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' And she told him what the Queens had said and
seen and thought.

Then Suleiman-bin-Daoud rose up from his seat under the
camphor-tree, and stretched his arms and rejoiced and said,
'O my Lady and Sweetener of my Days, know that if I had made
a magic against my Queens for the sake of pride or anger, as I
made that feast for all the animals, I should certainly have
been put to shame. But by means of your wisdom I made the magic
for the sake of a jest and for the sake of a little Butterfly,
and--behold--it has also delivered me from the vexations of my
vexatious wives! Tell me, therefore, O my Lady and Heart of my
Heart, how did you come to be so wise?' And Balkis the Queen,
beautiful and tall, looked up into Suleiman-bin-Daoud's eyes and
put her head a little on one side, just like the Butterfly, and
said, 'First, O my Lord, because I loved you; and secondly, O my
Lord, because I know what women-folk are.'

Then they went up to the Palace and lived happily ever
afterwards.

But wasn't it clever of Balkis?


THERE was never a Queen like Balkis,
From here to the wide world's end;
But Balkis tailed to a butterfly
As you would talk to a friend.

There was never a King like Solomon,
Not since the world began;
But Solomon talked to a butterfly
As a man would talk to a man.

She was Queen of Sabaea--
And he was Asia's Lord--
But they both of 'em talked to butterflies
When they took their walks abroad!


THE END