“‘What has come over thee, that thou art looking so handsome and young,’ said one amazed, as he came up. “‘And what fine clothes!’ remarked the second. “‘It shall be so anon for ye both,’ replied the favourite of Fortune; ‘only take these flowers and guard them well.’ “Si, Signore, they sat down on the bench three beggars, and they rose three fine cavaliers, in velvet and satin, with gold-mounted swords, and found their horses and attendants waiting. And when they got home, they did not know their wives or children, nor were they known unto them, and it was an hour before all was got right. Then all went with them as if it were oiled. The first man found a great treasure the very first day in his cellar—in fine, they all grew rich, and the three sons married the three girls, and they all put the three wheels on their _scudi_. One of the wheels is the ball on which Fortune rolled along, and the other two are her feet; or else the three men each took a wheel to himself. Anyhow, there they are, pick and choose, Signore—_chi ha piú cervello_, _l’usi_!—let him who has brains, brain! “Now, it is a saying that _ogni fior non fa frutto_—every blossom doth not bear a fruit—but the flowers of Fortune bear fruit enough to make up for the short crop elsewhere. “But there is some sense and use in such stories as these, Signore, after all; for a poor devil who half believes—and very often quite believes in them—gets a great deal of hope and comfort out of them. They make him trust that luck or fairies or something will give him a good turn yet some day—_chi sa_?—and so he hopes, and truly, as they say that no pretty girl is ever quite poor, so no man who hopes is ever really broken—_grazie_, _Signore_! I hope to tell you another story before long.” * * * * * There is something in the making Fortune with _two_ heels for feet which suggests a memory of skate-rollers. I once published an article in the _Ethnologische Monatsheft_ of Budapest, which set forth more fully the idea expressed in this tale, that the popular or fairy tale is a source of comfort, or a Bible to the poor, for it always teaches the frequently delusive, but always cheering lesson that good-luck or fortune may turn up some day, even for the most unfortunate. The Scripture promises happiness for the poorest, or indeed specially for the poorest in the next life; the fairy tale teaches that Cinderella, the despised, and the youngest, humblest of the three, will win fortune while here on earth. It inspires hope, which is a great secret of happiness and success. To which the learned Flaxius annotates: