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护身符

　　“Yes， that we are， said the man. “God be praised; no prince or princess could be happier than we are!

　　“Now listen then， said the Prince. “Do us a favor， and you shall never reGREt it. Give us a small piece of the linen garment you wear close to your body!

　　As he spoke， the shepherd and his wife looked strangely at each other， and finally he said， “God knows we would be only too happy to give you not only a small piece， but the whole shirt， or undergarment， if we only had them， but we own not as much as a rag!

　　So the Prince and the Princess journeyed on， their mission unaccomplished. Finally， their unsuccessful roaming discouraged them， and they decided to return home. As they passed the wise man's hut， they stopped by， related all their travel experiences， and reproached him for giving them such poor advice.

　　At that the wise man smiled and said， “Has your trip really been all in vain? Are you not returning richer in knowledge?

　　“Yes， answered the Prince， “I have gained this knowledge， that contentment is a rare gift on this earth.

　　“And I have learned， said the Princess， “that to be contented， one needs nothing more than simply - to be contented!

　　Whereupon the Prince took the Princess' hand; they looked at each other with an expression of deepest love. And the wise man blessed them and said， “In your own hearts you have found the true talisman! Guard it carefully， and the evil spirit of discontentment shall never in all eternity have any power over you!