Instantly the ground opened , and the astonished king , peeping in , saw a flight of rough steps , and , at the bottom of them , the fakeer sitting , just as he used to sit , on his rickety bedstead , reading the Koran ! At first the king was so surprised and frightened that he could only stare ; but the fakeer beckoned to him to come down , so , mustering up his courage , he boldly stepped down into the grave . The fakeer rose , and , making a sign to the king to follow , walked a few paces along a dark passage . Then he stopped , turned solemnly to his companion , and , with a movement of his hand , drew aside as it were a heavy curtain , and revealed -- what ? No one knows what was there shown to the king , nor did he ever tell anyone ; but , when the fakeer at length dropped the curtain , and the king turned to leave the place , he had had his glimpse of Paradise ! Trembling in every limb , he staggered back along the passage , and stumbled up the steps out of the tomb into the fresh air again . The dawn was breaking . It seemed odd to the king that he had been so long in the grave . It appeared but a few minutes ago that he had descended , passed along a few steps to the place where he had peeped beyond the veil , and returned again after perhaps five minutes of that wonderful view ! And what WAS it he had seen ? He racked his brains to remember , but he could not call to mind a single thing ! How curious everything looked too ! Why , his own city , which by now he was entering , seemed changed and strange to him ! The sun was already up when he turned into the palace gate and entered the public durbar hall . It was full ; a chamberlain came across and asked him why he sat unbidden in the king 's presence . ` But I am the king ! ' he cried . ` What king ? ' said the chamberlain . ` The true king of this country , ' said he indignantly .
Then the chamberlain went away , and spoke XXXXX the king who sat on the throne , and the old king heard words like ` mad , ' ` age , ' ` compassion . '
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