-law came running out to meet him, and bade him welcome in
God's name. "Things don't seem to get on at all without thee, dad!"
cried she, "and the house is quite dreary. Come in and rest, dad," she
went on; "thou hast gone a long way and must be weary." Then all the
brothers came together, and the old man told them what God had done
for him. All their faces brightened as they looked at the casket, and
they thought to themselves, "If we keep him we shall have the money."
Then the four brothers could not make too much of their dear old
father. They took care of him and the old man was happy, but he took
heed to the counsel of the nobleman, and never let the casket out of
his hand. "After my death you shall have everything, but I won't give
it you now, for who knows what may happen? I have seen already how you
treated your old father when he had nothing. It shall all be yours, I
say, only wait; and when I die, take it and divide it as I have said."
So the brothers tended their father, and the old man lived in clover,
and was somebody. He had his own way and did nothing.

[25] _I.e._ a forest where treasure is hidden.

So the old man was no longer ill-treated by his children, but lived
among them like an emperor in his own empire, but no sooner did he die
than his children made what haste they could to lay hands upon the
casket. All the people were called together and bore witness that they
had treated their father well since he came back to them, so it was
adjudged that they should divide the treasure amongst them. But first
they took the old man's body to church and the casket along with it.
They buried him as God commands. They made a rich banquet of funeral
meats that all might know how much they mourned the old man; it was a
splendid funeral. When the priest got up from the table, the people
all began to thank their hosts, and the eldest son begged the priest
to say the _sorokoust_[26] in the church for the repose of the dead
man's soul. "Such a dear old fellow as he was!" said he; "was there
ever any one like him? Take this money for the _sorokoust_, reverend
father!" so horribly grieved was that eldest son. So the eldest son
gave the priest money, and the second son gave him the like. Nay,
each one gave him money for an extra half _sorokoust_, all four gave
him requiem money. "We'll have prayers in church for our father though
we sell our last sheep to pay for them," cried they. Then, when all
was over, they haste