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Once upon a time there was a large town. And a certain poor little 
French boy there was, who used to walk about the town, trying to find 
something to eat. Then at one time, as he came home after dark, while 
he was there in his house, in came an Englishman who was dressed like 
a lord. 
“My son,” said this man to him; “I have come to fetch you; I have 
only just found out that you are alive,” he told him. 
Then he urged the boy’s mother: “Sister-in-law,” that Englishman 
said to her, “will you give me our boy to bring up?” 
“Yes,” she answered. 
He gave her much money. So he took the boy away with him. Far 
off they came to a great mountain; they arrived there at the mountain. 
Then he removed a large rock from an opening. The boy went in there. 
It was very dark; there was only a faint light. Then the other closed the 
door on him. 
“Just you bring that thing over there, boy, that lamp!” 
The boy took it. He went to the door. 
“Hand me it! Afterwards you will come out; first give me the lamp!” 
he said to the boy. 
“No,” said the boy; “You will lock me in.” 
Then, “Hurry up and hand it to me!” 
At last that Englishman got angry. He locked the boy in the cave. 
He could not see anything. Presently he rubbed his hand and found that 
a ring had slipped on his finger. 
“What is it, you who are my master?” the ring asked him. 
“I want to go out.” 
“Speak thus: 'Six door, go open!’ Say that, boy,” it told him. 
Then the boy, “Six door, go open!” 
Thereupon it opened. The boy went out. He had a lamp. And that 
ring always talked to him. Then he went from there, homeward. When 
he reached home, he told his mother the tale. 
“Now give me something to wipe off my lamp,” he told her. 
She gave him something; he wiped it. 
“What do you desire, you who are my master?” a giant asked him. 
He frightened him, coming out of the lamp. 
“That you build me a very fine house,” he told him. 
“Very well,” said the other to him. 
Then while they slept he had already finished it, and very beautiful 
it was. The boy took good care of the lamp. 
“Whenever you desire no matter what, you will rub this lamp and 
ring. No matter where I am, when you bid it, I shall be there. You will 
fail of nothing,” he said to the boy. 
Then at one time, as they dwelt there, that evil Englishman took 
some ashes; he put them into a little wooden box. From the pattern of 
the ashes there he saw that the boy was alive and that he had that magic 
lamp. Then he collected beautiful lamps; he went off with them, to buy 
worthless lamps wherever he came, giving good lamps in return. At last 
he came to the boy. The old woman was alone at home. 
He asked her, “Haven’t you perhaps some worthless old lamp? I 
will give you a good one for it.” 
