e things are so, let's go halves in the loss. I'll
take my field back, and here's half of your money for you to
relieve your distress."

The Priest was rejoiced, and they immediately struck hands
on the bargain.

Meanwhile--goodness knows how--the Moujik's ground
began to get all right. From the old roots shot forth new tender
stems. Rain-clouds came sailing exactly over the cornfield
and gave the soil to drink. There sprang up a marvellous crop--tall
and thick. As to weeds, there positively was not one to be
seen. And the ears grew fuller and fuller, till they were fairly
bent right down to the ground.

Then the dear sun glowed, and the rye grew ripe--like so
much gold did it stand in the fields. Many a sheaf did the
Moujik gather, many a heap of sheaves did he set up; and now
he was beginning to carry the crop, and to gather it together into
ricks.

At that very time Elijah and Nicholas came walking by
again. Joyfully did the Prophet gaze on all the land, and say:

"Only look, Nicholas! what a blessing! Why, I have rewarded
the Priest in such wise, that he will never forget it all
his life."

"The Priest? No, brother! the blessing indeed is great,
but this land, you see, belongs to the Moujik. The Priest
hasn't got anything whatsoever to do with it."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's perfectly true. When the hail beat all the cornfield
flat, the Moujik went to the Priest and bought it back again at
half price."

"Stop a bit!" says Elijah. "I'll take the profit out of the
corn. However many sheaves the Moujik may lay on the
threshing-floor, he shall never thresh out of them more than a
peck[446] at a time."

"A bad piece of work!" thinks St. Nicholas. Off he went
at once to the Moujik.

"Mind," says he, "when you begin threshing your corn,
never put more than one sheaf at a time on the threshing-floor."

The Moujik began to thresh: from every sheaf he got a peck
of grain. All his bins, all his storehouses, he crammed with
rye; but still much remained over. So he built himself new
barns, and filled them as full as they could hold.

Well, one day Elijah and Nicholas came walking past his
homestead, and the Prophet began looking here and there, and
said:

"Do you see what barns he's built? has he got anything to
put into them?"

"They're quite full already," answers Nicholas.

"Why, wherever did the