Leo Tolstoy

“ The little devil was disappointed that he had not led the peasant into sin, and he went to tell it to the big devil.
He came to the big devil and told how he had stolen the bread, and how the peasant instead of swearing, had wished him good health.
The big devil was very angry.
If the peasant has had the best of you in this matter," he said, " it's your own fault : you were a fool about it. If the peasants and then their women get into that sort of habit, we shall have nothing left to live by. The matter can't be left like this ! Go to that peasant again, and earn your crust. ”

“ No," said the little devil, " I did none of those things. The only thing I did was to give him more bread than he needed. The blood of the beast is always in man but when he earns his bread with labour it hasn't free scope. At first the man was willing to part with his last crust, but when he began to have more bread than he needed, he began also to think how to provide for his pleasures. ”

“ He turned himself into a workman and hired himself out to the poor peasant. The following year was a dry summer, and the little devil told the peasant to sow his corn en marshy ground. All the other peasants' corn was burned up by the sun ; but the poor peasant's corn grew tall and thick and full-eared. The peasant lived on it till the next harvest and still had a lot left. Next summer the little devil told the peasant to sow his corn on the moun- tain. ”