Croatian Tales of Long Ago. Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic

open, all the splendour of the Castle was thrown open, and the company within, the noble guests, welcomed grandfather Witting and grandson Quest upon the threshold.

      They welcomed them, held out their hands to them, and led them in.

      Careful and Bluster just saw them pass by the window, and saw where they were placed at the table. The first place of all was given to old Witting, and beside him sat Quest, where All-Rosy, the golden youth, drinks welcome to his guests from a goblet of gold.

      A great fear fell upon Bluster and Careful when they were left alone with these awesome sights.

      “Come away, brother, to our clearing,” whispered Careful; and they turned and went. Bewildered by many marvels, they got back to their clearing, and never again could they find either the path or the slope that led to the mountain’s crest.

VII

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      Thus it was and thus it befell.

      Careful and Bluster went on living in the glade. They lived long as valiant men and true, and brought up goodly families, sons and grandsons. All good parts went down from father to son, and, of course, also the sacred fire, which was fed with a fresh log every day so that it might never go out.

      So, you see, Rampogusto was right in being afraid of Quest, because if Quest had not died in his search for truth those goblins would never have left Careful and Bluster, and in the glade there would have been neither righteous men nor sacred fire.

      But so everything fell out. To the great shame and discomfiture of Rampogusto and all his crew.

      When those two goblins dragged Quest’s sheep-skin before Rampogusto, and inside it the third goblin, who was still yammering and carrying on like one demented, Rampogusto flew into a furious rage, for he knew that all three youths had escaped him. In his great wrath he gave orders that all three goblins should have their horns cropped close, and so run about for everyone to make fun of!

      But the worst of Rampogusto’s discomfiture was this: Every day the sacred smoke gets into his throat and makes him cough most horribly. Moreover, he never dare venture out into the woods for fear of meeting some one of the valiant people.

      So Rampogusto got nothing out of it but Quest’s cast-off sheep-skin; and I’m sure he is welcome to that, for Quest doesn’t want a sheep-skin coat anyhow in All-Rosy’s Golden Halls.

      Fisherman Plunk and his Wife