“You are the richest man in the world now!”
“Just a little more,” said the beggar; “add just a handful or two.”
“There, it’s full. The wallet will burst.”
“But it will hold a little more, just a little more!”
Another piece was added and the wallet split. The treasure fell upon the ground and was turned to dust. Fortune had vanished.
The beggar had now nothing but his empty wallet, and it was torn from top to bottom. He was as poor as before.
—From the Russian of Ivan Kriloff.
THE SPRITE
A little sprite sat on a moonbeam