There was a poor old father, who was very poor indeed, and very
old. When he came to die, he called his three sons round his bed,
and said they must summon a notary to make his will. The sons looked
at each other, and thought he was doating. He repeated his desire,
and then one of them ventured to say:
'But father, dear, why should we go to the expense of calling in a
notary; there is not a single thing on earth you have to leave us!'
But the old man told them again to call a notary, and still they
hesitated, because they thought the notary would say they were making
game of him.
At last the old man began to get angry when he found they would not
do as he said, and, just not to vex him in his last moments, they
called the notary, and the notary brought his witnesses.
Then the father was content, and called them all to his bedside.
'Now, pull out the old case under the bed, and take out what you
find there.'
They found an old broken hat, without a brim, a ragged purse that
was so worn you could not have trusted any money in its keeping,
and a horn. [103]
These three things he bequeathed in due form of law, one to each of
his sons; and it was only because they saw that the man was in his
death agony that those who were called to act as witnesses could keep
from laughing. To the notary, of course, it was all one whether it was
an old hat or a new one, his part was the same, and when he had done
what was needful, he went his way, and the witnesses went with him;
but as they went out, they said one to another:
'Poor old man! perhaps it is a comfort to him in his last moments to
fancy he has got something to leave.'
When they were all gone, as the three sons were standing by, very sad,
and looking at each other, not knowing what to make of the strange
scene, he called the eldest, to whose portion the hat had fallen,
and said:
'See what I've given you.'
'Why, father!' answered he, 'it isn't even good enough to bind round
one's knee when one goes out hoeing!'
But the father answered:
'I wouldn't let you know its value till those people were gone, lest
any should take it from you; this is its value, that if you put it
on, you can go in to dine at whatever inn you please, or sit down to
drink at what wineshop you please, and take what you like and drink
what you like, for no one will see you while you have it on.'
Then he called his second son, to whose lot the purse had fallen,
and he said:
'See what I have given you.'
'Why, father!' answered the son, 'it isn't even good enough to keep
a little tobacco in, if I could afford to buy any!'
But the father answered:
'I wouldn't tell you its value till those people were gone, lest any
should take it from you; but this is its value; if you put your fingers
in, you'll find a scudo there, and after that another, and another,
as many as ever you will; there will always be one.'
Then he called his youngest son, and said:
'See what I have given you.'
And he answered:
'Yes, father, it's a very nice horn; and when I am starving hungry
I can cheat myself into being content by playing on it.'
'Silly boy!' answered the father; 'that is not its use. I wouldn't
tell you its value while those people were here, lest they should
take it from you. Its value is this, that whenever you want anything
you have only to sound it, and one will come who will bring whatever
you want, be it a dinner, a suit of clothes, a palace, or an army.'
After this the father died, and each found himself well provided with
the legacy he had given him.
It happened that one day as the second son [104] was passing under
the window of the palace a waiting-maid looked out and said: 'Can
you play at cards?'
'As well as most,' answered the youth.
'Very well, then; come up,' answered the waiting-maid; 'for the queen
wants some one to play with her.'
Very readily he went up, therefore, and played at cards with the queen,
and when he had played all the evening he had lost fifty scudi.
'Never mind about paying the fifty scudi,' said the queen, as he rose
to leave. 'We only played to pass away the time, and you don't look
by your dress as if you could afford fifty scudi.'
'Not at all!' replied the youth. 'I will certainly bring the fifty
scudi in the morning.'
And in the morning, by putting his fingers fifty times into the ragged
purse, he had the required sum, and went back with it to the palace
and paid the queen.
The queen was very much astonished that such a shabby-looking fellow
should have such command of money, and determined to find out how it
was; so she made him stay and dine. After dinner she took him into
her private room and said to him:
'Tell me, how comes it that you, who are but a shabby-looking fellow,
have such command of money?'
'Oh!' answered he quite unsuspectingly, 'because my father left me
a wonderful purse, in which is always a scudo.'
'Nonsense!' answered the queen. 'That is a very pretty fable, but
such purses don't exist.'
'Oh, but it is so indeed,' answered the youth.
'Quite impossible,' persisted the queen.
'But here it is; you can see for yourself!' pursued the incautious
youth, taking it out.
The queen took it from him as if to try its powers, but no sooner
was she in possession of it than she called in the guard to turn out
a fellow who was trying to rob her, and give him a good beating.
Indignant at such treatment, the youth went to his eldest brother
and begged his hat of him that he might, by its means, go and punish
the queen.
Putting on the hat he went back to the palace at the hour of dinner
and sat down to table. As soon as the queen was served he took her
plate and ate up all that was in it one course after another, so that
the queen got nothing, and finding it useless to call for more dishes,
she gave it up as a bad job, and went into her room. The youth followed
her in and demanded the return of his wonderful purse.
'How can I know it is you if I don't see you?' said the queen.
'Never mind about seeing me. Put the purse out on the table for me
and I will take it.'
'No, I can't if I don't see you,' replied the queen. 'I can't believe
it is you unless I see you.'
The youth fell into the snare and took off his hat.
'How did you manage to make yourself invisible?' asked the queen.
'Just by putting on this old hat.'
'I don't believe that could make you invisible,' exclaimed the
queen. 'Let me try.'
And she snatched the hat out of his hand and put it on. Of course she
was now in turn invisible, and he sought her in vain; but worse than
that, she rang the bell for the guard and bid them turn the shabby
youth out and give him a bastonata.
Full of fresh indignation he ran to his youngest brother and told
him all his story, begging the loan of his horn, that he might punish
the queen by its means; and the brother lent it him.