“It would do you no good if you had it,” said the younger brother, “for I have brought away all that is worth the having. All the same, if you want my black pebble now you are welcome to it.” Did the elder brother want it! Why, of course he wanted it, and he could not find words enough to thank the younger. Off he went, hot-foot, to find the door back of the oak-tree; “For,” said he to himself, “I will bring something back better worth the having than a musty book, an old pair of spectacles, and a red apple.” He touched the door with the black stone, and it opened for him just as it had for the younger brother. Down the steps he went, and on and on and on, until by and by he came to the room where the statues were. There was the black statue holding out the crystal ball and the diamond as big as a hen’s egg, and there sat the golden statue and the silver statue and the leaden statue, just as they had sat when the younger brother had been there, only there was nothing in the chest at the feet of the leaden statue. The rich brother touched the lock of the chest in front of the silver statue. Up flew the lid, and there lay all the gold and silver money. “Yes,” says he, “that is what the rich man loves, sure enough. Nevertheless, there may be something else that is better worth the having.” So he let the money lay where it was. He touched the chest in front of the golden statue. Up flew the lid, and he had to blink and wink his eyes because the precious stones dazzled them so. “Yes,” says he, “this is the best the world has to give, and there is no gainsaying that; all the same, there may be something better worth the having than these.” So he looked all about the room, until he saw the golden letters on the breast of the black statue that stood in the middle. First he read the words: “WHAT THOU DESERVEST THAT THOU SHALT HAVE.” And then he saw the great diamond that the statue held in its left hand. “Why,” said he, “it is as plain as daylight that I deserve this precious stone, for not being so simple as my brother, and taking what I could find without looking for anything better.” So up he stepped and took the diamond out of the statue’s hand. Crash!—and all was darkness, darker than the darkest midnight; for, as quick as a wink, the black statue let the crystal globe of light fall from its right hand upon the stone floor, where it broke into ten thousand pieces. And now the rich brother might wander up and wander down, but wander as he chose he could never find his way out of that place again, for the darkness shut him in like a blanket. So, after all, mercy and temperance were better in the long run than greed and covetousness, in spite of what the great lord and the rich merchant and the poor ploughman had said.