princes of the blood, the great lords
and ladies, ministers of state, and judges of the land, after that
discoursed with Spare, and the more they talked the lighter grew their
hearts, so that such changes had never been seen.

As for Spare, he had a chamber assigned him in the palace, and a seat at
the King's table; one sent him rich robes and another costly jewels; but
in the midst of all his grandeur he still wore the leathern doublet,
which the palace servants thought remarkably mean. One day the King's
attention being drawn to it by the chief page, his Majesty inquired why
Spare didn't give it to a beggar. But the cobbler said:

"High and mighty monarch, this doublet was with me before silk and
velvet came--I find it easier to wear than the court cut; moreover, it
serves to keep me humble, by recalling the days when it was my holiday
garment."

[Illustration: "GOOD GENTLEMEN, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT SEASON THIS IS?"]

The King thought this a wise speech, and commanded that no one should
find fault with the leathern doublet. So things went, and Spare
prospered at court until the day when he lost his doublet, of which we
read in the next story.

THE MERRY COBBLER AND HIS COAT

Spare, the merry cobbler, of whom we read in the last story, was treated
like a prince at the King's court; and the news of his good fortune
reached his brother Scrub in the moorland cottage one first of April,
when the cuckoo came again with two golden leaves.

"Think of that!" said Fairfeather. "Here we are spending our lives in
this humdrum place, and Spare making his fortune at court with two or
three paltry green leaves! What would they say to our golden ones? Let
us make our way to the King's palace."

Scrub thought this excellent reasoning. So, putting on their holiday
clothes, Fairfeather took her looking-glass and Scrub his drinking-horn,
which happened to have a very thin rim of silver, and, each carrying a
golden leaf carefully wrapped up that none might see it till they
reached the palace, the pair set out in great expectation.

How far Scrub and Fairfeather journeyed we cannot say, but when the sun
was high and warm at noon they came into a wood feeling both tired and
hungry.

"Let us rest ourselves under this tree," said Fairfeather, "and look at
our golden leaves to see if they are quite safe."

In looking at the leaves, and talking of their fine prospects, Scrub and
Fairfeather did not perceive that a very thin