Page:Tales and Legends from the Land of the Tzar.djvu/171

Rh child; he asked all his servants whether any of them had seen the boy; but no, they none of them had set eyes on him. At last the merchant asked Theodore whether he had seen him.

"No," said the wicked clerk; "but why do you ask everybody whether they have seen the child? Look properly at the child's little bed; see, it is all covered with blood, and so are your wife's hands, though she is sleeping peacefully; it is she who killed your boy, there is no doubt of that."

The merchant looked and saw that what his clerk had said was true, and therefore thought that his wife had certainly killed the boy. He at once ordered the poor woman to be locked up in prison, while he mourned over the loss of his child.

Years passed on, and the boy became a strong, healthy, beautiful child, and was able to run about and talk about everything. He also possessed the great power of wishing, and of doing things that none but fairies and such like could do. All this time the child had no idea that he was the son of the rich merchant, whom everybody praised so highly, but lived happily with the old woman to whom Theodore had given him to be taken care of.

Theodore had left the merchant, and was now living by himself, and thanks to the Lucky Child, had all he required, and all his wishes attended to.

One day Theodore took the boy and went with him to the river-side, near to the bridge which the merchant had built, and said to him,—

"Let the other side of the water be a new kingdom, and let by the side of this bridge a crystal one appear,