might depend (1) upon his obedience and zeal. Then the Dervise lighted a small fire, into which he cast a perfume; he read and prayed for some moments, after which the earth opened, and the Dervise said to him, "Thou mayest now enter, my dear Abdallah; remember that it is in thy power to do me a great service; and that this is perhaps the only opportunity thou canst ever have of testifying to me that thou art not ungrateful : Do not let thyself be dazzled by all the riches thou wilt find there; think only of seizing upon (2) an iron candlestick with twelve branches, which thou wilt find close to a door; that is absolutely necessary to me; come up immediately, and bring it to me." Abdallah promised every thing, and descended boldly into the vault. But forgetting what had been expressly recommended to him, whilst he was filling his vest and his bosom with gold and jewels, which this subterraneous vault enclosed in prodigious heaps, the opening

(1) To depend, compter.
(2) To seize upon, s'emparer de.

He had,

by which he entered closed of itself. however, presence of mind enough to seize upon the iron candlestick, which the Dervise had so strongly recommended to him; and though the situation, in which he was, was very terrible, he did not abandon himself to despair, but thought only in what manner he should get out (1) of a place which might become his grave. He apprehended that the vault had closed only because he had not followed the order of the Dervise; he recalled to his memory the care and goodness with which he had treated him; reproached himself with his ingratitude, and finished his meditation by humbling himself before God. At length, after much pains and inquietude, he was fortunate enough to find a narrow passage, which led him out of this obscure cave; though (2) it was not till he had followed it a considerable way that he perceived a small opening covered with briars and thorns, through which he returned to the light of the sun. He looked on all sides to

(1) To get out, sortir.

(2) Though, et quoique ce ne fût qu'apres

avoir.....

see if he could perceive the Dervise, but in vain ; he intended to deliver him the iron candlestick he so much wished for (1), and formed a design of quitting him, being rich enough with what he had taken out of the cavern, to live in affluence without his assistance.

Not perceiving the Dervise, nor remembering any of the places through which he had passed, he went on as fortune had directed him, and was extremely astonished to find himself opposite to (2) his mother's house, from which he imagined he was at a great distance. She immediately enquired after the holy Dervise. Abdallah told her frankly what had happened to him, and the danger he had run to satisfy his unreasonable desires; he afterwards showed her the riches with which he was loaded. His mother concluded upon the sight of them, that the Dervise only designed to make trial of his courage and obedience, and that they ought to make use

(1) He so much wished for, qu'il désirait tant. (2) Opposite to, vis-à-vis de.

of the happiness which fortune had presented to them; adding, that doubtless such was the intention of the holy Dervise. Whilst they were contemplating these treasures with avidity; whilst they were dazzled with the lustre of them, and forming a thousand projects in consequence of them, they all vanished away before their eyes. It was then that Abdallah sincerely reproached himself with (1) his ingratitude and disobedience ; and perceiving that the iron candlestick had resisted the enchantment, or rather the just punishment which they deserve who do not execute what they promise, he said, prostrating himself,"What has happened to me is just; I have lost what I had no design to restore, and the candlestick which I intended to deliver to the Dervise remains with me: It is a proof that it rightly belongs to him, and that the rest was unjustly acquired." As he finished these words, he placed the candlestick in the midst of their little room.

When the night was come, without reflecting

(1) To reproach one's self with, se reprocher.

upon it, he placed a light in the candlestick. Immediately they saw a Dervise appear, who turned round for (1) an hour, and disappeared, after having thrown them an asper (2). The candlestick had twelve branches. Abdallah, who was meditating all the day upon what he had seen the night before, was willing to know what would happen the next night, if he put a light into each of them; he did so, and twelve Dervises appeared that instant; they turned round also for an hour, and each of them threw an as

per, as they disappeared. He repeated every day the same ceremony, which had always the same success, but he could never make it succeed more than once in twenty-four hours. This trifling sum was enough to make his mother and himself subsist very comfortably: there was a time when they would have desired no more to be happy; but it was not considerable enough to change their fortune.

It is always dangerous for

(1) For, pendant.

(2) Aspre, petite monnaie d'argent valant environ neuf deniers.