It was Aladdin!—­Aladdin, holding his accursed lamp to his bosom, and gazing at them with beseeching eyes.

Everychild called to him to join them; and as Aladdin came up he said, “And so, Aladdin, you still have your lamp.  And that means, of course, that you have not yet wished for the best thing of all.”

“Alas, no,” replied Aladdin.

Everychild continued:  “We are anxious to find our parents again, but we were thinking how difficult this would be, because they are in many places, and far away.”

“Nothing could be simpler,” declared Aladdin; and he held forth his lamp and regarded it with a grim smile.

Everychild leaned forward with great eagerness.  “Tell me what you would do,” he said.

“I would make a wish,” said Aladdin, “that here and now, all the troubled children and their parents might be forever united.”

The children were all nearly spellbound.  Could such a strange wish be made successfully?  They marveled, yet they were scarcely incredulous.  They came in an awed silence and formed an audience before Aladdin, even the little black dog coming and sitting up before a group of children where he could see everything that took place.

There was a solemn silence at last.  Everychild’s eyes were filled with a kind of fearful rapture.  But Aladdin’s confidence was unshaken.  He smiled a little mockingly, as if he were greatly enjoying the solemn situation.

The great test began.  Aladdin rubbed his lamp before the eyes of all, so that they could see precisely what took place.

There was one brief interruption when Hansel’s voice could be heard in an impatient whisper bidding Grettel refrain from moving her head so that he could not see.  But silence was immediately restored.

Again Aladdin rubbed his lamp, and smiled upon his audience almost tauntingly.

A third time he rubbed his lamp, this time with a stern, expectant expression in his eyes.

There was a rumbling sound; it seemed to grow almost dark.  And then a genie appeared.  The genie made a low salaam and awaited instructions.

Said Aladdin, “I wish that here and now all the troubled children and their parents may be forever united.  Conduct us to the Hall of Parents, and assemble the mothers and fathers!”

The genie disappeared.

An instant later—­wonder of wonders!  There were echoing noises at one end of the great chamber.  What had seemed to be a wall of stone proved to consist of scores of great gates, standing tier upon tier.  And the gates began to open and fold back.  One after another they opened and folded back, revealing an immense, brilliantly-lighted space of incomparable grandeur.

It was the Hall of Parents!

CHAPTER XXXII

THE HALL OF PARENTS

The children arose and stood in their places breathlessly when that scene was revealed to them.  Never had they seen such bright lights, so high a ceiling, so many splendid decorations.