m the highest turret, belonged to this lord;
but he had not been there for twenty years, and would not have come
then, only he was melancholy.

The cause of his grief and sorrow was that he had been prime minister at
court, and in high favor, till somebody told the Crown Prince that he
had spoken disrespectfully concerning the turning out of his Royal
Highness's toes, whereon the North Country lord was turned out of
office, and banished to his own estate. There he lived for some weeks in
very bad temper; but one day in the harvest time his lordship chanced to
meet Spare gathering watercresses at a meadow stream, and fell into
talk.

How it was nobody could tell, but from the hour of that discourse the
great lord cast away his melancholy, and went about with a noble train,
making merry in his hall, where all travelers were entertained and all
the poor were welcome.

This strange story soon spread through the North Country, and a great
company came to the cobbler's hut--rich men who had lost their money,
poor men who had lost their friends, beauties who had grown old, wits
who had gone out of fashion--all came to talk with Spare, and, whatever
their troubles, all went home merry. The rich gave him presents, the
poor gave him thanks.

By this time his fame had reached the Court. There were a great many
discontented people there besides the King, who had lately fallen into
ill humor because a neighboring princess, with seven islands for her
dowry, would not marry his eldest son. So a royal messenger was sent to
Spare, with a command that he should go to court.

"To-morrow is the first of April," said Spare, "and I will go with you
two hours after sunrise."

The messenger lodged all night at the castle, and the cuckoo came at
sunrise with the merry leaf.

"Court is a fine place," he said, when the cobbler told him he was
going; "but I cannot go there--they would lay snares and catch me. So be
careful of the leaves I have brought you, and give me a farewell slice
of barley bread."

Spare was sorry to part with the cuckoo, but he gave him a thick slice,
and, having sewed up the leaves in the lining of his leather doublet, he
set out with the messenger on his way to the royal court.

His coming caused great surprise; but scarce had his Majesty conversed
with him half an hour when the princess and her seven islands were
forgotten, and orders given that a feast for all comers should be
spread in the banquet-hall. The