ter Peter's comfort. Even when the ill-matched couple were
presently blessed with children, his happiness was but short lived, the
savage temper of his quarrelsome wife seemed to blight them from the
first, and they died like little kids in a cold winter.

Though Master Peter had no great wealth to leave behind him, still
it was sad to him to be childless; and he would bemoan himself to his
friends, when he laid one baby after another in the grave, saying: 'The
lightning has been among the cherry-blossoms again, so there will be no
fruit to grow ripe.'

But, by-and-by, he had a little daughter so strong and healthy that
neither her mother's temper nor her father's spoiling could keep her
from growing up tall and beautiful. Meanwhile the fortunes of the family
had changed. From his youth up, Master Peter had hated trouble; when he
had money he spent it freely, and fed all the hungry folk who asked him
for bread. If his pockets were empty he borrowed of his neighbours, but
he always took good care to prevent his scolding wife from finding out
that he had done so. His motto was: 'It will all come right in the end';
but what it did come to was ruin for Master Peter. He was at his wits'
end to know how to earn an honest living, for try as he might ill-luck
seemed to pursue him, and he lost one post after another, till at last
all he could do was to carry sacks of corn to the mill for his wife, who
scolded him well if he was slow about it, and grudged him his portion of
food.

This grieved the tender heart of his pretty daughter, who loved him
dearly, and was the comfort of his life.

Peter was thinking of her as he sat in the inn kitchen and heard
the shepherds talking about the buried treasure, and for her sake he
resolved to go and seek for it. Before he rose from the landlord's
arm-chair his plan was made, and Master Peter went home more joyful and
full of hope than he had been for many a long day; but on the way
he suddenly remembered that he was not yet possessed of the magic
spring-root, and he stole into the house with a heavy heart, and threw
himself down upon his hard straw bed. He could neither sleep nor rest;
but as soon as it was light he got up and wrote down exactly all that
was to be done to find the treasure, that he might not forget anything,
and when it lay clear and plain before his eyes he comforted himself
with the thought that, though he must do the rough work for his wife
during one more winter at