THE MAN WITHOUT A HEART
"What do I wish for?" repeated the student. "Perfect happiness. Fortune herself is my desire."
"Explain what you mean by Fortune," pursued the spirit.
"Fortune," began the other, "is a power of nature, and—"
"Be quick!" cried the ghost. "Do you wish for money?"
"No, no," answered the wise man; "the greatest happiness is to have no heart. I wish that you would take mine from me."
"Shall I take your heart?" asked the spirit again.
"Yes, take it, and hide it so well that it will never be found."
"Far, far away," said the spirit, "in the middle of a wild forest, there is a sea with an island on which an old castle is standing. I shall bury your heart fifty feet under the deepest cellar in this castle. Are you contented?"
"Yes, and I shall rejoice to be rid of it."
Now the steam vanished, and the pot boiled quietly as before. The wise man felt a cold touch at the left side of his chest, and knew that he had lost his heart. Since that day he lived much more peacefully, and was able to see the greatest want and distress without feeling the least trouble. He thought himself happier than all other beings, and was able to pursue his studies undisturbed.
In the same country there lived a king who had two sons. These were ready to marry, and the
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