第29章 THE BUTTERFLY THAT STAMPED(2)

Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud forgot his nine hundred and ninety-nine bothersome wives,and laughed,till the camphor-tree shook,at the Butterfly's boast.And he held out his finger and said,'Little man,come here.'

The Butterfly was dreadfully frightened,but he managed to fly up to the hand of Suleiman-bin-Daoud,and clung there,fanning himself.Suleiman-bin-Daoud bent his head and whispered very softly,'Little man,you know that all your stamping wouldn't bend one blade of grass.What made you tell that awful fib to your wife?--for doubtless she is your wife.'

The Butterfly looked at Suleiman-bin-Daoud and saw the most wise King's eye twinkle like stars on a frosty night,and he picked up his courage with both wings,and he put his head on one side and said,'O King,live for ever.She is my wife;and you know what wives are like.

Suleiman-bin-Daoud smiled in his beard and said,'Yes,I know,little brother.

'One must keep them in order somehow,said the Butterfly,and she has been quarrelling with me all the morning.I said that to quiet her.'

And Suleiman-bin-Daoud said,'May it quiet her.Go back to your wife,little brother,and let me hear what you say.'

Back flew the Butterfly to his wife,who was all of a twitter behind a leaf,and she said,'He heard you!Suleiman-bin-Daoud himself heard you!'

'Heard me!'said the Butterfly.'Of course he did.I meant him to hear me.'

'And what did he say?Oh,what did he say?'

'Well,'said the Butterfly,fanning himself most importantly,'between you and me,my dear--of course I don't blame him,because his Palace must have cost a great deal and the oranges are just ripening,--he asked me not to stamp,and I promised Iwouldn't.'

'Gracious!'said his wife,and sat quite quiet;but Suleiman-bin-Daoud laughed till the tears ran down his face at the impudence of the bad little Butterfly.

Balkis the Most Beautiful stood up behind the tree among the red lilies and smiled to herself,for she had heard all this talk.

She thought,'If I am wise I can yet save my Lord from the persecutions of these quarrelsome Queens,'and she held out her finger and whispered softly to the Butterfly's Wife,'Little woman,come here.'Up flew the Butterfly's Wife,very frightened,and clung to Balkis's white hand.

Balkis bent her beautiful head down and whispered,'Little woman,do you believe what your husband has just said?'

The Butterfly's Wife looked at Balkis,and saw the most beautiful Queen's eyes shining like deep pools with starlight on them,and she picked up her courage with both wings and said,'O Queen,be lovely for ever.You know what men-folk are like.'

And the Queen Balkis,the Wise Balkis of Sheba,put her hand to her lips to hide a smile and said,'Little sister,I know.'

'They get angry,'said the Butterfly's Wife,fanning herself quickly,'over nothing at all,but we must humour them,O Queen.

They never mean half they say.If it pleases my husband to believe that I believe he can make Suleiman-bin-Daoud's Palace disappear by stamping his foot,I'm sure I don't care.He'll forget all about it to-morrow.'

'Little sister,'said Balkis,'you are quite right;but next time he begins to boast,take him at his word.Ask him to stamp,and see what will happen.We know what men-folk are like,don't we?

He'll be very much ashamed.'

Away flew the Butterfly's Wife to her husband,and in five minutes they were quarrelling worse than ever.

'Remember!'said the Butterfly.'Remember what I can do if Istamp my foot.'

'I don't believe you one little bit,'said the Butterfly's Wife.

'I should very much like to see it done.Suppose you stamp now.'

'I promised Suleiman-bin-Daoud that I wouldn't,'said the Butterfly,'and I don't want to break my promise.'

'It wouldn't matter if you did,'said his wife.'You couldn't bend a blade of grass with your stamping.I dare you to do it,'

she said.Stamp!Stamp!Stamp!'

Suleiman-bin-Daoud,sitting under the camphor-tree,heard every word of this,and he laughed as he had never laughed in his life before.He forgot all about his Queens;he forgot all about the Animal that came out of the sea;he forgot about showing off.He just laughed with joy,and Balkis,on the other side of the tree,smiled because her own true love was so joyful.

Presently the Butterfly,very hot and puffy,came whirling back under the shadow of the camphor-tree and said to Suleiman,'She wants me to stamp!She wants to see what will happen,O Suleiman-bin-Daoud!You know I can't do it,and now she'll never believe a word I say.She'll laugh at me to the end of my days!'

'No,little brother,'said Suleiman-bin-Daoud,'she will never laugh at you again,'and he turned the ring on his finger--just for the little Butterfly's sake,not for the sake of showing off,--and,lo and behold,four huge Djinns came out of the earth!

'Slaves,'said Suleiman-bin-Daoud,'when this gentleman on my finger'(that was where the impudent Butterfly was sitting)'stamps his left front forefoot you will make my Palace and these gardens disappear in a clap of thunder.When he stamps again you will bring them back carefully.'

'Now,little brother,'he said,'go back to your wife and stamp all you've a mind to.'

Away flew the Butterfly to his wife,who was crying,'I dare you to do it!I dare you to do it!Stamp!Stamp now!Stamp!'Balkis saw the four vast Djinns stoop down to the four corners of the gardens with the Palace in the middle,and she clapped her hands softly and said,'At last Suleiman-bin-Daoud will do for the sake of a Butterfly what he ought to have done long ago for his own sake,and the quarrelsome Queens will be frightened!'

The the butterfly stamped.The Djinns jerked the Palace and the gardens a thousand miles into the air:there was a most awful thunder-clap,and everything grew inky-black.The Butterfly's Wife fluttered about in the dark,crying,'Oh,I'll be good!I'm so sorry I spoke.Only bring the gardens back,my dear darling husband,and I'll never contradict again.'