“There is feeling in my heart. Give me another. You have been deceiving me.”
“Come to my closet, and we will see.”
The gnome took out the stone heart, and replaced it for a moment by the old heart from the jar. It began to beat. Peter felt joy again. How happy he was! A heart, even with poverty, seemed the greatest of blessings. He would not exchange his heart again for the world.
“Let me have it now,” said the gnome.
But Peter held out the cross. The gnome shrank away, faded, and disappeared.
Peter put his hand on his breast. His heart was beating. He became a wise, thrifty, and prosperous man.