and amused ourselves with talking of all sorts of indifferent things,
and with drinking each other's health. Suddenly the prince said to me,
"Cousin, we have no time to lose; be so kind as to conduct this lady
to a certain spot, where you will find a dome-like tomb, newly built.
You cannot mistake it. Go in, both of you, and wait till I come.
I shall not be long."

As I had promised I prepared to do as I was told, and giving my hand
to the lady, I escorted her, by the light of the moon, to the place
of which the prince had spoken. We had barely reached it when he
joined us himself, carrying a small vessel of water, a pickaxe,
and a little bag containing plaster.

With the pickaxe he at once began to destroy the empty sepulchre
in the middle of the tomb. One by one he took the stones and piled
them up in a corner. When he had knocked down the whole sepulchre
he proceeded to dig at the earth, and beneath where the sepulchre
had been I saw a trap-door. He raised the door and I caught sight
of the top of a spiral staircase; then he said, turning to the lady,
"Madam, this is the way that will lead you down to the spot which I
told you of."

The lady did not answer, but silently descended the staircase,
the prince following her. At the top, however, he looked at me.
"My cousin," he exclaimed, "I do not know how to thank you for
your kindness. Farewell."

"What do you mean?" I cried. "I don't understand."

"No matter," he replied, "go back by the path that you came."