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.