Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/375

Rh would come when they would be forced to leave.

The second told them that they were welcome to enjoy all that the garden could offer, but that they must leave it just as they entered it, and take nothing away with them.

The third advised them to be virtuous, upright, and moderate in their pleasures, as such a course would go far towards living a long and happy life.

The young men listened to this wise counsel and then entered the garden, which was much more wonderful than they had imagined it to be. There were great trees, from the branches of which came the exquisite singing of innumerable birds; their eyes were gladdened by the beauty of the flowers, which gave forth a most pleasing perfume, and they found an abundance of delicious fruit, with which the trees were laden. Here was a paradise.

For some time they rested under the shade of the trees, regaling themselves with the freshly-picked fruit and drinking from springs that bubbled and sparkled from the ground like fountains. Then they sepa-