ure, quite sure, that if once the old man had seen
his wife, he would have forgiven her poverty on account of her great
beauty and goodness. But he had put it off from day to day, hoping
always for a better opportunity, and now this was the end!

If the son had no sleep that night, no more had the father, and as soon
as the sun rose, he sent a messenger into the great city with orders to
bring back the younger brother. When he arrived the farmer did not waste
words, but informed him that he was now his only heir, and would inherit
all his lands and money, and that he was to come and live at home, and
to help manage the property.

Though very pleased at the thought of becoming such a rich man--for the
brothers had never cared much for each other--the younger would rather
have stayed where he was, for he soon got tired of the country, and
longed for a town life. However, this he kept to himself, and made the
best of things, working hard like his brother before him.

In this way the years went on, but the crops were not so good as they
had been, and the old man gave orders that some fine houses he was
building in the city should be left unfinished, for it would take all
the savings to complete them. As to the elder son, he would never even
hear his name mentioned, and died at last without ever seeing his face,
leaving to the younger, as he had promised, all his lands, as well as
his money.

Meanwhile, the son whom he had disinherited had grown poorer and poorer.
He and his wife were always looking out for something to do, and never
spent a penny that they could help, but luck was against them, and at
the time of his father's death they had hardly bread to eat or clothes
to cover them. If there had been only himself, he would have managed
to get on somehow, but he could not bear to watch his children becoming
weaker day by day, and swallowing his pride, at length he crossed the
mountains to his old home where his brother was living.

It was the first time for long that the two men had come face to face,
and they looked at each other in silence. Then tears rose in the eyes of
the elder, but winking them hastily away, he said:

'Brother, it is not needful that I should tell you how poor I am; you
can see that for yourself. I have not come to beg for money, but only
to ask if you will give me those unfinished houses of yours in the city,
and I will make them watertight, so that my wife and children can live
in them, and