The king was much pleased, for he knew the princess would be delighted, so he had the carriage and the music box taken into her vault, and played on the music box a long time.  After he had gone, out stepped the poor boy from a secret compartment of the carriage, and knelt before her telling his love in gentle tones.  She listened to him, much frightened at first, but later more composedly, till at last she gave him her heart and promised him her hand.

When the king came in again he found them sitting holding each other’s hands.  He demanded in a loud voice, “Who are you?  Why are you here?  How did you come?” To this the boy modestly replied, saying that he had come concealed in the carriage, and told the king that “You may hide your treasure with every care, and watch it well, but it will be spent at last.”  But the princess entreated for him, and finally the king gave his consent to their marriage, and they lived happily ever after.

CHAPTER 22

Hidden Treasure.

There were once a husband and his wife who were very poor.  They had a little plot of ground that helped to sustain them, but as the man was sick the woman went to work alone.

As she was weeding in the fields she found a malapad, [20] and after a little she found another, and so on until she had a sec-apat. [21] With this she returned home and bought rice, but she was afraid to tell her husband lest he be jealous.

The next day she went to work and on this day she found a silver peso.  As she reached the edge of the field a voice spoke to her saying, “Tell no one of your good fortune, not even your husband, and you shall have more treasure.”  Afterwards she went to the field, and daily she found a peso until she had five pesos, which she hid in a safe place.

On the seventh day she went to the field, but found nothing.  She went to the edge of the field to boil her rice, and was blowing her fire when she heard the same voice again saying, “Never mind boiling your rice, but dig there under your pallok, [22] and you will find more than enough.  Tell no one, not even your husband, of what you find.”  She dug down and there she found a great jar filled to the brim with gold pieces.  She took one or two, and hastily covered up the rest and went home.  Like a good wife she disliked to keep a secret from her husband, and finally she took him off to a quiet place and told him of their good fortune.

He, overjoyed, could not restrain himself and went into the village and told every one of the treasure trove.  Then they went to dig it up, but it was no longer there.  Even the gold and the five pesos already saved and hid in another secret place were gone, and they were as poor as they had been before.

How foolish they were to disobey the command of the voice!

CHAPTER 23

The Battle of the Enchanters. [23]