thither.

[20] This is a good instance of the modern intrusions in these ancient
_kazki_. An angel and a passport in the same tale!

So they took him back to that capital and put him in another dungeon.
Then the custodians came round to examine the prisoners, and one said
one thing and one said another, till at last it came to the turn of
the Tsar.--"Who art thou, old man?" they asked. Then he told them the
whole truth. "Once I was the Tsar," said he, and he related all that
had befallen him. Then they were much amazed, for he was not at all
like a Tsar. For indeed he had been growing thin and haggard for a
long time, and his beard was all long and tangled. And yet, for all
that, he stood them out that he was the Tsar. So they made up their
minds that he was crazy, and drove him away. "Why should we keep this
fool for ever," said they, "and waste the Tsar's bread upon him?" So
they let him go, and never did any man feel so wretched on God's earth
as did that wretched Tsar. Willingly would he have done any sort of
work if he had only known how, but he had never been used to work, so
he had to go along begging his bread, and could scarce beg enough to
keep body and soul together. He lay at night at the first place that
came to hand, sometimes in the tall grass of the steppes, sometimes
beneath a fence. "That it should ever have come to this!" he sighed.

But the angel who had made himself Tsar went home with the huntsmen.
And no man knew that he was not a Tsar, but an angel. The same evening
that priest came to him and said, "Do thy will, O Tsar, and strike off
my head, for I cannot blot out one word of Holy Scripture."--And the
Tsar said to him, "Glory be to God, for now I know that there is at
least one priest in my tsardom who stands firm for God's Word. I'll
make thee the highest bishop in this realm." The priest thanked him,
bowed down to the earth, and departed marvelling. "What is this
wonder?" thought he, "that the haughty Tsar should have become so just
and gentle."--But all men marvelled at the change that had come over
the Tsar. He was now so mild and gracious, nor did he spend all his
days in the forest, but went about inquiring of his people if any
were wronged or injured by their neighbours, and if justice were done.
He took count of all, and rebuked the unjust judges, and saw that
every man had his rights. And the people now rejoiced as much as they
had grieved heretofore, and justice was done in