In ancient times, children did not have to go to school every day, as they do now; however, there were no schools then. And instead of school, the children were taught by the village elder, who could barely read a little, write a little and count a little. So the headman gathered in his House everyone who wanted to study. Children studied only in winter, because in early spring the headman and the peasants began sowing work - there was no time for studying. By the way, the children also had something to do: they wore simpler clothes and tended a herd in the meadow or collected brushwood in the forest. And sometimes they all gathered together in some clearing, lit a fire and had fun until the morning.
It was during these times that I am telling you about, that there lived a little shepherd in the village. His name was Vincent, and his nickname was Cricket.
One day he approached his father and said:
- You know, father, in order to earn a living, I will become a seer.
— A seer? You? - Father laughed. - You will become a seer, but a fake one.
- But you'll see! - said Vincent and ran to the meadow to the guys to tell about his intention.
- Let's give him an exam! - the guys decided. “You must guess three things,” they said to Vincent. “If you guess, we’ll consider you a seer, but if you don’t, you’ll get screwed!”
The guys all got together, took a tin plate, put something in it, covered it with a large burdock and placed it in front of Vincent.
- “Tell me, what’s in the plate?”
The boy scratched behind his ear, thought and thought, and, coming up with nothing, said with annoyance:
- Eh, it’s not for nothing that my father told me that I would be a seer,
but only fake ones!
Сбросили ребята лопух с тарелки, а в ней листья липы лежат.
- Well done! — похвалили его.— Разгадал первую загад
ku. Now the second one.
They wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it in four and asked Vincent:
— Что написали мы на этой бумажке?
Vincent again became confused and, regretting that he had boasted ahead of time, muttered as if to himself:
- Eh, Vincent, Vincent!
The guys unfolded the piece of paper and showed the word “Vincent” written on it, which in those distant times meant the number “two thousand.”
— Опять ты угадал!-похвалили его ребята. - Now
the last, third riddle. Well, wait for us a little!
Ушли куда-то и скоро вернулись, держа в руках закрытую коробку.
- Guess what's in it?
Vincent racked his brains, thought and thought, and finally deciding that he could not escape a beating, he exclaimed:
- Well, gotcha, Cricket!
Открыли коробку, а в ней самый настоящий сверчок сидит. It was then that Vincent-Cricket was recognized as a seer. Yes, he himself believed in it and decided to set off on a long journey in order to look at people and at the same time show his great art.
Vincent walked and walked and reached a big city. Just in those days there was a fair and a lot of people gathered there. Vincent was not afraid and announced publicly that he was a great seer and was ready to show his art to anyone who wished.
What a desperate head!
Then a woman ran up to him and asked in doubt, looking at his poor clothes:
-Are you the seer?
— Да, я, Венсан-Сверчок собственной персоной, истинный провидец.
- Then follow me. У моей госпожи украли дорогое кольцо с бриллиантами. Если отыщете вора, она вознаградит вас по-королевски.
Последовал Венсан за служанкой в дом ее госпожи и там узнал, что произошло. It turns out that when she was trimming roses in the garden, she took off the ring and put it on the edge of the fountain. And I forgot it there. Потом спохватилась, а кольца-то и след простыл.
— Сударыня, я найду вора,— уверенно заявил Венсан.— Дайте мне на это три дня!
- ABOUT! Живите у нас сколько захотите! - said the lady. - I will order the best room to be reserved for you, and the most exquisite dishes will be served to you!
“That’s not bad,” Vincent thought to himself. “At least I’ll have a good bed and tasty food for three whole days.” Well, we’ll see then.”
In the evening the servant served him dinner in his room. Vincent had never eaten such delicious food in his life. He ate his fill, left the table and, thinking that one of the three dinners had already been eaten, exclaimed:
- Well, one is already behind!
The servant standing behind Vincent heard these words, turned pale and rushed to the kitchen, where two other servants were impatiently waiting for him. And they waited because they were the ones who conspired to steal the ring.
- He is a real seer! - the servant shouted, rushing
walking into the kitchen. - He saw me and said: “Well, there’s one
It’s already behind us!” I won't go to him for anything else.
And our Vincent spent the night in a soft bed, slept well and went out into the garden in the morning. He admired the flowers, examined the fountain and returned to his room with a satisfied look.
That day another servant brought him lunch. The seer ate and got drunk, got up from the table and said:
“Madam, I will find the thief,” Vincent said confidently. “Give me three days for this!”
- ABOUT! Live with us as long as you want! - said the lady. - I will order the best room to be reserved for you, and the most exquisite dishes will be served to you!
“That’s not bad,” Vincent thought to himself. “At least I’ll have a good bed and delicious food for three whole days.” Well, we’ll see then.”
In the evening the servant served him dinner in his room. Vincent had never eaten such delicious food in his life. He ate his fill, left the table and, thinking that one of the three dinners had already been eaten, exclaimed:
- Well, one is already behind!
The servant standing behind Vincent heard these words, turned pale and rushed to the kitchen, where two other servants were impatiently waiting for him. And they waited because they were the ones who conspired to steal the ring.
- He is a real seer! - the servant shouted, rushing
walking into the kitchen. - He saw me and said: “Well, there’s one
It’s already behind us!” I won't go to him for anything else.
And our Vincent spent the night in a soft bed, slept well and went out into the garden in the morning. He admired the flowers, examined the fountain and returned to his room with a satisfied look.
That day another servant brought him lunch. The seer ate and got drunk, got up from the table and said:
- Tell me, is there a goose in the poultry yard?
- Well, of course! We have fifteen geese and one white gander in our yard.
“Then go after the gander and make him swallow this ring.”
The servants rolled the ring into a ball of sweet dough and slipped it to the white gander. The gander grabbed the sweet lump with his beak and swallowed it instantly.
The next morning, Vincent the Cricket asked him to take him to the madam.
“Madam,” he said, “I found the culprits.”
Nick. The white gander swallowed your ring. Order him
slaughter him, and you will find your ring in his goiter.
The lady cook ordered the white gander to be slaughtered, and a ring was actually found in its goiter.
- Sir! - exclaimed the delighted lady. - Search
Tine, you are a great seer. Receive from my hands generous
reward!
And she handed Vincent a large wallet filled with gold coins.
Vincent set off on his way back and soon found himself at home. He bought himself a good farm and lived happily and happily. He didn’t refuse advice to anyone, and he didn’t like to remember that he was once a seer.
We learned about this story only many years later, but, be that as it may, it went around all of France. And now, for example, when a policeman detains a thief, or a soldier grabs a poacher by the collar, or a boy finds a comrade hiding from him, everyone - the policeman, the soldier, and the boy - always say: “Gotcha, cricket!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru