for you. If you'll only bury my old woman, I'll
never forget your kindness."

The pope took the money, and didn't know how best to
receive the old man, where to seat him, with what words to
smooth him down. "Well now, old friend! Be of good cheer;
everything shall be done," said he.

The old man made his bow, and went home, and the pope
and his wife began talking about him.

"There now, the old hunks!" they say. "So poor, forsooth,
so poor! And yet he's paid a gold piece. Many a defunct
person of quality have I buried in my time, but I never got so
from anyone before."

The pope got under weigh with all his retinue, and buried
the old crone in proper style. After the funeral the old man
invited him to his house, to take part in the feast in memory of
the dead. Well, they entered the cottage, and sat down to table--and
there appeared from somewhere or other meat and drink
and all sorts of snacks, everything in profusion. The (reverend)
guest sat down, ate for three people, looked greedily at what
was not his. The (other) guests finished their meal, and separated
to go to their homes; then the pope also rose from the
table. The old man went to speed him on his way. As soon
as they got into the farmyard, and the pope saw they were alone
at last, he began questioning the old man: "Listen, friend!
confess to me, don't leave so much as a single sin on your soul--it's
just the same before me as before God! How have you
managed to get on at such a pace? You used to be a poor
moujik, and now--marry! where did it come from? Confess,
friend, whose breath have you stopped? whom have you
pillaged?"

"What are you talking about, batyushka? I will tell you the
exact truth. I have not robbed, nor plundered, nor killed anyone.
A treasure tumbled into my hands of its own accord."

And he told him how it all happened. When the pope
heard these words he actually shook all over with greediness.
Going home, he did nothing by night and by day but think,
"That such a wretched lout of a moujik should have come in
for such a lump of money! Is there any way of tricking him
now, and getting this pot of money out of him?" He told his
wife about it, and he and she discussed the matter together, and
held counsel over it.

"Listen, mother," says he; "we've a goat, haven't we?"

"Yes."

"All right, then; we'll wait until it's night, and then we'll do