“These words fell like tones of sweetest music upon Mouk’s ears, for he had already spied his slippers and little magic staff upon the floor of the treasure-chamber. He walked about admiring the various treasures until the king was off his guard, when Mouk slipped his feet into the slippers and grasped the magic staff. Then, tearing the false beard from his face, he allowed the king’s gaze to rest upon the well-known features of his little courier. “‘Faithless king,’ cried Mouk, ‘you who repay faithful service with ingratitude, take as a well-deserved punishment the deformity that you bear. Your long ears and nose will remind you daily of little Mouk.’ “As he spoke he wheeled round quickly upon his heel and at the third turn he wished himself far away, and before the king had time to call for help Mouk had disappeared. “Since then the little man has lived here in our town, but he keeps himself aloof from his fellow-men, because he has learnt to despise mankind. Experience has made him a wise man, and his wisdom calls for your respect and admiration, even though his appearance may happen to be somewhat extraordinary.” This is the story as my father told it to me. I expressed my sorrow and repentance for having so plagued the good little man, and my father gave me another thrashing to keep me from forgetting my manners in future. I told my playmates the wonderful story of little Mouk and they agreed with me that we would never tease or annoy him any more. In time we came to love and reverence him to such a degree that we vied with each other in paying him every token of respect. THE STORY OF THE FALSE PRINCE. There was once a worthy tailor’s apprentice named Labakan, who was learning his trade from a clever master at Alexandria. [Illustration: _Labakan._] No one could accuse the young man of being awkward in plying his needle, on the contrary he worked very well indeed. Neither was he at all lazy, and yet there was certainly something wrong with him, for though at times he would sit and sew for hours at such a rate that his needle became red-hot, yet another time, and this occurred pretty frequently, too, he sat wrapped in thought, staring before him with unseeing eyes, and having altogether such a very singular appearance, that his master and his fellow apprentices would nudge each other and say: “Labakan is putting on his grand airs again.”