Page:RussianFolkTales Afanasev 368pgs.djvu/319

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SORROW
303

"No; I cannot see anything."

"Get down into the pit, and you will see it."

So Sorrow went into the pit, and as soon as he was in the peasant cast the stone in. "Things will now go better," said the peasant, "for if I were to take you back with me, Sorrow, you would drink up all of this money!"

So the peasant went home, and he poured out the gold in the cellar. He took the oxen back to his neighbour, and he began to set up house again, bought a wood, built a big house, and became twice as rich as his brother. Soon he rode to the town, in order to invite his brother and his sister-in-law to his own name-day.

"Whatever do you mean?" said the rich brother, "why, you have nothing to eat, and you are giving festivals!"

"I had nothing to eat before, but I am now as well off as you are."

"All right; I will come."

So next day the rich man, with his wife, went to the name-day; and they saw that the poor starveling had a big new house, much finer than many merchants' houses. And the peasant gave them a rich dinner, with all kinds of meat and drink.

So the rich man asked his brother: "Tell me, how did you become so rich?"

Then the peasant told him the bare truth—how Sorrow had followed on his heels and how he and his sorrow had gone into the inn, and he had drunk away all his goods and chattels to the last shred, until he had only his soul left in his body; and then how Sorrow had showed him the treasure-trove in the field, and he had thus freed himself from the thraldom of Sorrow.

And the rich man became envious and thought: "I will go into the field and will lift the stone up.