Destiny arose, opened a coffer, and began to throw out pebbles among which were mixed some small money, saying as he did so: "Such as I am to-day, so shall you be all your lives." When morning came the hut was changed again to a grand palace as it had been on the first day. Then for the first time Destiny spoke to his guest, and said to him: "Why hast thou come to me?" The traveller then related his miseries in detail, and said that he had come to ask of Destiny himself, why he had given him so evil a fortune. Destiny answered him: "Thou didst see that the first night I sowed ducats and what followed thereon. Such as I am on the night when a man is born, such that man will be all his life. Thou wert born on a night of poverty, and thou wilt remain always poor. Thy brother, on the contrary, came into the world in a happy hour, and happy he will remain to the end. But since thou hast taken so much trouble to find me I will tell thee how thou mayst help thyself. Thy brother has a daughter named Miliza, who is as fortunate as her father. Take her for thy wife when thou shalt return to thine own country, and all that thou shalt acquire thereafter, be careful to say belongs to her." The traveller thanked Destiny many times and departed. When he had returned to his own country he went straight to his brother, and said to him: "Brother, give me Miliza. Thou seest that without her I am alone in the world." And the brother answered: "It pleases me well. Miliza is thine." Straightway the bridegroom took his brother's daughter to his house, and he became very rich, but he was always careful to say: "All that I have belongs to Miliza." One day he went into the fields to see his wheat, which was so fine that there was nothing like it in the whole country around. A traveller passed along the way, and said to him: "Whose is this wheat?" And the elder brother, without thinking, answered: "It is mine." But scarcely had he spoken than a spark was seen in the wheat and in an instant it was all on fire. Quickly he ran after the traveller, and cried out: "Stop, my friend, this wheat is not mine. It belongs to Miliza, my brother's daughter." The fire was instantly extinguished, and thenceforth the elder brother was happy--thanks to Miliza. _The Queen of the Golden Mines_