“Then it is easy to see by your appearance that you are some great lord,” continued the rook. “There, I confess, you have me,” said the raven, looking down. “Let me tell your Honourable Lordship’s noble fortune?” cried the rook again. “A great destiny is in store for you—though, to be sure, anyone who sees you can read that in your high-born and illustrious eye.” “Sentry!” cried the raven, “I have made a mistake. I shall not require your intervention.” The rook then approached humbly and began telling his fortune, assuring him that every dignity and honour would be his, that he would die lamented after having ruled the greater part of the earth, and that he would owe all these things to the virtue of his own heart and the lofty perfection of his intellect. “My good creature,” said the raven, “you interest me. Not only do you seem to be in the front rank of the prophets, but you appear to possess discernment of character to a very unusual degree. How have you learnt so many accurate and valuable things?” “Powerful Nobleman,” replied the rook, “though my appearance is mean, I have yet frequented august society—though I have never, of course, been in the presence of such combined rectitude and splendour as that in which I now find myself. Indeed, I have just come from a place where riches are stored such as have seldom been collected in this world.” “Where is that?” inquired the raven. “I have come from the island of a powerful Dragon who has immense wealth and a great collection of curiosities. He has an exalted guest with him at this moment, a man of great note, who——” “Vermin, you begin to weary me,” said the raven; “who is this person?” “The Sorcerer Badoko,” replied the rook. The raven started. “And who else?” he cried. “There are also two young gentlemen, sons of the illustrious Sorcerer, and two beautiful young ladies named Azalea and Anemone, whom gossips say are Princesses. But they did not arrive with Badoko. They were brought to the Dragon by robbers and are now in dungeons. The Sorcerer disapproves of his sons, I hear, and would not be sorry to see them put to death.” The raven was all eagerness to give this news to the Emperor. “Be off, bird!” he said, “I have had enough of your talk.” “But the fee, Gracious Monarch! My fee for telling your fortune!” The raven fell into a towering rage and began to call for the sentry. The rook snatched up a valuable gold chain from a table and made off as hard as he could go, leaving the raven unable to pursue him on account of the heavy ornaments he wore. Outside the Emperor’s tent the raven set up a great cry of “News! News!” The Emperor commanded him to enter, and he related what had happened. “But I divined it all in a dream first,” he added, “so, when the low creature appeared, I knew exactly what he was going to say.”