that met his sight.  So when King Khusrau had considered whatso was in the mansion he said to the Princess, “This home of thine is far grander than any palace owned by the Shah, who would now stroll about the pleasure-garden, never doubting but that it will be delightsome at the house.”  Hereat the Princess threw wide open the door whence the grounds could be seen; and at once the King beheld before and above all other things, the fountain which cast up incessantly, in gerbes and jets, water clear as crystal withal golden of hue.  Seeing such prodigy he cried, “This is indeed a glorious gusher:  never before saw I one so admirable.  But say me where is its source, and by what means doth it shoot up in spurts so high?  Whence cometh this constant supply and in what fashion was it formed?  The Shah would fain see it near hand.”  “O King of kings, and Lord of the lands,” quoth the Princess, “be pleased to do whatso thou desirest.”  Thereupon they went up to the fountain and the Shah stood gazing upon it with delight when behold, he heard a concert of sugar-sweet voices choiring with the harmony and melody of wit-ravishing music.  So he turned him around and gazed about him to discover the singers, but no one was in sight; and albeit he looketh both hard and near all was in vain, he heard the voices but he could descry no songster.  At length completely baffled he exclaimed, “Whence come these most musical of sounds; and rise they from the bowels of earth or are they floating in the depths of air?  They fill the heart with rapture, but strangely surprise the senses to see that no one singer is in sight.”  Replied the Princess with a smile “O Lord of lords, there are no minstrels here and the strains which strike the Shah’s ear come from yonder tree.  Deign walk on, I pray thee, and examine it well.”  So be advanced thereto, ever more and more enchanted with the music, and he gazed now at the Golden-Water and now at the Singing-Tree till lost in wonderment and amazement; then, “O Allah,” said he to himself, “is all this Nature-made or magical, for in very deed the place is full of mystery?” Presently, turning to the Princess quoth he, “O my lady, prithee whence came ye by this wondrous tree which hath been planted in the middlemost of this garden:  did anyone bring it from some far distant land as a rare gift, and by what name is it known?” Quoth Perizadah in reply, “O King of kings, this marvel hight Singing-Tree groweth not in our country.  ’Twere long to recount whence and by what means I obtained it; and suffice it for the present to say that the Tree, together with the Golden-Water and the Speaking-Bird, were all found by me at one and the same time.  Deign now accompany thy slave and look upon this third rarity; and when the Shah shall have rested and recovered from the toils and travails of hunting, the tale of these three strange things shall be told to the Asylum of the World in fullest detail.”  Hereto the King replied, “All the Shah’s fatigue hath gone for gazing upon these wonders; and now to visit the Speaking-Bird.”—­ And as the morning began to dawn Shahrazad held her peace till