Page:Researches respecting the Book of Sindibad and Portuguese Folk-Tales.djvu/96

 74 him to be anything else. The king sent a message asking to see the palace, and he replied that he would be most happy to show him over it, and sent his majesty an invitation to breakfast and to all his court. The king and his chamberlains were much surprised on their arrival to see so much luxury and splendour. After they had inspected the whole palace they went into the garden. They were charmed with the variety of flowers in it, but were much more astonished to see an orange tree bearing golden oranges. The lazy boy informed the king and his courtiers that they could take of everything in the garden which they might desire, except gathering any of the oranges. They all returned to the palace and sat down to the breakfast. When the breakfast was over, and the king was taking his departure to return to his own palace, the lazy boy told the king that he was much surprised to find that after he had treated them so luxuriously they should have gathered one of the golden oranges. The courtiers all commenced to deny that any of them had taken the orange, and took off their coats that he might see for himself that they had not been guilty of the accusation. The king, who felt very much abashed, was now the only one who had not been examined. He took off his coat and nothing was found on examination in its pockets; but the lazy boy asked him to look carefully again when he had put his coat on, because since his courtiers had not taken the orange it must be himself who had. The king then put his hands again in his pocket and drew out the orange, very much confused and ashamed, for he could not imagine how it could have come there as he had not touched the oranges. The lazy boy then said to him that the very same thing had happened to the princess who had borne a son without knowing by whom. The spell under which the fish was bound was then broken, and it was transformed into a prince and married the princess. The lazy boy returned home a rich man.