Show T THE WONDROUS ' TALE OF ALROE 70 voice and be placed bis arm I am your friend round bis waist Our acquaintance is very brief : no patlove I ter I rescued you in injury you I tended you in sickness and even now 1 would proyour life is in my power tect it with my own' You cannot doubt me Our affections arc not under our own control and mine are yours The sympathy between us is entire You see me you see what I am : a Hebrew though unknown one cf that despised rejected persecuted people of whom you arc the chief I too would be free Freedom and honour and honoured are mine but I was my own Messiah I quitted in good time our desperate cause but 1 gave it a trial Ask Jubas-te- r how I fought Youth could bo my I only excuse for such indiscretion left this country I studied and resided a low ‘ the among Greeks I returned from Constantinople with all their learning some of their craft No one knew me I assumed their turban and I am the Lord Ilonian Take my experience child and save yourself much sorrow Turn your late adventure to good account No one can recognise you here I will introduce you among the highest as my child by some fair Greek The world is before you You may fight you may love you may revel War and and luxury women arc all at your command With your person and talents you may be grand vizier CIcap your head of nonsense' In the present disordered state of the empire you may even carve yourself out a kingdom infinitely more delightful than the barren land of milk and honey I have a rocky wilderness seen it 'child where I would not let my courser graze’ He bent down and fixed his eyes upon his companion with a scrutinizing foil upon the t glance The resolved visage of the prince of the captivity Ilonian he replied pressing his I thank thee hand Thou knowest not me but still I thank thee’ f You arc resolved then on destruction7 ‘On glory eternal glory’ Is it possible to succeed? Is it possible to fail ’ You are njad ‘ J ' am a believer7 Not another word ’You l ‘Enough have yet one chance My brother has saddled your enterprise with a condition and an impossible one Gain the sceptre of Solomon and I will agree to be your subject You will waste a year in this frolic You are young and cap afford it I trust you jvill experience nothing worse than a loss of time which is however very valuable My duty will be after all your sufferings to send you forth on your adventures in good condition and provide you means for a less toilsome pilgrimage than has hitherto been your lot Trust me you will return to Bagdad to accept At present the dews are demy offers scending and we will return to our and take some coffee’ Sorao few days after tlio conversation on the terrace ns Alroy was reclining in a bower in the beautiful garden of his host meditating on the future some one touched him on the back Ho looked moon-ligh- ‘ ‘ ’ 4 ! n It was up - ‘ Ilonian Follow me said the brother of The princo rose and followed him in ftilcnce They entered iho house ami the injoon through already de pasting i scribed they proceeded down a long gallery which terminated in an arched flight of broad steps leading to the river A boat was fastened to the end of the stairs floating on the blue line of the Tigris bright in the sun Ilonian now gave to Alroy a velvet bag which ho requested 'him to carry 'and then they descended the steps ami entered the covered boat and without any directions to the rower they were soon skimming over the water By the sound of the passing vessels and occasional shouts of the boatmen Alroy although he could observo nothing was conscious that for some time that their course lay through a principal thoroughfare of the city but by degrees the sounds became less frequent and in time entirely died away and all that caught his ear was the regular and monotonous stroke of their own oar At length after the lapse of nearly an hour from their entrance the boat stopped and was moored against the quay The curtains were withdrawn and Human and his companions disembarked A low but very extensive building painted in white and gold arabesque and irregular but picturesque in form with many small domes and tall thin towers rose amid groves of cypress on the banks of the broad and silent river The rapid stream had carried them far from the city which was visible but distant Around was no habitation no human being The opposite bank was occupied Not even a boat by enclosed gardens passed Ilonian beckoned to Alrov to accom-pan- y him but still silent advanced to a small portal and knocked It was instantly opened by a single Nubian who bowed reverently as the visitors passed him They proceeded along a low and gloomy passage covered with arches of fretw ork until they nrriml at a door of tortoise-shel- l and mother-o- f earl ' Here Ilonian w ho was in advance turned to ‘ Alroy and said Whatever happen and whoever mav address you as vou value your life and mine do not speak’ The door opened and they found themselves in a vast and gorgeous ball Pilmarbles rose from lars of many-coloura red and blue pavement of the same material and supported a vaulted circud roof of purple lar and scarlet and gold Around a fountain ’feet in rose which height from an fifty immense basin of lapis-lozu- li and reclining on small yellow’ Barbary matR was a group of Nubian euniehs dressed in rich habits of scarlet and gold and armed with ivory battle-axe- s the white handles worked in precious arabesque finely contrasting with the blue and brilliant blades The commander of the eunieh-gnar- d rose on seeing Ilonian and pressing his hand to his head mouth and heart saluted him The physician of the caliph motioning Alroy to 'remain advanced some paces in front nf him and entered into a whispering conversation with the eunieh After a few minutes this offi-cresumed his seat and Ilonian beckoned to' Alroy to rejoin him crossed the hall Passing through an open arch they tered en- quadrangular court of roses each bed of flowers surrounded by a stream of sparkling water and floating like an enchanted islet upon a fairy ocean The sound of the water and the ‘sweetness of the flowers blended togetaid produced a lulling sensation’ her which nothing but his strong and strango along a cloister of Proceeding airy workmanship which connected the lmll w ith the remainder of the buildings they stood beforo a lofty and resist light sumptuous portal It was a inonolite gate thirty feet in formed of one block of green height nnu red jasper and cut into the fanciful Tho undulating arch of the Saracens consummate artist lmd seized the advantage offered to him by the ruddy veins and had formed of the precious stones them in bold relief into two vast and sinuous serpents which shot forth from their crested heads and glittering eyes at Ilonian and his companion The physician of tlw caliph taking his dagger from his girdle struck one of the heads of the serpents thrice The mas-s- y portal opened with a whirl and a roar and before them stood an Absynian giant holding in his leash a roaring lion ‘Hush! Haroun said Homan to tho animal raising at the same time his arm and the beast crouched in silence ‘Worthy Morgargon I bring you’a remembrance’ The Abyssinian showed his tusks larger and w hiter than the lion’s as he basin The fountain itself was a tree of gold and silver spreading into innumerable branches covered with every variety of curious birds their plumage'appropriate-l- y imitated by the corresponding tints of precious stoues and which warbled in beautiful melody as they poured forth from their bills the musical And refreshing element It was with difficulty that Alroy could refrain from an admiring exclamation hut Ilonian ever quick turned to him with his finger pressed on his mouth and quitting the quadrangle they entered' the r gardens Lofty terraces dark masses of cypress of in distance walks acacia the winding an interminable paradise aud here and there a glittering pavilion and bright kiosk! Its appearance on the river had not prepared Alroy for the extent of the and it palace itself It seemed infinite was evident that he had only viewed a very smalt portion of it a curiosity might have enabled Alroy to grinningly received the tribute of and he uttered a the courtly Ilonian few uncouth sounds but he could not speak for lie was a mute The jasper portal introduced the com- panions to a long and lofty and arched-chambelighted by high windows of stained glass hung with tapestry of silkT and silver covered with prodigious carpets and surrounded by immense couches And thus through similar chambers they proceeded in some ot which were until they arsigns of recent habitation rived at another quadrangle nearly filled by a most singular fountain which rose from a basin of gold encrusted with pearls and which was surrounded by figures of every rare quadruped in themost costly materials Here a golden tiger of flaming eyes of ruby and flowstole of after some' opal ing stripes bloody banquet to the refreshiug brink a camelopard raised its slender neck of silver from the centre of a group of eve- -' ry inhabitant of the forest and brilliant hands of monkeys glittering with precious stones rested in every variety of fantastic posture on the margin of the (TO A RE CONTINUED) Metliodist paper says that “ the great aim of one religious body witli regard to other religious bodies should be not to absorb them but to improve them” This is truly noble |