Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/240

224                   THE JADE STORY BOOK less joy than surprise, perceived it was full of pieces of gold. He looked into all the forty, one after another, and found them full of the same coin, and taking out a handful, he carried it to the queen.

The queen, as may be imagined, was amazed when the sultan gave her an account of what he had discovered. "Oh my son!" said she, "take heed you do not squander all this wealth foolishly, as you have already done the royal treasure. Let not your enemies have so much occasion to rejoice."

"No, madam," answered Zeyn, "I will henceforward live in such a manner as shall be pleasing to you."

The queen desired her son to conduct her to the wonderful underground place, which the late sultan her husband had made with such secrecy that she had never heard of it. Zeyn led her to the private room, down the marble stairs, and into the chamber where the urns were. She observed everything with the eye of curiosity, and in a corner spied a little urn of the same sort of stone as the others. The prince had not before taken notice of it, but, opening it, found inside