Truth and Falsehood — Variant 16

Once Falsehood argued with Truth: which is better to live by — falsehood or truth? Falsehood said: it is better to live by falsehood; and Truth insisted: it is better to live by truth. They argued and argued, but neither could out-argue the other. Falsehood says: — Let's go to the scribe, he will judge between us! — Let's go, — Truth answers. So they came to the scribe. — Settle our dispute, — says Falsehood, — which is better to live by — falsehood or truth? The scribe asked: — What are you fighting over? — Over a hundred rubles. — Well then, Truth, you have lost the bet: in our time it is better to live by falsehood. Truth took a hundred rubles from her pocket and gave them to Falsehood, yet she still stood her ground that it is better to live by truth. — Let's go to the judge and see how he decides? — says Falsehood. — If it goes your way, I will pay you a thousand rubles; if it goes my way, you owe me both your eyes. — Very well, let's go. They came to the judge and began to ask: which is better to live by? The judge said the same thing: — In our time it is better to live by falsehood. — Hand over your eyes! — says Falsehood to Truth; she gouged out her eyes and went off where she pleased. Truth was left eyeless, fell face down and crawled by feel. She crawled to a swamp and lay in the grass. At dead midnight the devils gathered there. The chief began asking everyone: who did what? One says: I ruined a soul; another says: I deceived so-and-so; and Falsehood in her turn boasts: — And I won a hundred rubles from Truth and gouged out her eyes! — Eyes are nothing! — says the chief. — It is enough to rub with this local herb — the eyes will come back! Truth lies there listening. Suddenly the roosters crowed, and the devils vanished all at once. Truth picked the herb and began rubbing her eyes: she rubbed one, rubbed the other — and could see as before; she took some of the herb with her and set off on her journey. At that time a certain tsar's daughter had gone blind, and he made a proclamation: whoever cures the tsarevna will be rewarded. Truth applied the herb to her eyes, rubbed and cured her; the tsar rejoiced and rewarded Truth.