“What did you tell the man that you were going to do with it?” said Andres.
“I told him that you wanted to count your money,” said the monkey.
“Ah, me!” said Andres, “what money are you going to count? Don’t you know that we are very poor?”
“Let me manage things, Andres,” said the monkey, “and I promise you that you shall marry the beautiful daughter of the rich man.”
The following day Andres caught many wild chickens. When the monkey had sold them all in the market, he went back to their hut, and took the cavan which he had borrowed. Before returning it to Don Toribio, he stuck money in the cracks, as he had done to the first measure.
“Good-morning, Don Toribio!” said the monkey. Don Toribio was sitting in a chair by the door of his house.
“Good-morning, monkey! How do you do?” replied the rich man. “Have you come to return the box?”
“Yes, sir!” said the monkey, “we have finished. My master sends his thanks to you.” When Don Toribio took the box and saw the money inside, he told the monkey about it; but the monkey said, “Never mind! we have plenty more in our house.”
“I am the richest man in town, yet I cannot throw money away like the master of this fellow,” said Don Toribio to himself. “Perhaps he is even richer than I am.” When the monkey was about to take his leave, the rich man told him to tell his master to come there on the third day. The monkey said that he would, and thanked Don Toribio for the invitation.
On his way home, the monkey stopped at the market to buy a pair of shoes, some ready-made clothes, and a hat for Andres. He took these things home to his master, and in three days had taught Andres how to walk easily with shoes on, how to speak elegantly, how to eat with a spoon and fork and knife, and how to tell Don Toribio that he wanted to marry his daughter.