The Good of a Few Words

Twilight Land

by Howard Pyle

There was one Beppo the Wise and another Beppo the Foolish.

The wise one was the father of the foolish one.

Beppo the Wise was called Beppo the Wise because he had laid up
a great treasure after a long life of hard work.

Beppo the Foolish was called Beppo the Foolish because he spent
in five years after his father was gone from this world of sorrow all
that the old man had laid together in his long life of toil. But
during that time Beppo lived as a prince, and the life was never seen
in that town before or since--feasting and drinking and junketing and
merrymaking. He had friends by the dozen and by the scores, and the
fame of his doings went throughout all the land.

While his money lasted he was called Beppo the Generous. It was
only after it was all gone that they called him Beppo the Foolish.

So by-and-by the money was spent, and there was an end of it.

Yes; there was an end of it; and where were all of Beppo's
fair-weather friends? Gone like the wild-geese in frosty weather.

"Don't you remember how I gave you a bagful of gold?" says Beppo
the Foolish. "Won't you remember me now in my time of need?"

But the fair-weather friend only laughed in his face.

"Don't you remember how I gave you a fine gold chain with a
diamond pendant?" says Beppo to another. "And won't you lend me a
little money to help me over to-day?"

But the summer-goose friend only grinned.

"But what shall I do to keep body and soul together?" says Beppo
to a third.

The man was a wit. "Go to a shoemaker," said he, "and let him
stitch the soul fast"; and that was all the good Beppo had of him.

Then poor Beppo saw that there was not place for him in that
town, and so off he went to seek his fortune else whither, for he saw
that there was nothing to be gained in that place.

So he journeyed on for a week and a day, and then towards
evening he came to the king's town.

There it stood on the hill beside the river--the grandest city
in the kingdom. There were orchards and plantations of trees along
the banks of the stream, and gardens and summer-houses and pavilions.
There were white houses and red roofs and blue skies. Up above on the
hill were olive orchards and fields, and then blue sky again.

Beppo went into the town, gazing about him with admiration.
Houses, palaces, gardens. He had never seen the like. Stores and
shops full of cloths of velvet and silk and satin; goldsmiths,
silversmiths, jewellers--as though all the riches of the world had
been emptied into the city. Crowds of people--lords, noblemen,
courtiers, rich merchants, and tradesmen.

Beppo stared about at the fine sights and everybody stared at
Beppo, for his shoes were dusty, his clothes were travel-stained, and
a razor had not touched his face for a week.

The king of that country was walking in the garden under the
shade of the trees, and the sunlight slanted down upon him, and
sparkled upon the jewels around his neck and on his fingers. Two dogs
walked alongside of him, and a whole crowd of lords and nobles and
courtiers came behind him; first of all the prime-minister with his
long staff.

But for all this fine show this king was not really the king.
When the old king died he left a daughter, and she should have been
queen if she had had her own rights. But this king, who was her
uncle, had stepped in before her, and so the poor princess was pushed
aside and was nobody at all but a princess, the king's niece.

She stood on the terrace with her old nurse, while the king
walked in the garden below.

It had been seven years now since the old king had died, and in
that time she had grown up into a beautiful young woman, as wise as
she was beautiful, and as good as she was wise. Few people ever saw
her, but everybody talked about her in whispers and praised her
beauty and goodness, saying that, if the right were done, she would
have her own and be queen.

Sometimes the king heard of this (for a king hears everything),
and he grew to hate the princess as a man hates bitter drink.

The princess looked down from the terrace, and there she saw
Beppo walking along the street, and his shoes were dusty and his
clothes were travel-stained, and a razor had not touched his face for
a week.

"Look at yonder poor man," she said to her nurse; "yet if I were
his wife he would be greater really than my uncle, the king."

The king, walking below in the garden, heard what she said.

"Say you so!" he called out. "Then we shall try if what you say
is true"; and he turned away, shaking with anger.

"Alas!" said the princess, "now, indeed, have I ruined myself
for good and all."

Beppo was walking along the street looking about him hither and
thither, and thinking how fine it all was. He had no more thought
that the king and the princess were talking about him than the man in
the moon.

Suddenly some one clapped him upon the shoulder.

Beppo turned around.

There stood a great tall man dressed all in black.

"You must come with me," said he.

"What do you want with me?" said Beppo.

"That you shall see for yourself," said the man.

"Very well," said Beppo; "I'd as lief go along with you as
anywhere else."

So he turned and followed the man whither he led.

They went along first one street and then another, and by-and-by
they came to the river, and there was a long wall with a gate in it.
The tall man in black knocked upon the gate, and some one opened it
from within. The man in black entered, and Beppo followed at his
heels, wondering where he was going.

He was in a garden. There were fruit trees and flowering shrubs
and long marble walks, and away in the distance a great grand palace
of white marble that shone red as fire in the light of the setting
sun, but there was not a soul to be seen anywhere.

The tall man in black led the way up the long marble walk, past
the fountains and fruit trees and beds of roses, until he had come to
the palace.

Beppo wondered whether he were dreaming.

The tall man in black led the way into the palace, but still
there was not a soul to be seen.

Beppo gazed about him in wonder. There were floors of colored
marble, and ceilings of blue and gold, and columns of carved marble,
and hangings of silk and velvet and silver.

Suddenly the tall man opened a little door that led into a dark
passage, and Beppo followed him. They went along the passage, and
then the man opened another door.

Then Beppo found himself in a great vaulted room. There at one
end of the room were three souls. A man sat on the throne, and he was
the king, for he had a crown on his head and a long robe over his
shoulders. Beside him stood a priest, and in front of him stood a
beautiful young woman as white as wax and as still as death.

Beppo wondered whether he were awake.

"Come hither," said the king, in a harsh voice, and Beppo came
forward and kneeled before him. "Take this young woman by the hand,"
said the king.

Beppo did as he was bidden.

Her hand was as cold as ice.

Then, before Beppo knew what was happening, he found that he was
being married.

It was the princess.

"Now," said the king to her when the priest had ended, and he
frowned until his brows were as black as thunder--"now you are
married; tell me, is your husband greater than I?"

But the princess said never a word, only the tears ran one after
another down her white face. The king sat staring at her and
frowning.

Suddenly some one tapped Beppo upon the shoulder. It was the
tall man in black.

Beppo knew that he was to follow him again. This time the
princess was to go along. The tall man in black led the way, and
Beppo and the princess followed along the secret passage and up and
down the stairs until at last they came out into the garden again.

And now the evening was beginning to fall.

The man led the way down the garden to the river, and still
Beppo and the princess followed him.

By-and-by they came to the river-side and to a flight of steps,
and there was a little frail boat without sail or oars.

The tall man in black beckoned towards the boat, and Beppo knew
that he and princess were to enter it.

As soon as Beppo had helped the princess into the boat the tall
man thrust it out into the stream with his foot, and the boat drifted
away from the shore and out into the river, and then around and
around. Then it floated off down the stream.

It floated on and on, and the sun set and the moon rose.

Beppo looked at the princess, and he thought he had never seen
any one so beautiful in all his life. It was all like a dream, and he
hoped he might never waken. But the princess sat there weeping and
weeping, and said nothing.

The night fell darker and darker, but still Beppo sat looking at
the princess. Her face was as white as silver in the moonlight. The
smell of the flower-gardens came across the river. The boat floated
on and on until by-and-by it drifted to the shore again and among the
river reeds, and there it stopped, and Beppo carried the princess
ashore.

"Listen," said the princess. "Do you know who I am?"

"No," said Beppo, "I do not."

"I am the princess," said she, "the king's niece; and by rights
I should be queen of this land."

Beppo could not believe his ears.

"It is true that I am married to you," said she, "but never
shall you be my husband until you are king."

"King!" said Beppo; "how can I be king?"

"You shall be king," said the princess.

"But the king is everything," said Beppo, "and I am nothing at
all."

"Great things come from small beginnings," said the princess; "a
big tree from a little seed."

Some little distance away from the river was the twinkle of a
light, and thither Beppo led the princess. When the two came to it,
they found it was a little hut, for there were fish-nets hanging
outside in the moonlight.

Beppo knocked.

An old woman opened the door. She stared and stared, as well she
might, to see the fine lady in silks and satins with a gold ring upon
her finger, and nobody with her but one who looked like a poor
beggar-man.

"Who are you and what do you want?" said the old woman.

"Who we are," said the princess, "does not matter, except that
we are honest folk in trouble. What we want is shelter for the night
and food to eat, and that we will pay for."

"Shelter I can give you," said the old woman, "but little else
but a crust of bread and a cup of water. One time there was enough
and plenty in the house; but now, since my husband has gone and I am
left all alone, it is little I have to eat and drink. But such as I
have to give you are welcome to."

Then Beppo and the princess went into the house.

The next morning the princess called Beppo to her. "Here," said
she, "is a ring and a letter. Go you into the town and inquire for
Sebastian the Goldsmith. He will know what to do."

Beppo took the ring and the letter and started off to town, and
it was not hard for him to find the man he sought, for every one knew
of Sebastian the Goldsmith. He was an old man, with a great white
beard and a forehead like the dome of a temple. He looked at Beppo
from head to foot with eyes as bright as those of a snake; then he
took the ring and the letter. As soon as he saw the ring he raised it
to his lips and kissed it; then he kissed the letter also; then he
opened it and read it.

He turned to Beppo and bowed very low. "My lord," said he, "I
will do as I am commanded. Will you be pleased to follow me?"

He led the way into an inner room. There were soft rugs upon the
floor, and around the walls were tapestries. There were couches and
silken cushions. Beppo wondered what it all meant.

Sebastian the Goldsmith clapped his hands together. A door
opened, and there came three black slaves into the room. The
Goldsmith spoke to them in a strange language, and the chief of the
three black slaves bowed in reply. Then he and the others led Beppo
into another room where there was a marble bath of tepid water. They
bathed him and rubbed him with soft linen towels; then they shaved
the beard from his cheeks and chin and trimmed his hair; then they
clothed him in fine linen and a plain suit of gray and Beppo looked
like a new man.

Then when all this was done the chief of the blacks conducted
Beppo back to Sebastian the Goldsmith. There was a fine feast spread,
with fruit and wine. Beppo sat down to it, and Sebastian the
Goldsmith stood and served him with a napkin over his arm.

Then Beppo was to return to the princess again.

A milk-white horse was waiting for him at the Goldsmith's door,
a servant holding the bridle, and Beppo mounted and rode away.

When he returned to the fisherman's hut the princess was waiting
for him. She had prepared a tray spread with a napkin, a cup of milk,
and some sweet cakes.

"Listen," said she; "to-day the king hunts in the forest over
yonder. Go you thither with this. The king will be hot and thirsty,
and weary with the chase. Offer him this refreshment. He will eat and
drink, and in gratitude he will offer you something in return. Take
nothing of him, but ask him this: that he allow you once every three
days to come to the palace, and that he whisper these words in your
ear so that no one else may hear them--"A word, a word, only a few
words; spoken ill, they are ill; spoken well, they are more precious
than gold and jewels.'"

"Why should I do that?" said Beppo.

"You will see," said the princess.

Beppo did not understand it at all, but the princess is a
princess and must be obeyed, and so he rode away on his horse at her
bidding.

It was as the princess had said: the king was hunting in the
forest, and when Beppo came there he could hear the shouts of the men
and the winding of horns and the baying of dogs. He waited there for
maybe an hour or more, and sometimes the sounds were nearer and
sometimes the sounds were farther away. Presently they came nearer
and nearer, and then all of a sudden the king came riding out of the
forest, the hounds hunting hither and thither, and the lords and
nobles and courtiers following him.

The king's face was flushed and heated with the chase, and his
forehead was bedewed with sweat. Beppo came forward and offered the
tray. The king wiped his face with the napkin, and then drank the
milk and ate three of the cakes.

"Who was it ordered you to bring this to me?" said he to
Beppo.

"No one," said Beppo; "I brought it myself."

The king looked at Beppo and was grateful to him.

"Thou hast given me pleasure and comfort," said he; "ask what
thou wilt in return and if it is in reason thou shalt have it."

"I will have only this," said Beppo: "that your majesty will
allow me once every three days to come to the palace, and that then
you will take me aside and will whisper these words into my ear so
that no one else may hear them--A word, a word, only a few words;
spoken ill, they are ill; spoken well, they are more precious than
gold and jewels.'"

The king burst out laughing. "Why," said he, "what is this
foolish thing you ask of me? If you had asked for a hundred pieces of
gold you should have had them. Think better, friend, and ask
something of more worth than this foolish thing."

"Please your majesty," said Beppo, "I ask nothing else."

The king laughed again. "Then you shall have what you ask," said
he, and he rode away.

The next morning the princess said to Beppo: "This day you shall
go and claim the king's promise of him. Take this ring and this
letter again to Sebastian the Goldsmith. He will fit you with clothes
in which to appear before the king. Then go to the king's palace that
he may whisper those words he has to say into your ear."

Once more Beppo went to Sebastian the Goldsmith, and the
Goldsmith kissed the princess's ring and letter, and read what she
had written.

Again the black slaves took Beppo to the bath, only this time
they clad him in a fine suit of velvet and hung a gold chain around
his neck. After that Sebastian the Goldsmith again served a feast to
Beppo, and waited upon him while he ate and drank.

In front of the house a noble horse, as black as jet, was
waiting to carry Beppo to the palace, and two servants dressed in
velvet livery were waiting to attend him.

So Beppo rode away, and many people stopped to look at him.

He came to the palace, and the king was giving audience. Beppo
went into the great audience-chamber. It was full of people--lords
and nobles and rich merchants and lawyers.

Beppo did not know how to come to the king, so he stood there
and waited and waited. The people looked at him and whispered to one
another: "Who is that young man?" "Whence comes he?" Then one said:
"Is not he the young man who served the king with cakes and milk in
the forest yesterday?"

Beppo stood there gazing at the king. By-and-by the king
suddenly looked up and caught sight of him. He gazed at Beppo for a
moment or two and then he knew him. Then he smiled and beckoned to
him.

"Aye, my foolish benefactor," said he, aloud, "is it thou, and
art thou come so soon to redeem thy promise? Very well; come hither,
I have something to say to thee."

Beppo came forward, and everybody stared. He came close to the
king, and the king laid his hand upon his shoulder. Then he leaned
over to Beppo and whispered in his ear: "A word, a word, only a few
words; if they be spoken ill, they are ill; if they be spoken well,
they are more precious than gold and jewels." Then he laughed. "Is
that what you would have me say?" said he.

"Yes, majesty," said Beppo, and he bowed low and withdrew.

But, lo and behold, what a change!

Suddenly he was transformed in the eyes of the whole world. The
crowd drew back to allow him to pass, and everybody bowed low as he
went along.

"Did you not see the king whisper to him," said one. "What could
it be that the king said?" said another. "This must be a new
favorite," said a third.

He had come into the palace Beppo the Foolish; he went forth
Beppo the Great Man, and all because of a few words the king had
whispered in his ear.

Three days passed, and then Beppo went again to the Goldsmith's
with the ring and a letter from the princess. This time Sebastian the
Goldsmith fitted him with a suit of splendid plum-colored silk and
gave him a dappled horse, and again Beppo and his two attendants rode
away to the palace. And this time every one knew him, and as he went
up the steps into the palace all present bowed to him. The king saw
him as soon as he appeared, and when he caught sight of him he burst
out laughing.

"Aye," said he, "I was looking for thee today, and wondering how
soon thou wouldst come. Come hither till I whisper something in thine
ear."

Then all the lords and nobles and courtiers and ministers drew
back, and Beppo went up to the king.

The king laughed and laughed. He laid his arm over Beppo's
shoulder, and again he whispered in his ear: "A word, a word, only a
few words; if they be spoken ill, they are ill; if they be spoken
well, they are more precious than gold and jewels."

Then he released Beppo, and Beppo withdrew.

So it continued for three months. Every three days Beppo went to
the palace, and the king whispered the words in his ear. Beppo said
nothing to any one, and always went away as soon as the king had
whispered to him.

Then at last the princess said to him: "Now the time is ripe for
doing. Listen! To-day when you go to the palace fix your eyes, when
the king speaks to you, upon the prime-minister, and shake your head.
The prime-minister will ask you what the king said. Say nothing to
him but this: Alas, my poor friend!'"

It was all just as the princess had said.

The king was walking in the garden, with his courtiers and
ministers about him. Beppo came to him, and the king, as he always
did, laid his hand upon Beppo's shoulder and whispered in his ear: "A
word, a word, only a few words; if they be spoken ill, they are ill;
if they be spoken well, they are more precious than gold and
jewels."

While the king was saying these words to Beppo, Beppo was
looking fixedly at the prime-minister. While he did so he shook his
head three times. Then he bowed low and walked away.

He had not gone twenty paces before some one tapped him upon the
arm; it was the prime-minister. Beppo gazed fixedly at him. "Alas, my
poor friend!" said he.

The prime-minister turned pale. "It was, then, as I thought,"
said he. "The king spoke about me. Will you not tell me what he
said?"

Beppo shook his head. "Alas, my poor friend!" said he, and then
he walked on.

The prime-minister still followed him.

"My lord," said he, "I have been aware that his majesty has not
been the same to me for more than a week past. If it was about the
princess, pray tell his majesty that I meant nothing ill when I spoke
of her to him."

Beppo shook his head. "Alas, my poor friend!" he said.

The prime-minister's lips trembled. "My lord," said he, "I have
always had the kindest regard for you, and if there is anything in my
power that I can do for you I hope you will command me. I know how
much you are in his majesty's confidence. Will you not speak a few
words to set the matter straight?"

Beppo again shook his head. "Alas, my poor friend!" said he, and
then he got upon his horse and rode away.

Three days passed.

"This morning," said the princess, "when you go to the king,
look at the prime-minister when the king speaks to you, and smile.
The prime-minister will again speak to you, and this time say, It is
well, and I wish you joy.' Take what he gives you, for it will be of
use."

Again all happened just as the princess said.

Beppo came to the palace, and again the king whispered in his
ear. As he did so Beppo looked at the prime-minister and smiled, and
then he withdrew.

The prime-minister followed him. He trembled. "It is well,"
said Beppo, "and I wish you joy."

The prime-minister grasped his hand and wrung it. "My lord,"
said he, "how can I express my gratitude! The palace of my son that
stands by the river--I would that you would use it for your own, if I
may be so bold as to offer it to you."

"I will," said Beppo, "use it as my own."

The prime-minister wrung his hand again, and then Beppo rode
away.

The next time that Beppo spoke to the king, at the princess's
bidding, he looked at the lord-treasurer, and said, as he had said to
the prime-minister, "Alas, my poor friend!"

When he rode away he left the lord-treasurer as white as ashes
to the very lips.

Three days passed, and then, while the king talked to Beppo,
Beppo looked at the lord-treasurer and smiled.

The lord-treasurer followed him to the door of the palace.

"It is well, and I wish you joy," said Beppo.

The treasurer offered him a fortune.

The next time it was the same with the captain of the guards.
First Beppo pitied him, and then he wished him joy.

"My lord," said the captain of the guards, "my services are
yours at any time."

Then the same thing happened to the governor of the city, then
to this lord, and then to that lord.

Beppo grew rich and powerful beyond measure.

Then one day the princess said: "Now we will go into the town,
and to the palace of the prime-minister's son, which the
prime-minister gave you, for the time is ripe for the end."

In a few days all the court knew that Beppo was living like a
prince in the prime-minister's palace. The king began to wonder what
it all meant, and how all such good-fortune had come to Beppo. He had
grown very tired of always speaking to Beppo the same words.

But Beppo was now great among the great; all the world paid
court to him, and bowed down to him, almost as they did before the
king.

"Now," said the princess, "the time has come to strike. Bid all
the councillors, and all the lords, and all the nobles to meet here
three days hence, for it is now or never that you shall win all and
become king."

Beppo did as she bade. He asked all of the great people of the
kingdom to come to him, and they came. When they were all gathered
together at Beppo's house, they found two thrones set as though for a
king and a queen, but there was no sign of Beppo, and everybody
wondered what it all meant.

Suddenly the door opened and Beppo came into the room, leading
by the hand a lady covered with a veil from head to foot.

Everybody stopped speaking and stood staring while Beppo led the
veiled lady up to one of the thrones. He seated himself upon the
other.

The lady stood up and dropped her veil, and then every one knew
her.

It was the princess. "Do you not know me?" said she; "I am the
queen, and this is my husband. He is your king."

All stood silent for a moment, and then a great shout went up.
"Long live the queen! Long live the king!"

The princess turned to the captain of the guards. "You have
offered your services to my husband," said she; "his commands and my
commands are that you march to the palace and cast out him who hath
no right there."

"It shall be done," said the captain of the guards.

All the troops were up in arms, and the town was full of tumult
and confusion. About midnight they brought the false king before King
Beppo and the queen. The false king stood there trembling like a
leaf. The queen stood gazing at him steadily. "Behold, this is the
husband that thou gavest me," said she. "It is as I said; he is
greater than thou. For, lo, he is king! What art thou?"

The false king was banished out of the country, and the poor
fisherman's wife, who had entertained the princess for all this time,
came to live at the palace, where all was joy and happiness.

"Friend," said St. George, "I like your story. Ne'th'less, tis
like a strolling pedler, in that it carries a great deal of ills to
begin with, to get rid of them all before it gets to the end of its
journey. However, tis as you say--it ends with everybody merry and
feasting, and so I like it. But now methinks our little friend yonder
is big with a story of his own"; and he pointed, as he spoke, with
the stem of his pipe to a little man whom I knew was the brave Tailor
who had killed seven flies at a blow, for he still had around his
waist the belt with the legend that he himself had worked upon it.

"Aye," piped the Tailor in a keen, high voice, "tis true I have
a story inside of me. Tis about another tailor who had a great, big,
black, ugly demon to wait upon him and to sew his clothes for
him."

"And the name of that story, my friend," said the Soldier who
had cheated the Devil, "is what?"

"It hath no name," piped the little Tailor, "but I will give it
one, and it shall be--