pent the time nursing the child and weaving happy dreams
that now, she was sure, would come to pass.

After a short hour the door opened and Lukas and a red-cheeked maid
entered. The maid carried a great pail of foaming milk. Lukas followed
her with a basket of eggs in one hand and on top of the eggs two big
round brown cakes, and in the other hand a load of feather beds tied
in a knot.

"God be with you!" said the maid, placing the milk pail on the bench.
"My mistress, the burgomaster's wife, greets you and sends you some
milk for pudding. If there is anything else you need you are to let
her know." The maid curtsied and went away before the poor woman could
express her thanks.

Lukas laughed and said: "You see, wife, what just one ducat did! If
they knew how many more we had they would carry us about in their
arms! The burgomaster's wife has sent us all these things. She is
lending us feather beds until tomorrow and she is going to send us an
old woman to help us out. I told her our child had received a handful
of ducats as a christening gift. If she comes here to see you, make up
your mind what you're going to say."

Then Lukas built a fire. Presently the old woman came and soon good
hot soup was ready. It was just plain milk soup, but I can tell you it
tasted better to hungry Lukas and his wife than the rich food which
the king himself ate that day from a golden platter.

The next day after breakfast Lukas set out for town. The
burgomaster's wife took advantage of his absence to visit his wife and
find out what she could about the money.

"My dear neighbor," she said, after she had made the necessary
inquiries about health, "the blessing of God came into your house with
that child."

"Oh," said the other, "if you mean the christening gift, it isn't so
very much. A handful of ducats soon roll away. However, may God repay
that good woman, the godmother. At least we can now buy back our old
farm and live like respectable people."

On the way home the burgomaster's wife stopped at the houses of her
various friends and gave them a full account of Lukas' wealth. Before
noon every small boy in the village knew that at Lukas' house they had
a hogshead of ducats.

In the evening Lukas came back from town driving a cart that was piled
high with furniture and clothing and feather beds and food. The next
day he bought back his old farm with the cattle and the implements.

This marked the beginning of a new life for