nd touched the apple. "O my apple,
get me out of this place!" And at once he found himself out of the
cistern. He went to the city where he lived, and met a silversmith, who
took him as an apprentice, feeding and clothing him. While he was with
the silversmith, the king commanded the latter to make a crown for his
oldest son, who was to be married: "You must make me a royal crown for
my son, and to-morrow evening you must bring it to me."

He gave him ten ounces and dismissed him. When he reached home, the
silversmith was greatly disturbed, for he had such a short time to make
the crown in. Salvatore said: "Grandfather, why are you so disturbed?"
The master replied: "Take these ten ounces, for now I am going to seek
refuge in a church, for there is nothing else for me to do." (For in
olden times the church had the privilege that whoever robbed or killed
fled to the church, and they could not do anything with him.) The
apprentice replied: "Now I will see if I can make this crown. My master
would take refuge in a church for a trifle." So he began to make the
crown. What did he do? He took out the apple and commanded it to make a
very beautiful crown. He hammered away, but the apple made the crown.
When it was finished he gave it to the wife of the silversmith, who took
it to her husband. When the latter saw that he need not flee to the
church, he went to the king, who, well pleased, invited him to the feast
in the evening. When he told this at home, the apprentice said: "Take
me to the feast." "How can I take you when you have no clothes fit to
wear? I will buy you some, and when there is another feast I will take
you." When it struck two, the silversmith departed, and Salvatore took
the apple and said: "O my apple, give me clothes and carriages and
footmen, for I am going to see my brother married." Immediately he was
dressed like a prince, and went to the palace, where he hid in the
kitchen, saw his brother married, and then took a big stick and gave the
silversmith a sound beating. When the latter reached home, he cried: "I
am dying! I am dying!" "What is the matter?" asked the apprentice, and
when he learned what had happened, he said: "If you had taken me with
you to the feast this would not have happened."

A few days after, the king summoned the silversmith again to make
another crown within twenty-four hours. Everything happened as before:
the apprentice made a crown handsomer than the first, with the aid of
the