In a certain kingdom once there lived a Tsar who had a young
son—Tsarévich Evstáfi—who did not love visiting or dances, nor
promenades, but only liked going in the streets and walking among the
poor, the simple folk, and the beggars, and bestowing alms on them. And
the Tsar was very angry with him for this, and commanded him to be taken
up to the gallows and to be delivered to a cruel death.
So the attendants took the Tsarévich, and were on the point of hanging
him, when the Tsarévich fell on his knees before his father and began to
ask for three hours’ interval. And the Tsar agreed, and gave him the
three hours’ respite.
And the Tsarévich went to the silversmith’s and ordered him to make
three chests—one of gold, one of silver, and for the third he was simply
to divide a stump into two, to mortise out a trough, and to attach a
lock. So the smith made the three cases, and took them up to the
gallows.
The Tsar with all his _boyárs_ looked on to see what was going to
happen. And the Tsarévich opened the cases and showed them. On the gold
one, very much gold had been poured, on the silver, very much silver had
been poured, and the wooden one was buried in dirt. He showed them, and
once more opened the cases, and then banged them tight.
And the Tsar was even more angry, and he asked Prince Evstáfi: “What is
this new insolence of yours?”
“My king and my father,” said the Tsarévich Evstáfi, “you are here with
the _boyárs_ to value these cases, what they are worth.”
Then the _boyárs_ valued the silver case at a high price, and the golden
one at a higher price still, and did not deign to look at the wooden
one.
And Evstáfi Tsarévich said: “Now open the cases and see what is in
them.”
And they opened the golden case and there were snakes and frogs and all
sorts of dirt in it; and looked into the silver one, and they saw the
same; and looked into the wooden one, and there trees with leaves and
fruit were growing, which emitted sweet odours, and in the middle there
was a church and an orchard.
And the Tsar was humbled; and did not bid Evstáfi be punished.