TWILIGHT LAND

in the next house to the other, and so far as the world
could see there was not a pin to choose between them—
only that one was called a wise man and the other a
simpleton.

One day the weather was cold, and when Babo came
home from gathering rushes he found no fire in the house.
So off he went to his neighbour the wise man. ‘“ Will
you give me a live coal to start my fire?” said he.

“Yes, I will do that,” said Simon Agricola; “but how
will you carry the coal home ?.”

“Oh!” said Babo, “I will just take it in my hand.”

“In your hand?”

_ “Tn my hand.”

“Can you carry a live coal in your hand ?”

“Oh yes!” said Babo; “I can do that easily enough.”

“Well, I should like to see you do it,” said Simon
Agricola.

“Then I will show you,”.said Babo. He spread a bed
of cold, dead ashes upon his palm. ‘“ Now,” said he, “I
will take the ember upon that.”

Agricola rolled up his eyes like a duck in a thunder-
storm. ‘ Well,” said he, ‘I have lived more than seventy
years, and have read all the books in the world; I have
practised magic and necromancy, and know all about
algebra and geometry, and yet, wise as I am, I never
thought of this little thing.”

That is the way with your wise man.

“Pooh!” said Babo; “that is nothing. I know how
to do many more tricks than that.”

“Do you?” said Simon Agricola; “then listen: to-
morrow 1 am going out into the world to make my
fortune, for little or nothing is to be had in this town.

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