hould prove,' he mused, 'that the people of this parish are
unable to endure wealth, since already four have died who had been
strong practical men, ought I not to give up the idea of working the
mine?' He pictured his whole parish going to destruction because of the
silver. Would it be right that he, who was placed as a guardian over
the souls of these poor people, should put into their hands something
which might be the cause of their ruin?"

The King raised himself upright in his chair and stared at the speaker.
"I might say that you give me to understand that the pastor of this
isolated community must be a real man."

"But this that I have related was not all," continued the minister,
"for as soon as the news of the mine spread over the neighboring
parishes, workers ceased to labor and went about light-heartedly,
awaiting the time when the great riches should pour in on them. All
idlers in that section roamed into the hamlet. Drunkenness, quarreling,
and fighting became constant problems for the minister's solution. Many
people did nothing but wander around through fields and forest looking
for the mine. The minister noted, also, that as soon as he left home,
men spied upon him to see whether he visited the silver mine, so that
they might steal the secret of its location from him.

"When things had come to this pass, the minister called the farmers to
a meeting. He reminded them of the many tragedies that the discovery of
the silver mine had brought to their community and asked if they were
going to allow themselves to be ruined or if they wished to save
themselves. And then he asked if they wanted him, who was their pastor,
to contribute to their ruin. He himself had decided that he would not
reveal to anyone the location of the mine, nor would he ever attempt to
derive any wealth therefrom.

"He then asked the farmers how they would vote for the future. If they
desired to continue seeking after the mine and awaiting riches, he
intended to go so far from them that no news of their misery would ever
reach him. If, on the other hand, they would give up thinking of the
silver mine, he would remain among them. 'But however you choose,'
repeated the minister, 'remember that no one will ever hear from me any
information about the location of the silver mine.'"

"Well," said the King, "what did the farmers decide?"

"They did as the minister desired of them. They understood that he
meant well for them when he was wi