it will take up
too much time. You would do better to take some bars from the heap, for
I will give you them as a remembrance."

Of course Hans needed no second invitation. He grasped one of the bars
of gold with both hands, but could not even move it, much less lift it
from its place. The master laughed, and said, "Poor delicate flea! you
cannot carry off even the least of my treasures, so you must feast your
eyes on them instead." He then led Hans into another room, and through a
third, fourth, fifth, and sixth of these treasure-caverns, till they
reached the seventh, which was as big as a large church, and, like the
others, was crammed with heaps of gold and silver from floor to
ceiling. Hans marvelled at these immeasurable riches, which could easily
have bought up all the kingdoms in the world, but which were now lying
useless underground. So he asked the master, "Why do you store up these
vast treasures here, where no human being can derive any benefit from
the gold and silver? If these treasures came into the hands of men, they
would all be rich, and nobody would have to work or suffer distress."

"It is for this very reason," answered the master, "that I cannot hand
over these treasures to mankind. The whole world would perish from
sloth, if no one needed longer to work for his daily bread. Man is
created to sustain himself by toil and thrift."

But Hans did not like this view of the matter, and disputed
energetically with the master. At last he asked him to explain how it
was that all this gold and silver was the property of one man and was
left to rust, and why the master of the treasure incessantly laboured to
increase it when he had already such an amazing superfluity of riches.
The master answered, "I am not a man, although I have the form and
appearance of one. I belong to a nobler race, which was formed by the
decree of the Creator to rule the world.[45] By his decree, I must work
constantly with my little companions to prepare gold and silver under
the earth, and every year a small portion is assigned to the use of men,
but not more than just sufficient for their necessities. No one is
allowed to receive the gift without trouble. So we are obliged to pound
up the gold first, and mix the grains with earth, clay, and sand, and
they are afterwards found by chance in this mass, and must be diligently
sought for. But, my friend, we must break off our conversation, for it
is almost noon. If you would like to