Page:The Orient Pearls.djvu/31

Rh With this idea uppermost in his mind, he began to set his trap for the unwary Queen. He walked up to the King and introduced himself to him. "I am a merchant," said he, "and have come to do some business in the city which is just a mile from here. I have come on in advance to secure a house suitable for my wife, who is an invalid. She is coming to-morrow evening and may require a little nursing. Shall we go together to the city in the morning and hunt for a quiet, cosy little house such as I want?"

The King, who never lost a chance of doing a good turn to a fellow-man in distress, readily agreed to this, and next morning they set off for the city together, as arranged.

After some aimless wandering up and down the streets, they at last succeeded in finding a nice house in a quiet quarter such as the merchant desired. When everything was apparently settled and done with, they returned to the inn.

The merchant settled his with the innkeeper, and, after taking leave of the King, removed, or pretended to remove, to his house.

At dusk the merchant sent a palanquin, a sort of sedan chair borne by two men, with a maid-servant and a note to the King which ran thus: "Dear friend, just as I feared, my wife has arrived quite ill and terribly upset by the journey. May I presume upon our new acquaintance to ask you to be so kind as to send your wife to nurse mine just for the night? I am sending a palanquin and a maid servant to fetch her here."

The King, who always delighted in good deeds, did not suspect any treachery, so he allowed the Queen to