ned as fast as they could to the money. The coffer
was brought forth. They shook it. There was a fine rattling inside it.
Every one of them felt and handled the coffer. That was something like
a treasure! Then they unsealed it and opened it and scattered the
contents--and it was full of nothing but glass! They wouldn't believe
their eyes. They rummaged among the glass, but there was no money. It
was horrible! Surely it could not be that their father had dug up a
coffer from beneath an oak of the forest and it was full of nothing
but glass! "Why!" cried the brothers, "our father has left us nothing
but glass!" But for the crowds of people there, the brothers would
have fallen upon and beaten each other in their wrath. So the children
of the old man saw that their father had made fools of them. Then all
the people mocked them: "You see what you have gained by sending your
father to school! You see he learned something at school after all! He
was a long time before he _began_ learning, but better late than
never. It appears to us 'twas a right good school you sent him to. No
doubt they whipped him into learning so much. Never mind, you can keep
the money and the casket!" Then the brothers were full of lamentation
and rage. But what could they do? Their father was already dead and
buried.

[26] Prayers lasting forty days.

IVAN THE FOOL AND ST PETER'S
FIFE

There was once upon a time a man who had three sons, and two were
clever, but the third, called Ivan, was a fool. Their father divided
all his goods among them and died, and the three brothers went out
into the world to seek their fortunes. Now the two wise brothers left
all their goods at home, but Ivan the fool, who had only inherited a
large millstone, took it along with him. They went on and on and on
till it began to grow dark, when they came to a large forest. Then the
wise brothers said, "Let us climb up to the top of this oak and pass
the night there, and then robbers will not fall upon us."--"But what
will this silly donkey do with his millstone?" asked one of
them.--"You look to yourselves," said Ivan, "for I mean to pass the
night in this tree also." Then the wise brothers climbed to the very
tip-top of the tree and there sat down, and then Ivan dragged himself
up too, and the millstone after him. He tried to get up as high as his
brothers, but the thin boughs broke beneath him, so he had to be
content with staying in the lower part of the tree o