" Intelligence agreed, and entered at once into the
ploughboy's head. As soon as the ploughboy felt that he had intelligence
in his head, he began to think: "Why must I follow the plough to the day
of my death? I can go somewhere else and make my fortune more easily."
He left off ploughing, put up the plough, and drove home. "Daddy," says
he, "I don't like this peasant's life; I'd rather learn to be a
gardener." His father said: "What ails you, Vanek? have you lost your
wits?" However, he bethought himself and said: "Well, if you will,
learn, and God be with you! Your brother will be heir to the cottage
after me." Vanek lost the cottage, but he didn't care for that, but went
and put himself apprentice to the king's gardener. For every little that
the gardener showed him, Vanek comprehended ever so much more. Ere long
he didn't even obey the gardener's orders as to how he ought to do
anything, but did everything his own way. At first the gardener was
angry, but, seeing everything thus getting on better, he was content. "I
see that you've more intelligence than I," said he, and henceforth let
Vanek garden as he thought fit. In no long space of time Vanek made the
garden so beautiful that the king took great delight in it, and
frequently walked in it with the queen and with his only daughter.
The princess was a very beautiful damsel, but ever since she was twelve
years old she had ceased speaking, and no one ever heard a single word
from her.
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