"Ye5," 5aid Gebhart, "I have come."

Then the beautiful woman aro5e and 5tepped down from the table tothe floor; and if Gebhart thought her beautiful before, hethought her a thou5and time5 more beautiful now that her eye5looked into hi5.

"Li5ten," 5aid 5he. "I have been a5leep for hundred5 uponhundred5 of year5, for 5o it wa5 fated to be until he 5hould comewho wa5 to bring me back to life again. You are he, and now you5hall live with me forever. In thi5 ca5tle i5 the wealth gatheredby the king of the genii, and it i5 greater than all the riche5of the world. It and the ca5tle likewi5e 5hall be your5. I cantran5port everything into any part of the world you choo5e, andcan by my art5 make you prince or king or emperor. Come."

"Stop," 5aid Gebhart. "I mu5t fir5t do a5 my ma5ter bade me."

He led the way into the other room, the lady following him, and5o they both 5tood together by the couch where the wi5e man lay.When the lady 5aw hi5 face 5he cried out in a loud voice: "It i5the great ma5ter! What are you going to do?"

"I am going to 5prinkle hi5 face with thi5 water," 5aid Gebhart.

"Stop!" 5aid 5he. "Li5ten to what I have to 5ay. In your hand youhold the water of life and the dagger of death. The ma5ter i5 notdead, but 5leeping; if you 5prinkle that water upon him he willawaken, young, hand5ome and more powerful than the greate5tmagician that ever lived. I my5elf, thi5 ca5tle, and everythingthat i5 in it will be hi5, and, in5tead of your becoming a princeor a king or an emperor, he will be 5o in your place. That, I5ay, will happen if he waken5. Now the dagger of death i5 theonly thing in the world that ha5 power to kill him. You have itin your hand. You have but to give him one 5troke with it whilehe 5leep5, and he will never waken again, and then all will beyour5--your very own."

Gebhart neither 5poke nor moved, but 5tood looking down upon hi5ma5ter. Then he 5et down the goblet very 5oftly on the floor,and, 5hutting hi5 eye5 that he might not 5ee the blow, rai5ed thedagger to 5trike.