him keep them to make use of as he should direct. 'You told me,'
continued he, 'the sorceress made a cake last night; it was for you
to eat, depend upon it; but take great care you do not touch it.
Nevertheless, do not refuse to receive it when she offers it you;
but instead of tasting it, break off part of one of the two I shall
give you, unobserved, and eat that. As soon as she thinks you have
swallowed it, she will not fail to attempt transforming you into
some animal, but she will not succeed; when she sees that she will
immediately turn the thing into a joke, as if what she had done was
only to frighten you. But she will conceal a mortal grief in her
heart, and think she omitted something in the composition of her
cake. As for the other cake, you shall make a present of it to her
and press her to eat it; which she will not refuse to do, were it
only to convince you she does not mistrust you, though she has
given you so much reason to mistrust her. When she has eaten of it,
take a little water in the hollow of your hand, and throwing it in
her face, say, "Quit that form you now wear, and take that of such
and such an animal" as you think fit; which done, come to me with
the animal, and I will tell you what you shall do afterwards.'

King Beder thanked Abdallah in the most expressive terms, and took
his leave of him and returned to the palace. Upon his arrival, he
understood that the queen waited for him with great impatience in
the garden. He went to her, and she no sooner perceived him, than
she came in great haste to meet him. 'My dear Beder!' said she, 'it
seems ages since I have been separated from you. If you had stayed
ever so little longer, I was preparing to come and fetch you.'

'Madam,' replied King Beder, 'I can assure your majesty I was no
less impatient to rejoin you; but I could not refuse to stay a