A rich farmer was one day standing¹ in his yard inspecting his fields and gardens. The corn wasgrowing up vigorously and the fruit-trees were heavily laden² with fruit. The grain of the yearbefore still lay in such immense heaps on the floors that the rafters could hardly bear it. Then hewent into the stable, where were well-fed oxen, fat cows, and horses bright as looking-glass. Atlength he went back into his sitting-room³, and cast a glance at the iron chest in which his moneylay.

Whilst he was thus standing surveying his riches, all at once there was a loud knock close byhim. The knock was not at the door of his room, but at the door of his heart. It opened, and heheard a voice which said to him, "Hast thou done good to thy family with it? Hast thouconsidered the necessities of the poor? Hast thou shared thy bread with the hungry? Hast thoubeen contented⁴ with what thou hast, or didst thou always desire to have more?" The heart wasnot slow in answering, "I have been hard and pitiless, and have never shown any kindness to myown family. If a beggar came, I turned away my eyes from him. I have not troubled myselfabout God, but have thought only of increasing my wealth. If everything which the sky covershad been mine own, I should still not have had enough."When he was aware of this answer he was greatly alarmed, his knees began to tremble, and hewas forced to sit down.

Then there was another knock, but the knock was at the door of his room. It was his neighbour, apoor man who had a number of children whom he could no longer satisfy with food. "I know,"thought the poor man, "that my neighbour is rich, but he is as hard as he is rich. I don't believehe will help me, but my children are crying for bread, so I will venture it." He said to the richman, "You do not readily give away anything that is yours, but I stand here like one who feels thewater rising above his head. My children are starving, lend me four measures* of corn." Therich man looked at him long, and then the first sunbeam of mercy began to melt away a drop ofthe ice of greediness. "I will not lend thee four measures," he answered, "but I will make thee apresent of eight, but thou must fulfil one condition." "What am I to do?" said the poor man.

"When I am dead, thou shalt watch for three nights by my grave." The peasant was disturbed inhis mind at this request, but in the need in which he was, he would have consented to anything;he accepted, therefore, and carried the corn home with him.

It seemed as if the rich man had foreseen what was about to happen, for when three days weregone by, he suddenly dropped down dead. No one knew exactly how it came to pass, but no onegrieved for him. When he was buried, the poor man remembered his promise; he wouldwillingly have been released from it, but he thought, "After all, he acted kindly⁵ by me. I have fedmy hungry children with his corn, and even if that were not the case, where I have once given mypromise I must keep it." At nightfall he went into the churchyard, and seated himself on thegrave-mound. Everything was quiet, only the moon appeared above the grave, and frequently anowl flew past and uttered her melancholy⁶ cry. When the sun rose, the poor man betook himselfin safety to his home, and in the same manner the second night passed quietly by. On theevening of the third day he felt a strange uneasiness, it seemed to him that something was aboutto happen. When he went out he saw, by the churchyard-wall, a man whom he had never seenbefore. He was no longer young, had scars on his face, and his eyes looked sharply and eagerlyaround. He was entirely⁷ covered with an old cloak, and nothing was visible but his greatriding-boots. "What are you looking for here?" the peasant asked. "Are you not afraid of thelonely churchyard?""I am looking for nothing," he answered, "and I am afraid of nothing! I am like the youngsterwho went forth⁸ to learn how to shiver, and had his labour for his pains, but got the King'sdaughter to wife and great wealth with her, only I have remained poor. I am nothing but apaid-off soldier, and I mean to pass the night here, because I have no other shelter." "If you arewithout fear," said the peasant, "stay with me, and help me to watch that grave there.""To keep watch is a soldier's business," he replied, "whatever we fall in with here, whether it begood or bad, we will share it between us." The peasant agreed to this, and they seated themselveson the grave together.

All was quiet until midnight, when suddenly a shrill⁹ whistling was heard in the air, and the twowatchers perceived the Evil One standing bodily before them. "Be off, you ragamuffins!" criedhe to them, "the man who lies in that grave belongs to me; I want to take him, and if you don't goaway I will wring¹⁰ your necks!" "Sir with the red feather,"* said the soldier, "you are not mycaptain, I have no need to obey you, and I have not yet learned how to fear. Go away, we shallstay sitting here."The Devil thought to himself, "Money is the best thing with which to get hold of these twovagabonds." So he began to play a softer tune¹¹, and asked quite kindly, if they would not accept abag of money, and go home with it? "That is worth listening to," answered the soldier, "but onebag of gold won't serve us, if you will give as much as will go into one of my boots, we will quitthe field for you and go away.""I have not so much as that about me," said the Devil, "but I will fetch it. In the neighbouringtown lives a money-changer who is a good friend of mine, and will readily advance it to me."When the Devil had vanished the soldier took his left boot off, and said, "We will soon pull thecharcoal-burner's nose for him, just give me your knife, comrade." He cut the sole off the boot,and put it in the high grass near the grave on the edge of a hole that was half over-grown. "Thatwill do," said he; "now the chimney-sweep may come.

They both sat down and waited, and it was not long before the Devil returned with a small bag ofgold in his hand. "Just pour it in," said the soldier, raising up the boot a little, "but that won't beenough."The Black One shook out all that was in the bag; the gold fell through, and the boot remainedempty. "Stupid Devil," cried the soldier, "it won't do! Didn't I say so at once? Go back again,and bring more." The Devil shook his head, went, and in an hour's time came with a much largerbag under his arm. "Now pour it in," cried the soldier, "but I doubt the boot won't be full." Thegold clinked as it fell, but the boot remained empty. The Devil looked in himself with hisburning eyes, and convinced himself of the truth. "You have shamefully¹² big calves¹³ to your legs!"cried he, and made a wry¹⁴ face. "Did you think," replied the soldier, "that I had a cloven foot likeyou? Since when have you been so stingy? See that you get more gold together, or our bargainwill come to nothing!" The Wicked One went off again. This time he stayed away longer, andwhen at length he appeared he was panting under the weight of a sack which lay on his shoulders.

He emptied it into the boot, which was just as far from being filled as before. He becamefurious, and was just going to tear the boot out of the soldier's hands, but at that moment the firstray of the rising sun broke forth from the sky, and the Evil Spirit fled away with loud shrieks¹⁵.

The poor soul was saved.

The peasant wished to divide the gold, but the soldier said, "Give what falls to my lot to the poor,I will come with thee to thy cottage, and together we will live in rest and peace on what remains,as long as God is pleased to permit."

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