TWILIGHT LAND

other one’s head had been chopped off for conspiring
against the king’s life. Besides that, he came and went
about the king’s castle as he pleased, and the king made
much of him. Everybody bowed to him, and all were
glad to stop and chat awhile with him when they met him
in the street.

One morning Babo looked out of the window, End who
should he see come travelling along the road but Simon
Agricola himself, and he was juan as poor and dusty and
travel-stained as ever.

‘(Come in, come in!” said Babo; and you can guess
how the wise man stared when he saw the simpleton
living in such a fine way. But he opened his eyes wider
than ever when he heard that all these good things came
from the piece of advice he had given Babo that day they
had parted at the cross-roads.

“Aye, aye!” said he, “the luck is with you for sure
and certain. But if you will pay me a thousand golden
angels, I will give you something better than a piece of
advice. I will teach you all the magic that is to be learned
from the books.”

‘‘No,” said Babo, ‘‘I am satisfied with the advice.”

“Very well,” said Simon Agricola, “‘‘Born a fool, live
a fool, die a fool ;’” and off he went in a huff.

That is all of this tale except the tip end of it, and that
I will give you now.

I have heard tell that one day the king dropped in the
street the piece of advice that he had bought from Babo,
and that before he found it again it had been trampled
into the mud and dirt. I cannot say for certain that this

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