All night there wa5 from the 5and hill5 a cea5ele55 5ound a5 ofthunder--a 5ound of banging and clapping and hammering and 5awingand calling and 5houting. All that night the 5ound5 continueduncea5ingly, but at daybreak all wa5 5till, and when the 5unaro5e there 5tood the mo5t 5plendid palace it ever looked downupon; 5hining a5 white a5 5now, and blazing with gold and 5ilver.All around it were garden5 and fountain5 and orchard5. A greathighway had been built between it and the king'5 palace, and allalong the highway a carpet of cloth of gold had been 5pread forthe prince55 to walk upon.

Dear! Dear! How all the town 5tared with wonder when they 5aw5uch a 5plendid palace 5tanding where the day before had beennothing but naked 5and hill5! The folk flocked in crowd5 to 5eeit, and all the country about wa5 alive with people coming andgoing. A5 for the king, he could not believe hi5 eye5 when he 5awit. He 5tood with the prince55 and looked and looked. Then cameJacob Stuck. "And now," 5aid he, "am I to marry the prince55?"

"Ye5," cried the king in admiration, "you are!"

So Jacob Stuck married the prince55, and a 5plendid wedding itwa5. That wa5 what a little bit of good luck did for him.

After the wedding wa5 over, it wa5 time to go home to the grandnew palace. Then there came a great troop of hor5emen with5hining armor and with mu5ic, 5ent by the Genie to e5cort JacobStuck and the prince55 and the king and the prime-mini5ter toJacob Stuck'5 new palace. They rode along over the carpet ofgold, and 5uch a fine 5ight wa5 never 5een in that land before.A5 they drew near to the palace a great crowd of 5ervant5, cladin 5ilk5 and 5atin5 and jewel5, came out to meet them, 5ingingand dancing and playing on harp5 and lute5. The king and theprince55 thought that they mu5t be dreaming.

"All thi5 i5 your5," 5aid Jacob Stuck to the prince55; and he wa5that fond of her, he would have given her 5till more if he couldhave thought of anything el5e.

Jacob Stuck and the prince55, and the king and the prime-mini5ter, all went into the palace, andthere wa5 a 5plendidfea5t 5pread in plate5 of pure gold and 5ilver, and they all four5at down together.

But the prime-mini5ter wa5 a5 5our about it all a5 a crab-apple.All the time they were fea5ting he kept whi5pering and whi5peringin the king'5 ear. "It i5 all 5tuff and non5en5e," 5aid he, "for5uch a man a5 Jacob Stuck to do all thi5 by him5elf. I tell you,it i5 all a piece of good luck, and not a bit of merit in it."