Ill-Luck and the Fiddler

Twilight Land

by Howard Pyle

Once upon a time St. Nicholas came down into the world to take a
peep at the old place and see how things looked in the spring-time.
On he stepped along the road to the town where he used to live, for
he had a notion to find out whether things were going on nowadays as
they one time did. By-and-by he came to a cross-road, and who should
he see sitting there but Ill-Luck himself. Ill-Luck's face was as
gray as ashes, and his hair as white as snow--for he is as old as
Grandfather Adam--and two great wings grew out of his shoulders--for
he flies fast and comes quickly to those whom he visits, does
Ill-Luck.

Now, St. Nicholas had a pocketful of hazel-nuts, which he kept
cracking and eating as he trudged along the road, and just then he
came upon one with a worm-hole in it. When he saw Ill-Luck it came
into his head to do a good turn to poor sorrowful man.

"Good-morning, Ill-Luck," says he.

"Good-morning, St. Nicholas," says Ill-Luck.

"You look as hale and strong as ever," says St. Nicholas.

"Ah, yes," says Ill-Luck, "I find plenty to do in this world of
woe."

"They tell me," says St. Nicholas, "that you can go wherever you
choose, even if it be through a key-hole; now, is that so?"

"Yes," says Ill-Luck, "it is."

"Well, look now, friend," says St. Nicholas, "could you go into
this hazel-nut if you chose to?"

"Yes," says Ill-Luck, "I could indeed."

"I should like to see you," says St. Nicholas; "for then I
should be of a mind to believe what people say of you."

"Well," says Ill-Luck, "I have not much time to be pottering and
playing upon Jack's fiddle; but to oblige an old friend"--thereupon
he made himself small and smaller, and--phst! he was in the nut
before you could wink.

Then what do you think St. Nicholas did? In his hand he held a
little plug of wood, and no sooner had Ill-Luck entered the nut than
he stuck the plug in the hole, and there was man's enemy as tight as
fly in a bottle.

"So!" says St. Nicholas, "that's a piece of work well done."
Then he tossed the hazel-nut under the roots of an oak-tree near by,
and went his way.

And that is how this story begins.

Well, the hazel-nut lay and lay and lay, and all the time that
it lay there nobody met with ill-luck; but, one day, who should come
travelling that way but a rogue of a Fiddler, with his fiddle under
his arm. The day was warm, and he was tired; so down he sat under the
shade of the oak-tree to rest his legs. By-and-by he heard a little
shrill voice piping and crying, "Let me out! let me out! let me
out!"

The Fiddler looked up and down, but he could see nobody. "Who
are you?" says he.

"I am Ill-Luck! Let me out! let me out!"

"Let you out?" says the Fiddler. "Not I; if you are bottled up
here it is the better for all of us;" and, so saying, he tucked his
fiddle under his arm and off he marched.

But before he had gone six steps he stopped. He was one of your
peering, prying sort, and liked more than a little to know all that
was to be known about this or that or the other thing that he chanced
to see or hear. "I wonder where Ill-Luck can be, to be in such a
tight place as he seems to be caught in," says he to himself; and
back he came again. "Where are you, Ill-Luck?" says he.

"Here I am," says Ill-Luck--"here in this hazel-nut, under the
roots of the oak-tree."

Thereupon the Fiddler laid aside his fiddle and bow, and fell to
poking and prying under the roots until he found the nut. Then he
began twisting and turning it in his fingers, looking first on one
side and then on the other, and all the while Ill-Luck kept crying,
"Let me out! let me out!"

It was not long before the Fiddler found the little wooden plug,
and then nothing would do but he must take a peep inside the nut to
see if Ill-Luck was really there. So he picked and pulled at the
wooden plug, until at last out it came; and--phst! pop! out came
Ill-Luck along with it.

Plague take the Fiddler! say I.

"Listen," says Ill-Luck. "It has been many a long day that I
have been in that hazel-nut, and you are the man that has let me out;
for once in a way I will do a good turn to a poor human body."
Therewith, and without giving the Fiddler time to speak a word,
Ill-Luck caught him up by the belt, and--whiz! away he flew like a
bullet, over hill and over valley; over moor and over mountain, so
fast that not enough wind was left in the Fiddler's stomach to say
"Bo!"

By-and-by he came to a garden, and there he let the Fiddler drop
on the soft grass below. Then away he flew to attend to other matters
of greater need.

When the Fiddler had gathered his wits together, and himself to
his feet, he saw that he lay in a beautiful garden of flowers and
fruit-trees and marble walks and what not, and that at the end of it
stood a great, splendid house, all built of white marble, with a
fountain in front, and peacocks strutting about on the lawn.

Well, the Fiddler smoothed down his hair and brushed his clothes
a bit, and off he went to see what was to be seen at the grand house
at the end of the garden.

He entered the door, and nobody said no to him. Then he passed
through one room after another, and each was finer than the one he
left behind. Many servants stood around; but they only bowed, and
never asked whence he came. At last he came to a room where a little
old man sat at a table. The table was spread with a feast that
smelled so good that it brought tears to the Fiddler's eyes and water
to his mouth, and all the plates were of pure gold. The little old
man sat alone, but another place was spread, as though he were
expecting some one. As the Fiddler came in the little old man nodded
and smiled. "Welcome!" he cried; "and have you come at last?"

"Yes," said the Fiddler, "I have. It was Ill-Luck that brought
me."

"Nay," said the little old man, "do not say that. Sit down to
the table and eat; and when I have told you all, you will say it was
not Ill-Luck, but Good-Luck, that brought you."

The Fiddler had his own mind about that; but, all the same, down
he sat at the table, and fell to with knife and fork at the good
things, as though he had not had a bite to eat for a week of
Sundays.

"I am the richest man in the world," says the little old man,
after a while.

"I am glad to hear it," says the Fiddler.

"You may well be," said the old man, "for I am all alone in the
world, and without wife or child. And this morning I said to myself
that the first body that came to my house I would take for a son--or
a daughter, as the case might be. You are the first, and so you shall
live with me as long as I live, and after I am gone everything that I
have shall be yours."

The Fiddler did nothing but stare with open eyes and mouth, as
though he would never shut either again.

Well, the Fiddler lived with the old man for maybe three or four
days as snug and happy a life as ever a mouse passed in a green
cheese. As for the gold and silver and jewels--why, they were as
plentiful in that house as dust in a mill! Everything the Fiddler
wanted came to his hand. He lived high, and slept soft and warm, and
never knew what it was to want either more or less, or great or
small. In all of those three or four days he did nothing but enjoy
himself with might and main.

But by-and-by he began to wonder where all the good things came
from. Then, before long, he fell to pestering the old man with
questions about the matter.

At first the old man put him off with short answers, but the
Fiddler was a master-hand at finding out anything he wanted to know.
He dinned and drummed and worried until flesh and blood could stand
it no longer. So at last the old man said that he would show him the
treasure-house where all his wealth came from, and at that the
Fiddler was tickled beyond measure.

The old man took a key from behind the door and led him out into
the garden. There in a corner by the wall was a great trap-door of
iron. The old man fitted the key to the lock and turned it. He lifted
the door, and then went down a steep flight of stone steps, and the
Fiddler followed close at his heels. Down below it was as light as
day, for in the centre of the room hung a great lamp that shone with
a bright light and lit up all the place as bright as day. In the
floor were set three great basins of marble: one was nearly full of
silver, one of gold, and one of gems of all sorts.

"All this is mine," said the old man, "and after I am gone it
shall be yours. It was left to me as I will leave it to you, and in
the meantime you may come and go as you choose and fill your pockets
whenever you wish to. But there is one thing you must not do: you
must never open that door yonder at the back of the room. Should you
do so, Ill-Luck will be sure to overtake you."

Oh no! The Fiddler would never think of doing such a thing as
opening the door. The silver and gold and jewels were enough for him.
But since the old man had given him leave, he would just help himself
to a few of the fine things. So he stuffed his pockets full, and then
he followed the old man up the steps and out into the sunlight
again.

It took him maybe an hour to count all the money and jewels he
had brought up with him. After he had done that, he began to wonder
what was inside of the little door at the back of the room. First he
wondered; then he began to grow curious; then he began to itch and
tingle and burn as though fifty thousand I-want-to-know nettles were
sticking into him from top to toe. At last he could stand it no
longer. "I'll just go down yonder," says he, "and peep through the
key-hole; perhaps I can see what is there without opening the
door."

So down he took the key, and off he marched to the garden. He
opened the trap-door, and went down the steep steps to the room
below. There was the door at the end of the room, but when he came to
look there was no key-hole to it. "Pshaw!" said he, "here is a pretty
state of affairs. Tut! tut! tut! Well, since I have come so far, it
would be a pity to turn back without seeing more." So he opened the
door and peeped in.

"Pooh!" said the Fiddler, "There's nothing there, after all,"
and he opened the door wide.

Before him was a great long passageway, and at the far end of it
he could see a spark of light as though the sun were shining there.
He listened, and after a while he heard a sound like the waves
beating on the shore. "Well," says he, "this is the most curious
thing I have seen for a long time. Since I have come so far, I may as
well see the end of it." So he entered the passageway, and closed the
door behind him. He went on and on, and the spark of light kept
growing larger and larger, and by-and-by--pop! out he came at the
other end of the passage.

Sure enough, there he stood on the sea-shore, with the waves
beating and dashing on the rocks. He stood looking and wondering to
find himself in such a place, when all of a sudden something came
with a whiz and a rush and caught him by the belt, and away he flew
like a bullet.

By-and-by he managed to screw his head around and look up, and
there it was Ill-Luck that had him. "I thought so," said the Fiddler;
and then he gave over kicking.

Well; on and on they flew, over hill and valley, over moor and
mountain, until they came to another garden, and there Ill-Luck let
the Fiddler drop.

Swash! Down he fell into the top of an apple-tree, and there he
hung in the branches.

It was the garden of a royal castle, and all had been weeping
and woe (though they were beginning now to pick up their smiles
again), and this was the reason why:

The king of that country had died, and no one was left behind
him but the queen. But she was a prize, for not only was the kingdom
hers, but she was as young as a spring apple and as pretty as a
picture; so that there was no end of those who would have liked to
have had her, each man for his own. Even that day there were three
princes at the castle, each one wanting the queen to marry him; and
the wrangling and bickering and squabbling that was going on was
enough to deafen a body. The poor young queen was tired to death with
it all, and so she had come out into the garden for a bit of rest;
and there she sat under the shade of an apple-tree, fanning herself
and crying, when--

Swash! Down fell the Fiddler into the apple-tree and down fell a
dozen apples, popping and tumbling about the queen's ears.

The queen looked up and screamed, and the Fiddler climbed
down.

"Where did you come from?" said she.

"Oh, Ill-Luck brought me," said the Fiddler.

"Nay," said the queen, "do not say so. You fell from heaven, for
I saw it with my eyes and heard it with my ears. I see how it is now.
You were sent hither from heaven to be my husband, and my husband you
shall be. You shall be king of this country, half-and-half with me as
queen, and shall sit on a throne beside me."

You can guess whether or not that was music to the Fiddler's
ears.

So the princes were sent packing, and the Fiddler was married to
the queen, and reigned in that country.

Well, three or four days passed, and all was as sweet and happy
as a spring day. But at the end of that time the Fiddler began to
wonder what was to be seen in the castle. The queen was very fond of
him, and was glad enough to show him all the fine things that were to
be seen; so hand in hand they went everywhere, from garret to
cellar.

But you should have seen how splendid it all was! The Fiddler
felt more certain than ever that it was better to be a king than to
be the richest man in the world, and he was as glad as glad could be
that Ill-Luck had brought him from the rich little old man over
yonder to this.

So he saw everything in the castle but one thing. "What is
behind that door?" said he.

"Ah! that," said the queen, "you must not ask or wish to know.
Should you open that door Ill-Luck will be sure to overtake you."

"Pooh!" said the Fiddler, "I don't care to know, anyhow," and
off they went, hand in hand.

Yes, that was a very fine thing to say; but before an hour had
gone by the Fiddler's head began to hum and buzz like a beehive. "I
don't believe," said he, "there would be a grain of harm in my
peeping inside that door; all the same, I will not do it. I will just
go down and peep through the key-hole." So off he went to do as he
said; but there was no key-hole to that door, either. "Why, look!"
says he, "it is just like the door at the rich man's house over
yonder; I wonder if it is the same inside as outside," and he opened
the door and peeped in. Yes; there was the long passage and the spark
of light at the far end, as though the sun were shining. He cocked
his head to one side and listened. "Yes," said he, "I think I hear
the water rushing, but I am not sure; I will just go a little further
in and listen," and so he entered and closed the door behind him.
Well, he went on and on until--pop! there he was out at the farther
end, and before he knew what he was about he had stepped out upon the
sea-shore, just as he had done before.

Whiz! whirr! Away flew the Fiddler like a bullet, and there was
Ill-Luck carrying him by the belt again. Away they sped, over hill
and valley, over moor and mountain, until the Fiddler's head grew so
dizzy that he had to shut his eyes. Suddenly Ill-Luck let him drop,
and down he fell--thump! bump!--on the hard ground. Then he opened
his eyes and sat up, and, lo and behold! there he was, under the
oak-tree whence he had started in the first place. There lay his
fiddle, just as he had left it. He picked it up and ran his fingers
over the strings--trum, twang! Then he got to his feet and brushed
the dirt and grass from his knees. He tucked his fiddle under his
arm, and off he stepped upon the way he had been going at first.

"Just to think!" said he, "I would either have been the richest
man in the world, or else I would have been a king, if it had not
been for Ill-Luck."

And that is the way we all of us talk.

Dr. Faustus had sat all the while neither drinking ale nor
smoking tobacco, but with his hands folded, and in silence. "I know
not why it is," said he, "but that story of yours, my friend, brings
to my mind a story of a man whom I once knew--a great magician in his
time, and a necromancer and a chemist and an alchemist and
mathematician and a rhetorician, an astronomer, an astrologer, and a
philosopher as well."

" Tis a long list of excellency," said old Bidpai.

" Tis not as long as was his head, " said Dr. Faustus.

"It would be good for us all to hear a story of such a man,"
said old Bidpai.

"Nay," said Dr. Faustus, "the story is not altogether of the man
himself, but rather of a pupil who came to learn wisdom of him."

"And the name of your story is what?" said Fortunatus.

"It hath no name," said Dr. Faustus.

"Nay," said St. George, "everything must have a name."

"It hath no name," said Dr. Faustus. "But I shall give it a
name, and it shall be--