As the good Cardinal was a great lover of sweetmeats, especially of those that came from the Canaries in barrels, he would always send for more when his stock was out; and when the barrels were empty they became the property of the first servant who took possession. One fell to my share in this manner, in which I kept my handkerchiefs, cards, dice, and other effects of a poor page. One day a man called to inform his Eminence that a merchant had just received twelve barrels of fruits of this description. The Cardinal ordered them for himself. I heard this order given, and said within myself, it shall go hard but I have one of them. I retired to my chamber to consider how I could make myself master of one, and resolved on this plan: I instantly emptied my barrel of my old rags, and having filled it with earth and straw, I closed it down, and put on the hoops again so neatly that it looked as if it had never been opened. This done, I went down into the court-yard to wait the arrival of those that were full of sweetmeats. I had not waited long before I perceived them coming with the Major-domo at their head, who ordered us to carry them immediately into the closet where his Eminence usually kept them. Each of my comrades carried up a barrel. I took good care to be the last with mine, having my reasons for wishing to walk after all the rest. We were necessarily to pass by my chamber, so that seeing myself followed by no one, I slipped in unperceived, and changing the barrels in the twinkling of an eye, carried the one I had so well filled with earth and straw, and laid it boldly among the rest in the Cardinal’s closet. His Eminence was himself there to see them, and when they were all arranged in order he turned towards me with a smile on his countenance and said: “well, Guzman, what think you of these barrels? it will not be so easy a matter to thrust an arm into these, or to use wedges as with the former ones.” “If wedges will not do,” replied I, coolly, “I may be tempted to employ my nails, for the hand sometimes does the office of the arm.” “Ah!” replied his Eminence, “but I defy thee to pilfer these barrels, which have no corners to be lifted up as the chest had.” “True,” replied I, “but I beseech your Eminence not to defy me in any thing; for the devil may in such a case furnish me with the means of deceiving you.” “Be that as it may,” cried the Cardinal, “I give you leave with all my heart to steal these sweetmeats if you can, and I give you eight days to do it in. Should you be dexterous enough to succeed, you shall not only be allowed to keep what you steal, but I promise you as much more: on condition, however, that should your genius be obliged to yield, you will without murmuring submit to whatever penalty I may choose to inflict.”