would confess ; "I was hungry--I have eaten it." The lie was so probable, he
was believed easily, and was well beaten accordingly. Down in the ragged
linings of his coat Tiki-pu could hear the candle-ends rattling as the
buffeting and chastisement fell upon him, and often he trembled lest his hoard
should be discovered. But the truth of the matter never leaked out and at
night, as soon as he guessed that all the world outside was in bed, Tiki-pu
would mount one of his candles on a wooden stand and paint by the light of it,
blinding himself over his task, till the dawn came and gave him a better and
cheaper light to work by.

Tiki-pu quite hugged himself over the results; he believed he was doing very
well. "If only Wio-wani were here to teach me," thought he, "I would be in the
way of becoming a great painter!"

The resolution came to him one night that Wio-wani should teach him. So he
took a large piece of rice-paper and strained it, and sitting down opposite
"Wio-wani's back-door," began painting. He had never set himself so big a task
as this; by the dim stumbling light of his candle he strained his eyes nearly
blind over the difficulties of it; and at last was almost driven to despair.
How the trees stood row behind row, with air and sunlight between, and how the
path went in and out, winding its way up to the little door in the palace-wall
were mysteries he could not fathom. He peered and peered and dropped tears
into his paint-pots; but the secret of the mystery of such painting was far
beyond him.

The door in the palace-wall opened; out came a little old man and began
walking down the pathway towards him.

The soul of Tiki-pu gave a sharp leap in his grubby little body. "That must be
Wio-wani himself and no other!" cried his soul.