swimming about on it, whence no one knew. If driven away, it would return in a short time, and begin again to swim in the pond. Many people had tried to kill it, but somehow it always escaped death. On St. John's Day, if the weather were dry, a little candle would be seen to burn in the hole; if it were wet, the same duck would be seen swimming about on the water.

The moujiks took council together, and agreed that there must be a hidden treasure in that hole, and began to dig for it. They dug and dug, and at last found a cauldron, but with nothing in it. They then consulted some wise-men, who thus advised them,―

"Dig in the hole on the night of St. John; dig, and say 'Chur!' Dig, and say 'Chur!' When the spade of any one of you strikes against a cauldron, cry out immediately, Amen! Amen! Amen!' Then dig again and you will dig the money out."

The moujiks followed these directions to the letter, and dug out an enormous cauldron full of ancient gold coins. They divided the money amongst them, and each of them received so much that they all became merchants of the highest guild, and made their village into a city.

JUST EARNINGS ARE NEVER LOST.

(FROM THE SERVIAN.)

THERE was once a poor man who had hired himself to a certain rich one without an agreement as to the wages he was to receive. He served his master for a year and a day, and when the term was ended, he went to him, and asked that he might be paid what his master thought he had earned. The master took out a penny, and said to him,

"There you have your wages."

The servant took the penny, thanked the master, and then went to a rivulet which had a very rapid flow. When he reached the bank, he said to himself:

"Good heavens! how does it come to pass that in a whole year I have only earned one penny? God knows whether I have earned no more than that. Therefore I will convince myself, and will throw this little coin into

the water; if it should swim, then have I earned it; but if it sink, then have I not earned it."

Thereupon he crossed himself and said,

"Merciful heaven! if I have earned this penny, let it float on the top of the water; but if not, then let it sink to the bottom."

So saying, he threw the penny-piece into the stream; and lo! it sank to the bottom at once.

Then he stooped, took the penny out of the water, and brought it back to his master.

"Master," he said, "I bring you your money again, as I have not earned it; and I will serve you for another year."

And he began to serve as before; and when the year and a day were completed, he came again to his master, and asked him to pay him what he thought he had earned. The master again took out a penny and said to him,―

There you have your wages."

The hind took the money, thanked his master, and went straight to the same rivulet, crossed himself, and threw the penny into the water, saying,

"Merciful heaven! if I have rightly earned it, let this money float on the top of the stream; if not, then let it sink to the bottom."

But when he threw the coin into the stream, it sank

to the bottom at once.

Then he bent down, drew it out, and taking it to his master said, as he gave it to him,

"Master, here you have your penny again; I have not earned it yet, and I will therefore serve you for another year."

So he began his service over again, and when the third year came to a close, he went once more to his master, and asked him to give him as much as he thought he had earned. This time, also, the master gave him only a penny; and he took it, thanked him, and went for the third time to the rivulet to see whether he had rightly earned the money or not. When he got there, he crossed himself, and threw the penny into the water with the words:

"Merciful heaven! if I have rightly earned this money, let it swim upon the top; if not, let it sink down to the ground."

This time, however, as the penny fell into the water, lo! it swam upon the surface. Full of joy he drew it out of the stream, and thrust it into his pocket: then he went deep into the wood, built himself a little hut, and lived happily therein.

After some time, hearing that his old master was about to sail in a ship across the sea to another country, he went to him with his penny, and begged of him to buy something with the money in the foreign land. The

master promised to do so, took the penny, and set out on his journey. And while on his travels he came once upon some children on the sea-shore, who carried a cat with them which they were about to kill, and then throw into the water. When the master saw this, he hastened down to them and demanded,

"What are you doing, children?"

And they answered him,

"This cat does nothing but harm, and we are going to kill it."

Then he drew out the penny of his old servant, and offered it to the children for the cat. The children were glad of the offer, took the penny, and gave the cat to the merchant. He, however, took the cat on board his ship and set sail.

As he pursued his voyage, there arose one day a violent storm, which carried the vessel heaven knows where, so that for a whole three months he could not find his right way. When the storm abated, the master of the ship, not knowing where he was, sailed on a little farther, and at last landed before a fortress.

As soon as it was known in the fortress that a ship from a foreign land had come to shore, a great many people streamed down to see it, and one of them, a man of importance and very rich, invited the master of the ship home to supper. When he came to the house,