"

"What! My son sitting far back in the chimney corner! Poor boy, he must
be in need of money! My good man, will you take him something from me?
I'd like to send him three hundred golden ducats and material for six
fine shirts. And tell him not to be lonely as I'll come to him soon."

The laborer was delighted at the success of his yarn and he told the
lady of the castle he'd gladly take with him the ducats and the fine
shirting and he asked her to give them to him at once as he had to get
back to heaven without delay.

The foolish woman wrapped up the shirting and counted out the money and
the laborer hurried off.

Once out of sight of the castle he sat down by the roadside, stuffed the
fine shirting into the legs of his trousers, and hid the ducats in his
pockets. Then he stretched himself out to rest.

Meantime the lord of the castle got home and his wife at once told him
the whole story and asked him if he didn't think she was fortunate to
find a man who had consented to deliver to their son in heaven three
hundred golden ducats and material for six fine shirts.

"What!" cried the husband. "Oh, what a gullible creature you are! Who
ever heard of a man falling out of heaven! And if he were to fall, how
could he climb back? The rogue has swindled you! Which way did he go?"

And without waiting to hear the poor lady's lamentations, the nobleman
mounted his horse and galloped off in the direction the laborer had
taken.

The laborer, who was still resting by the wayside, saw him coming and
guessed who he was.

"Now, my lord, we'll try you," he said to himself.

He took off his broad-trimmed hat and put it on the ground beside him
over a clod of earth.

"My good fellow," said the nobleman, "I am looking for a man with a
bundle over his shoulder. Have you seen him pass this way?"

The laborer scratched his head and pretended to think.

"Yes, master," he said, "seems to me I did see a man with a bundle. He
was running over there towards the woods and looking back all the time.
He was a stranger to these parts. I remember now thinking to myself that
he looked like one of those rogues that come from big cities to swindle
honest country folk. Yes, master, that's the way he went, over there."

The laborer seemed such an honest simple fellow that at once the
nobleman told him how the stranger had swindled his wife.

"Oh, the rogue!" the laborer cried. "To think of his swindling such a
fine lady, too! Master, I