The two of them lived neighbor to neighbor, the one in the next house to the other, and so far as the world could see there was not a pin to choose between them--only that one was called a wise man and the other a simpleton. One day the weather was cold, and when Babo came home from gathering rushes he found no fire in the house. So off he went to his neighbor the wise man. “Will you give me a live coal to start my fire?” said he. “Yes, I will do that,” said Simon Agricola; “but how will you carry the coal home?” “Oh!” said Babo, “I will just take it in my hand.” “In your hand?” “In my hand.” “Can you carry a live coal in your hand?” “Oh yes!” said Babo; “I can do that easily enough.” “Well, I should like to see you do it,” said Simon Agricola. “Then I will show you,” said Babo. He spread a bed of cold, dead ashes upon his palm. “Now,” said he, “I will take the ember upon that.” [Illustration] Agricola rolled up his eyes like a duck in a thunder-storm. “Well,” said he, “I have lived more than seventy years, and have read all the books in the world; I have practised magic and necromancy, and know all about algebra and geometry, and yet, wise as I am, I never thought of this little thing.” That is the way with your wise man. “Pooh!” said Babo; “that is nothing. I know how to do many more tricks than that.” “Do you?” said Simon Agricola; “then listen: to-morrow I am going out into the world to make my fortune, for little or nothing is to be had in this town. If you will go along with me I will make your fortune also.” “Very well,” said Babo, and the bargain was struck. So the next morning bright and early off they started upon their journey, cheek by jowl, the wise man and the simpleton, to make their fortunes in the wide world, and the two of them made a pair. On they jogged and on they jogged, and the way was none too smooth. By-and-by they came to a great field covered all over with round stones. “Let us each take one of these,” said Simon Agricola; “they will be of use by-and-by;” and, as he spoke, he picked up a great stone as big as his two fists, and dropped it into the pouch that dangled at his side. “Not I,” said Babo; “I will carry no stone with me. It is as much as my two legs can do to carry my body, let alone lugging a great stone into the bargain.” “Very well,” said Agricola; “’born a fool, live a fool, die a fool.’” And on he tramped, with Babo at his heels. At last they came to a great wide plain, where, far or near, nothing was to be seen but bare sand, without so much as a pebble or a single blade of grass, and there night caught up with them. “Dear, dear, but I am hungry!” said Babo. “So am I,” said Simon Agricola. “Let’s sit down here and eat.” So down they sat, and Simon Agricola opened his pouch and drew forth the stone.