he Herd-boy looked after had a very lovely
daughter, who always smiled and nodded to the youth when she walked
with her father in his fields. For a long time the Herd-boy had made
up his mind to prepare a surprise for this beautiful creature on her
birthday. So when the day approached he put on his invisible belt,
took a sack of gold pieces with him, and slipping into her room in the
middle of the night, he placed the bag of gold beside her bed and
returned to his sheep. The girl's joy was great, and so was her
parents' next day when they found the sack full of gold pieces. The
Herd-boy was so pleased to think what pleasure he had given that the
next night he placed another bag of gold beside the girl's bed. And
this he continued to do for seven nights, and the girl and her parents
made up their minds that it must be a good Fairy who brought the gold
every night. But one night they determined to watch, and see from
their hiding-place who the bringer of the sack of gold really was.

On the eighth night a fearful storm of wind and rain came on while the
Herd-boy was on his way to bring the beautiful girl another bag of
gold. Then for the first time he noticed, just as he reached his
master's house, that he had forgotten the belt which made him
invisible. He didn't like the idea of going back to his hut in the
wind and wet, so he just stepped as he was into the girl's room, laid
the sack of gold beside her, and was turning to leave the room, when
his master confronted him and said, 'You young rogue, so you were
going to steal the gold that a good Fairy brings every night, were
you?' The Herd-boy was so taken aback by his words, that he stood
trembling before him, and did not dare to explain his presence. Then
his master spoke. 'As you have hitherto always behaved well in my
service I will not send you to prison; but leave your place instantly
and never let me see your face again.' So the Herd-boy went back to
his hut, and taking his loaf and belt with him, he went to the nearest
town. There he bought himself some fine clothes, and a beautiful coach
with four horses, hired two servants, and drove back to his master.
You may imagine how astonished he was to see his Herd-boy returning to
him in this manner! Then the youth told him of the piece of good luck
that had befallen him, and asked him for the hand of his beautiful
daughter. This was readily granted, and the two lived in peace and
happiness to the end of their lives.