as on the point of coming
out from his hiding-place when a band of thieves rushed into the church.
They had stolen a large bag of money and were going to divide it in the
dark church. They quarrelled over the division and began to cry out and
make a noise. Thereupon Giufa sat up in his coffin and exclaimed: "Out
with you!" The thieves were greatly frightened when the dead man rose
up, and believed he was calling to the other dead, so they ran out in
terror, leaving the sack behind. As Giufa was picking up the sack, the
cheese-merchant sprang from his hiding-place and claimed his share of
the money. Giufa, however, kept crying: "Your share is four _grani_."
The thieves outside thought he was dividing the money among the dead and
said to each other: "How many he must have called if they receive but
four _grani_ apiece!" and ran away as fast as they could run. Giufa took
the money home to his mother, after he had given the cheese-merchant a
little to say nothing about what had happened.

[Footnote T: About a cent and a half.]

Giufa's mother once bought a large stock of flax and said to her son:
"Giufa, you can surely spin a little so as to be doing something." Giufa
took a skein from time to time, and instead of spinning it put it in the
fire and burned it. Then his mother became angry and beat him. What did
Giufa do then? He took a bundle of twigs and wound it with flax like a
distaff; then he took a broom for a spindle and sat himself on the roof
and began to spin. While he was sitting there three fairies came by and
said: "Just see how nicely Giufa is sitting there and spinning. Shall we
not give him something?" The first fairy said: "I will enable him to
spin as much flax in a night as he touches." The second said: "I will
enable him to weave in a night as much yarn as he has spun." The third
said: "I will enable him to bleach all the linen he has woven in one
night." Giufa heard this and at night when his mother had gone to bed,
he got behind her stock of flax, and as often as he touched a skein it
was at once spun. When the flax was all gone he began to weave, and as
soon as he touched the loom the linen began to roll from it. Finally he
spread the linen out and had scarcely wet it a little when it was
bleached. The next morning Giufa showed his mother the fine pieces of
linen, and she sold them and earned much money. Giufa continued this for
several nights; finally he grew tired and wanted to go out to service
aga