till it would have been supposed that real pearls fell from his lips.

He told the emperor what he had seen in foreign lands, related how
things were here and there, spoke of this and that, till the emperor
stood before him with his mouth wide open. When he saw that the
emperor marveled at his statements, he bragged more and more, saying
that he had palaces, herds, and other riches.

The sovereign believed the boaster's stories, and said to him:

"I see that you have traveled, know a great deal, and are cunning and
experienced; if you wish, I will gladly give you my daughter in
marriage."

The braggart now regretted having told so many lies, for he did not
know how to escape the monarch's proposal. After reflecting a short
time, he plucked up courage and said "I will gladly accept the
position of son-in-law you offer, and will try to show you that I am
worthy of it."

The necessary preparations were made, and after some time an imperial
wedding was celebrated in the palace. Then the man remained there.

One, two, several weeks elapsed, and no trace of peas and wealth
appeared. Finally the emperor began to repent what he had done, but
there was no help for it and the emperor's son-in-law perceived, from
the manner of the courtiers and nobles, that they had very little
respect for him.

His cheeks burned with shame. He made useless plans, tortured himself
to find some means of getting out of the scrape, and could not even
sleep at night. One morning without any one's knowledge he left the
palace at dawn, walked on till he came to a meadow, and wandered along
absorbed in thought, without knowing where he was going. Suddenly a
rosy-cheeked man stood before him, and asked: "Where are you going,
gossip, you look as sad and thoughtful as if all your ships had sunk
in the sea."

The emperor's son-in-law related his dilemma and what he was seeking,
and the man replied:

"If I deliver you from your difficulty, what will you give me?"

"Whatever you ask," he answered.

"There are nine of us brothers," said the man, "and each knows a
riddle. If you guess them our whole property shall be yours, but if
not, your first child must be ours."

The emperor's son-in-law, utterly crushed with shame, agreed, hard as
it was for him, hoping that before the child was born he might find
somebody who could tell him what to do.

So they set out together, that the stranger might show him the herds
of cattle he owned and his palac