humour him to some extent fortunately he did not seem at all dangerous though eccentric looking his hair fell in profusion from under his high about his cheeks which were of a pale tint his grey beard streamed out in three thin and his long narrow eyes in hue and set rather wide apart and at a slight angle had a curious expression part and part simplicity dost thou doubt that i speak truth i tell thee that i have been confined in that accursed vessel for countless centuries � how long i know not for it is beyond calculation i should hardly have thought from your appearance sir that you had been so many years in bottle as all that said politely but it s certainly time you had a change may i if it isn t by ic at large ask how you came into such a very uncomfortable position but probably you have forgotten by this time forgotten said the other with a sombre red glow in his eyes wisely was it written let him that desire th oblivion confer but the memory of an injury for ever i forget neither benefits nor injuries an old gentleman with a grievance thought and mad into the bargain nice person to have staying in the same house with one know best of mankind continued the stranger that he who now addresses thee is el one of the green and i dwelt in the palace of the mountain of the clouds above the city of in the garden of which thou doubtless by i fancy i have heard of it said as if it were an address in the court delightful neighbourhood i had a el who possessed beauty and manifold accomplishments and seeing that though a she was of the believing i despatched messengers to the great the son of offering him her hand in marriage but a certain the son of the son of may he be for ever accursed � looked with favour upon the maiden and going unto by ic the brass bottle persuaded him that i was preparing a for the king s and of course you never thought of such a thing said by a tongue the fairest motives may be rendered foul was the somewhat reply thus it came to pass that on whom be peace � listened unto the voice of and refused to receive the maiden moreover he commanded that i should be seized and imprisoned in a bottle of brass and cast into the sea of el there to abide the day of doom too bad � really too bad murmured in a tone that he could only hope was sufficiently sympathetic but now by thy means thou of noble ancestors and gentle disposition my hath been accomplished and if i were to serve thee for a thousand years regarding nothing else even thus could i not thee and my so doing would be a small thing according to thy deserts pray don t mention it said only too pleased if i ve been of any use to you in the sky it is written upon the pages of the air he who doth kind actions shall experience the like am i not an of the demand therefore and thou shalt receive poor old chap thought he s very by ic at large cracked indeed he ll be wanting to give me a present of some sort soon � and of course i can t have that my dear mr he said aloud i ve done nothing � nothing at and if i had i couldn t possibly accept any reward for it what are thy names and what calling dost thou follow i ought to have introduced myself let me give you my card and gave him one which the other took and placed in his that s my business address i m an if you know what that a man who houses and churches � you know � in fact anything when he can get it to build a useful calling and one to be rewarded with fine gold in my case confessed the reward has been too fine to be perceived in other words i ve never been rewarded because i ve never yet had the luck to get a and what is this of whom thou oh well some well to do merchant who wants a house built for him and doesn t care how much he on it there must be lots of them about � but they never seem to come in my direction grant me a period of delay and if it be possible i will procure thee such a could not help thinking that any by ic the brass bottle from such a quarter would hardly weight but as the poor old man evidently imagined himself under an obligation which he was anxious to discharge it would have been unkind to throw cold water on his good intentions my dear sir he said lightly if you should come across that particular type of and can contrive to impress him with the belief that i m just the he s looking out for � which between ourselves i am though nobody s discovered it yet � if you can get him to come to me you will do me the very greatest service i could ever hope for but don t give yourself any trouble over it it will be one of the easiest things that can be said his visitor that is and here a shade of rather pathetic doubt crossed his face provided that anything of my former power yet remains unto me well never mind sir said if you can t i shall take the will for the deed first of all it will be prudent to learn where is that i may humble myself before him and make my peace yes said gently i would i should make a 