; I think not,' answered the youth. And drawing
the flask from his pocket, he poured two or three drops on the wound.

'Repeat this for three nights, and you will find yourself cured,' said
he. And before the king had time to thank him he had bowed himself out.

Of course the news soon spread through the city, and men and women never
tired of calling Gilguerillo an impostor, and prophesying that the end
of the three days would see him in prison, if not on the scaffold. But
Gilguerillo paid no heed to their hard words, and no more did the king,
who took care that no hand but his own should put on the healing balsam.

On the fourth morning the king awoke and instantly stretched out his
wounded foot that he might prove the truth or falsehood of Gilguerillo's
remedy. The wound was certainly cured on that side, but how about the
other? Yes, that was cured also; and not even a scar was left to show
where it had been!

Was ever any king so happy as Balancin when he satisfied himself of
this?

Lightly as a deer he jumped from his bed, and began to turn head over
heels and to perform all sorts of antics, so as to make sure that his
foot was in truth as well as it looked. And when he was quite tired he
sent for his daughter, and bade the courtiers bring the lucky young man
to his room.

'He is really young and handsome,' said the princess to herself, heaving
a sigh of relief that it was not some dreadful old man who had healed
her father; and while the king was announcing to his courtiers the
wonderful cure that had been made, Diamantina was thinking that if
Gilguerillo looked so well in his common dress, how much improved by the
splendid garments of a king' son. However, she held her peace, and only
watched with amusement when the courtiers, knowing there was no help for
it, did homage and obeisance to the chemist's boy.

Then they brought to Gilguerillo a magnificent tunic of green velvet
bordered with gold, and a cap with three white plumes stuck in it; and
at the sight of him so arrayed, the princess fell in love with him in
a moment. The wedding was fixed to take place in eight days, and at the
ball afterwards nobody danced so long or so lightly as king Balancin.

The Magic Book

[From Capullos de Rosa, por D. Enrique Ceballos Quintana.]

[From AEventyr fra Zylland samlede og optegnede af Tang Kristensen.
Translated from the Danish by Mrs. Skavgaard-Pedersen.]

There was once an old couple named Peder and