To give them fairy gold would be
to rob them."
"What, then, shall we do?" asked the poor woman, wringing her hands
with grief and disappointment.
"Go home and wait until to-morrow. If the gold is then in your
possession it is real money and not fairy gold. But if it is real
money you must try to restore it to its rightful owners. Take, also,
these pieces which you have given me, for I cannot accept gold that
is not honestly come by."
Sadly the poor people returned to their home, being greatly
disturbed by what they had heard. Another sleepless night was
passed, and on Monday morning they arose at daylight and ran to see
if the gold was still visible.
"It is real money, after all!" cried the man; "for not a single
piece has disappeared."
When the woman went to the brook that day she looked for the beetle,
and, sure enough, there he sat upon the flat stone.
"Are you happy now?" asked the beetle, as the woman paused before
him.
"We are very unhappy," she answered; "for, although you have given
us much gold, our good parson says it surely belongs to some one
else, and was stolen by you to reward us."
"Your parson may be a good man," returned the beetle, with some
indignation, "but he certainly is not overwise.
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