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Rh "What will you do?"

"I shall not tell you this time!"

"Well, if evil is to be, it will come." Nicholas thought, and again went to the peasant, told him to buy two tapers, one big and one small, and gave him instructions.

Next day Elijah the Prophet and St. Nicholas were out together in the guise of wanderers, and the peasant happened to meet them, carrying two waxen candles-one big one that cost a rouble, and a little one that cost a copek.

"Where are you going to, peasant?" St. Nicholas said.

"Oh, I am going to light the rouble taper to the Prophet Elijah; he has been so charitable to me. My field was ravaged by hail, so he intervened, bátyushka, and gave me a crop twice as good."

"For whom is the farthing dip?"

"Oh, for St. Nicholas!" the peasant said, and pursued his way.

"There you are, Elijah," said St. Nicholas: "you said I gave everything away to the peasant; now you see what the truth is."

And with this the dispute was ended: Elijah the Prophet was reconciled, and ceased persecuting the peasant with hail-storms, so that he lived a merry life from that day and honoured both name-days equally.