“THE TABLE-BOOK AND TRAVELLERS’ JOY.”
THE RUSTIC AND THE LACKEYS.
A rustic desirous to see the King, thinking he was more than man, put his wages in his pocket and took leave of his master. But the pennies soon melted away on the long journey to the capital. Having arrived and seen the King, whom he found to be a man like himself, he was so disgusted at having spent upon this all his money excepting half a real, that a tooth began to ache, and what with hunger tormenting him too he did not know what to do, for he said to himself, “If I have the tooth drawn, and give my half real for that, I shall die of hunger; while, if I eat the half real, my tooth will go on aching.” As he was thus debating he approached a pastrycook’s stall, and gazed with longing eyes at the tarts displayed. By chance two lackeys were passing by, who, seeing him so taken up with the pastry, cried out, to make sport—
“Hola, rustic, how many tarts would you venture to make a meal of?”
“By heavens! I could swallow fifty.”
“Go to the devil!” said they.
“Gentlemen,” he replied, “you are easily frightened.”
Upon which they offered to lay a wager.
“Done,” said the rustic; “if I don’t eat fifty, you can draw this tooth,” and he pointed to the one that ached.
