al
days she felt so tired and unhappy that she could hardly get through her
work, and to make matters worse Denis scarcely ever came near her.

'He was too busy,' he said, 'and really it was only rich people who
could afford to waste time in talking.'

As the days went on Tephany grew paler and paler, till everybody noticed
it except her aunt. The water-pot was almost too heavy for her now, but
morning and evening she carried it to the spring, though the effort to
lift it to her shoulder was often too much for her.

'How could I have been so foolish,' she whispered to herself, when she
went down as usual at sunset. 'It was not freedom to see Denis that I
should have asked for, for he was soon weary of me, nor a quick tongue,
for he was afraid of it, nor beauty, for that brought me nothing but
trouble, but riches which make life easy both for oneself and others.
Ah! if I only dared to beg this gift from the fairy, I should be wiser
than before and know how to choose better.'

'Be satisfied,' said the voice of the old woman, who seemed to be
standing unseen at Tephany's elbow. 'If you look in your right-hand
pocket when you go home you will find a small box. Rub your eyes with
the ointment it contains, and you will see that you yourself contain a
priceless treasure.'

Tephany did not in the least understand what she meant, but ran back to
the farm as fast as she could, and began to fumble joyfully in her
right-hand pocket. Sure enough, there was the little box with the
precious ointment. She was in the act of rubbing her eyes with it when
Barbaik Bourhis entered the room. Ever since she had been obliged to
leave her work and pass her time, she did not know why, in counting
cabbages, everything had gone wrong, and she could not get a labourer to
stay with her because of her bad temper. When, therefore, she saw her
niece standing quietly before her mirror, Barbaik broke out:

'So this is what you do when I am out in the fields! Ah! it is no wonder
if the farm is ruined. Are you not ashamed, girl, to behave so?'

Tephany tried to stammer some excuse, but her aunt was half mad with
rage, and a box on the ears was her only answer. At this Tephany, hurt,
bewildered and excited, could control herself no longer, and turning
away burst into tears. But what was her surprise when she saw that each
tear-drop was a round and shining pearl. Barbaik, who also beheld this
marvel, uttered a cry of astonishment, and threw herself on