“What is that?” said I, suspiciously. “I will give you,” said he, “whatever you would like best in the world.” “Then give me back the chain.” “Think!” said he. “What would you like best in all the world, for your very self?” “Nothing,” I said, ready to cry. “I want the chain back. If you don’t give it to me,” I said, angrily, “I will call my mother.” “With all the pleasure in the world,” said the impudent old rascal. I was now ready to cry in good earnest. _The Old Man Proposes a Strange Bargain_ “But I advise you to listen to me, my young friend,” went on the dreadful creature. “You may make a wish, if you will; and if you don’t, I will. If I keep the chain, you shall make the wish; if you keep the chain, I will make it; but I warn you, if I make the wish, I shall wish you harm! Such harm that you would rather be dead than alive! Come now, will you sell me the chain for a wish?” “I can’t,” I said, “I can’t.” And I began to cry. “Then you would like to be crippled all your life? To find vipers in your bed every night? To see the Princess run away from the sight of you? To suffer a sharp pain in your ears, to have all your drink turn to--” “No, no!” I cried. “Please don’t, please don’t!” “Then you had better sell me the chain. What would you like best in the world?” “Oh, I want to be happy! I want to be happy! I’m so miserable!” “You really wish to be happy?” “Oh, yes! If I could only be happy, always happy!” “Think well. I can grant you that wish, if you really wish it.” “I wish I could be happy, always happy!” “The wish is granted. You shall be happy; after this day you shall be nothing but happy, always. It is done. The chain is mine.” “Oh, please! If you will only wait one moment! Just one! I must call my mother!” I ran to the door of the back room, and called my mother. She came at once, alarmed by my outcry. Together we turned back into the shop, toward the spot where I had left the old man. He was gone. I dragged my mother to the shop door, and we looked up and down the street. There was no sign of him. I ran from one corner to the other. He was nowhere in sight. I returned to my mother and threw myself on her breast and wept. “The chain!” I sobbed. “It is gone!” While she tried to comfort me I told her the story. She wrung her hands. “What will your father say?” That evening, when my father heard what had happened, he was very angry. He was a kind man, but he scolded me so severely that I crept up to bed weeping, without any supper. I had never been so miserable. I cried myself to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, sunshine was streaming in through the window. I sprang out of bed. A fat sparrow was hopping on the window sill, and when he saw me he cocked his head at me in the jolliest manner possible. I whistled to him, and laughed after him as he flew away.