TWILIGHT LAND

the travelling companion bade the servant be stirring,
and up they got, and out of the chest they came, and
found all the robbers sound asleep and snoring so that
the dust flew.

‘Stop a bit,” said the angel—the travelling companion
—‘‘we must pay them for our lodging.”

As he spoke he drew from his pocket the ruby ring
which he had stolen from the sorrowful young man’s
finger, and dropped it into the cup from which the robber
captain drank. Then he led the way out of the house,
and, if the serving-man had wondered the day before at
that which his comrade did, he wondered ten times more
to see him give so beautiful a ring to such wicked and
bloody thieves.

The third evening of their journey the two travellers
came to a little hut, neat enough, but as poor as poverty,
and there the comrade knocked upon the door and asked
for lodging. In the house lived a poor man and his wife ;
and, though the two were as honest as the palm of your
hand, and as good and kind as rain in springtime, they
could hardly scrape enough of a living to keep body and
soul together. Nevertheless, they made the travellers
welcome, and set before them the very best that was to
be had in the house; and, after both had eaten and
drunk, they showed them to bed in a corner as clean as
snow, and there they slept the night through.

But the next morning, before the dawning of the day,
the travelling companion was stirring again. “Come,”
said he; “rouse yourself, for I have a bit of work to do
before I leave this place.”

And strange work it was! When they had come out-
side of the house, he gathered together a great heap of

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