dancer before! He dances admirably!"

When the old man had finished his dance, the big demon said:

"Thank you very much for your amusing dance. Now give us the pleasure
of drinking a cup of wine with us," and with these words he handed him
his largest wine-cup.

The old man thanked him very humbly:

"I did not expect such kindness from your lordship. I fear I have only
disturbed your pleasant party by my unskillful dancing."

"No, no," answered the big demon. "You must come often and dance for
us. Your skill has given us much pleasure."

The old man thanked him again and promised to do so.

"Then will you come again to-morrow, old man?" asked the demon.

"Certainly, I will," answered the old man.

"Then you must leave some pledge of your word with us," said the demon.

"Whatever you like," said the old man.

"Now what is the best thing he can leave with us as a pledge?" asked
the demon, looking round.

Then said one of the demon's attendants kneeling behind the chief:

"The token he leaves with us must be the most important thing to him in
his possession. I see the old man has a wen on his right cheek. Now
mortal men consider such a wen very fortunate. Let my lord take the
lump from the old man's right cheek, and he will surely come to-morrow,
if only to get that back."

"You are very clever," said the demon chief, giving his horns an
approving nod. Then he stretched out a hairy arm and claw-like hand,
and took the great lump from the old man's right cheek. Strange to say,
it came off as easily as a ripe plum from the tree at the demon's
touch, and then the merry troop of demons suddenly vanished.

The old man was lost in bewilderment by all that had happened. He
hardly knew for some time where he was. When he came to understand what
had happened to him, he was delighted to find that the lump on his
face, which had for so many years disfigured him, had really been taken
away without any pain to himself. He put up his hand to feel if any
scar remained, but found that his right cheek was as smooth as his left.

The sun had long set, and the young moon had risen like a silver
crescent in the sky. The old man suddenly realized how late it was and
began to hurry home. He patted his right cheek all the time, as if to
make sure of his good fortune in having lost the wen. He was so happy
that he found it impossible to walk quietly--he ran and danced the
whole way home.

He found his wife very anxious, wond