"Will you enter my service", he asked Little Thumb?
"Why not, if my father is willing", he replied. Then he sprang like a shot from the ear of the ox, and running to his father, whispered, "Father, the merchant wants to hire me, but don't let him have me too cheap. Have no fear for me. I shall return to you very soon, but you must be sure to follow us as soon as he takes me."
When the merchant came to the father to ask if he could hire the clever little chap, the father asked,
"How much will you pay?"
"How much do you want?"
Twenty-one ducats is the wages", said the father.
The merchiant at once consented and paid the price. Then he caught up Palecek carefully and put him in his pocket and off they went.
The father followed them afar off, as Palecek had urged. He soon learned why, for all along the road he found one piece of money after another that had fallen from the merchant's pockets.
Little Thumb, as soon as the merchant had put him so carefully in his pocket, had bitten a hole in it, so that all the money ran out. Then he slipped through the hole himself and hurrying on to meet his father, they went home rejoicing.
The merchant arriving home, called out to his wife before he had reached the gate. "Come and see the marvel I have brought you!"
"What is it", she said, as she ran out to meet him?"
"A wonderful little man, who can do magic work for us. He is worth much gold."
The wife looked around, wondering where he could be. Not seeing any one, "where is he", she asked?
Then the merchant thrusting his hand in his pocket to pull out Palecek, found alas, no Little Thumb, nothing but a great big hole! Not only was Palacek gone, but all his money too.
Then the merchant knew that Palecek had outwitted him.
