t all. "Here," said
he, "is the purse of fortune; take from it all that thou needest and
yet it will always be full. As long as thou hast it thou shalt never be
lacking riches."

"I am very much obliged to you," said Jacob Stuck. "I've learned
geometry and algebra and astronomy and the hidden arts, but I never
heard tell of anything like this before."

So Jacob Stuck went into the town with all the money he could spend, and
such a one is welcome anywhere. He lacked nothing that money could buy.
He bought himself a fine house; he made all the friends he wanted,
and more; he lived without a care, and with nothing to do but to enjoy
himself. That was what a bit of good luck did for him.

Now the princess, the daughter of the king of that town, was the most
beautiful in all the world, but so proud and haughty that her like was
not to be found within the bounds of all the seven rivers. So proud
was she and so haughty that she would neither look upon a young man
nor allow any young man to look upon her. She was so particular that
whenever she went out to take a ride a herald was sent through the
town with a trumpet ordering that every house should be closed and that
everybody should stay within doors, so that the princess should run no
risk of seeing a young man, or that no young man by chance should see
her.

One day the herald went through the town blowing his trumpet and calling
in a great, loud voice: "Close your doors! Close your windows! Her
highness, the princess, comes to ride; let no man look upon her on pain
of death!"

Thereupon everybody began closing their doors and windows, and, as it
was with the others, so it was with Jacob Stuck's house; it had, like
all the rest, to be shut up as tight as a jug.

But Jacob Stuck was not satisfied with that; not he. He was for seeing
the princess, and he was bound he would do so. So he bored a hole
through the door, and when the princess came riding by he peeped out at
her.

Jacob Stuck thought he had never seen anyone so beautiful in all his
life. It was like the sunlight shining in his eyes, and he almost
sneezed. Her cheeks were like milk and rose-leaves, and her hair like
fine threads of gold. She sat in a golden coach with a golden crown
upon her head, and Jacob Stuck stood looking and looking until his heart
melted within him like wax in the oven. Then the princess was gone, and
Jacob Stuck stood there sighing and sighing.

"Oh, dear! Dear!" said he, "what sh