e couldn't help feeling for it.

All the other merchants stood still and tried to see how the sale would
come off, and when they observed that the boy began to search in his
pockets, they flung themselves over the counters, filled their hands
full of gold and silver ornaments, and offered them to him. And they all
showed him that what they asked in payment was just one little penny.

But the boy turned both vest and breeches pockets inside out, so they
should see that he owned nothing. Then tears filled the eyes of all
these regal merchants, who were so much richer than he. At last he was
moved because they looked so distressed, and he pondered if he could not
in some way help them. And then he happened to think of the rusty coin,
which he had but lately seen on the strand.

He started to run down the street, and luck was with him so that he came
to the self-same gate which he had happened upon first. He dashed
through it, and commenced to search for the little green copper penny
which lay on the strand a while ago.

He found it too, very promptly; but when he had picked it up, and wanted
to run back to the city with it--he saw only the sea before him. No city
wall, no gate, no sentinels, no streets, no houses could now be
seen--only the sea.

The boy couldn't help that the tears came to his eyes. He had believed
in the beginning, that that which he saw was nothing but an
hallucination, but this he had already forgotten. He only thought about
how pretty everything was. He felt a genuine, deep sorrow because the
city had vanished.

That moment Herr Ermenrich awoke, and came up to him. But he didn't hear
him, and the stork had to poke the boy with his bill to attract
attention to himself. "I believe that you stand here and sleep just as I
do," said Herr Ermenrich.

"Oh, Herr Ermenrich!" said the boy. "What was that city which stood
here just now?"

"Have you seen a city?" said the stork. "You have slept and dreamt, as I
say."

"No! I have not dreamt," said Thumbietot, and he told the stork all that
he had experienced.

Then Herr Ermenrich said: "For my part, Thumbietot, I believe that you
fell asleep here on the strand and dreamed all this.

"But I will not conceal from you that Bataki, the raven, who is the most
learned of all birds, once told me that in former times there was a city
on this shore, called Vineta. It was so rich and so fortunate, that no
city has ever been more glorious; but its inhabitants,