he burst out with the secret, and in one moment the castle was
gone, and they sat once more in their wretched old hut.

'There!' exclaimed the man, 'you _would_ have it--now we may just go on
short commons.'

'Ah!' said his wife, 'after all I'd rather not have all the riches in
the world if I can't know where they come from--I shall not have a
moment's peace.'

The man took to his fishing again, and one day fate brought the gold
fish into his net for the third time. 'Well,' said the fish, 'I see that
I am evidently destined to fall into your hands. Now take me home, and
cut me into six pieces. Give two bits to your wife to eat, two to your
horse, and plant the remaining two in your garden, and they will bring
you a blessing.'

The man carried the fish home, and did exactly as he had been told.
After a time, it came to pass that from the two pieces he had planted in
the garden two golden lilies grew up, and that his horse had two golden
foals, whilst his wife gave birth to twin boys who were all golden.

The children grew up both tall and handsome, and the foals and the
lilies grew with them.

One day the children came to their father and said, 'Father, we want to
mount on golden steeds, and ride forth to see the world.'

Their father answered sadly, 'How can I bear it if, when you are far
away, I know nothing about you?' and they said, 'The golden lilies will
tell you all about us if you look at them. If they seem to droop, you
will know we are ill, and if they fall down and fade away, it will be a
sign we are dead.'

So off they rode, and came to an inn where were a number of people who,
as soon as they saw the two golden lads, began to laugh and jeer at
them. When one of them heard this, his heart failed him, and he thought
he would go no further into the world, so he turned back and rode home
to his father, but his brother rode on till he reached the outskirts of
a huge forest. Here he was told, 'It will never do for you to ride
through the forest, it is full of robbers, and you're sure to come to
grief, especially when they see that you and your horse are golden. They
will certainly fall on you and kill you.' However, he was not to be
intimidated, but said, 'I must and will ride on.'

So he procured some bears' skins, and covered himself and his horse with
them, so that not a particle of gold could be seen, and then rode
bravely on into the heart of the forest.

When he had got some way he heard a rustli