and the people began to exchange everything for gold and to do all sorts of work for it.
The old Devil was delighted, and thought he to himself, 'Things are going right this time. Now I shall ruin the Fool as I did Tarás, and I shall buy him up body and soul.'
But as soon as the fools had provided themselves with gold pieces they gave them to the women for necklaces. The lasses plaited them into their tresses, and at last the children in the street began to play with the little pieces. Everybody had plenty of them, and they stopped taking them. But the fine gentleman's mansion was not yet half-built, and the grain and cattle for the year were not yet provided. So he gave notice that he wished people to come and work for him, and that he wanted cattle and grain; for each thing, and for each service, he was ready to give many more pieces of gold.
But nobody came to work and nothing was brought. Only sometimes a boy or a little girl would run up to exchange an egg for a gold coin, but nobody else came, and he had nothing to eat. And being hungry, the fine gentleman went through the village to try and buy something for dinner. He tried at one house, and offered a gold piece for a fowl, but the housewife wouldn't take it.
'I have a lot already,' said she.
He tried at a widow's house to buy a herring, and offered a gold piece.
'I don't want it, my good sir,' said she. 'I have no children to play with it, and I myself already have three coins as curiosities.'
He tried at a peasant's house to get bread, but neither would the peasant take money.
'I don't need it,' said he, 'but if you are begging "for Christ's sake[1]," wait a bit and I'll tell the housewife to cut you a piece of bread.'
At that the Devil spat, and ran away. To hear
- ↑ 'For Christ's sake' is the usual appeal of Russian beggars or poor pilgrims.
