" Because,\" she replied, \" you told me that in it was contained your life, and your life is more precious to me than many jewels ! \" Then he embraced her more tenderly, and said he : \"I did but tell you that to try you. Now, however, I am assured that you truly love me. Know that my life is not con- cealed in the broom, but is in an egg. The egg is in a duck, and the duck is in a hare, and the hare nests in a great hollow log that floats in a pond in a forest of the island of Bouyan.\" Having thus spoken, Kastchey put his head on the Queen's knees and slept, and soon, awaking, bade her farewell and departed. Then Prince Peter came from his con- cealment, and his mother said : \" This time,

PRINCE PETER AND THE WIZARD. 357 left the iron claws in the cave, found his horse grazing in the open field, and set out for the island of Bouyan. He rode a long way and he rode a short way, and at length he came to the sea. On the sand, gasping out its life, lay a stranded fish, and, pitying its plight, the Prince dismounted, picked it up, and threw it into the water. Then, remounting his good horse, he spurred it into the water, and it began to swim to the island of Bouyan. It swam one day, it swam two, and on the third it reached the island, and leaving his steed to rest, Prince Peter went straight to the forest. He had scarce entered it when he came upon a great bear, whose paw was caught beneath a fallen tree. Drawing his sword, he cut the creature loose and went on ; and presently he saw an otter fast in a snare. He released the otter, and a little farther on he found a hawk struggling in a tangle of vines. He freed the hawk also, and, pressing on, soon came to the pond. In the middle of it floated a great branchless log, but it was beyond his reach. While he wondered what he should do, a heavy rain began to fall and the water of the pond rose. He climbed a tree, and when the log floated nzar he secured it. When the rain ceased and the water fell, he attacked the log with his sword, but so huge was it that he could not cut it through. Suddenly, while he laboured, the bear he had befriended rushed from the wood and tore the log asunder with its great paws. Out of the log leaped a hare, but the otter he had released sprang from the thicket, pursued the hare, and caught it and tore it to pieces. From the hare flew a duck, but the hawk he had freed darted after it into the sky and seized it. The duck there- upon laid an egg, and the egg fell into the sea; but while the Prince was bemoaning its loss with tears there came swimming to the shore the fish whose life he had saved, bringing the egg in its mouth. Then Prince Peter put the egg in his belt, mounted his horse, which swam back -with him across the ocean, and, having rested, set out again for the mountain of Kaslchey. The telling is easy, but the labour was hard. Whether he rode a week or a month, he came at length to the mountain, left his horse to graze on the meadow, and, binding the iron claws to his hands and feet, climbed to the summit and hastened to the palace of pearl. Again he burned some of the drowsy herb, climbed over the serpent, entered, and embraced his mother and showed her the eR?- Before long there arose the sound of the whistling wind, and in came Kastchey. He ground his teeth when he saw the Prince, and would have rushed at once upon him ; but Prince Peter squeezed the egg in his hand, ever so slightly, and as he did so the fierce light grew dim in the wizard's eyes.

358 THE STRAND MAGAZINE. \"THF. PRTVCE TOSSED THE EGG FROM THE RIGHT KASTCHGY WAS HURLED VIOLENTLY FROM ONE floor. It broke, and instantly Kastchey fell down dead, and the serpent that coiled about the garden vanished. The Prince made a great pyre, burned the body of the wizard to ashes, and scattered the ashes to the winds. Then with his mother he set out on their return.. The lovely daritsel of the gold palace met them with joy, and the Prince kissed her, and they plighted their troth that moment. When they came to the brink of the steep descent,; Prince Peter found his iron claws once more, donned them, and, tearing into strips the outer robes of the maiden, twisted a rope by means of which, as he climbed, he lowered her, with his mother, down the mountain. When thev reached the level ground he caught his good steed, set his mother upon it, and they set out for the kingdom of his father. When they drew near to the capital the Prince sent in advance a swift messenger to the Czar with this message:\" Father! I, your son Peter, am returning home, bringing with me mymother the Queen, and my own bride to be, a maiden as lovely as the stars. Come out to meet us.\" • The Czar, hear- ing the message, could not believe his ears.- He mounted and rode out of the capital at the head of all his Ministers and officers and his army, and when he saw that it was indeed true and that his well-beloved Queen was alive, his joy knew no bounds. He ordered the musicians to play their instruments and the drummers to beat their drums, and, bringing them to the palace, decreed a great festival, whose splendour made the whole kingdom wonder. When the feastings were ended Prince Peter wedded the lovely damsel of the golden palace. And soon after Czar Bel-Belianin laid down his sceptre. Peter ruled the king- dom after him, and his life was long and his reign glorious. HAND TO THE I.KKT, AND CORNER TO ANOTHER.\"