“After Charles had gone for quite a while, thinking feverishly all the time how to get the ship quickly, he remembered what the beggar had said, ”You better leave that alone!”

“And in his mind doubts about his undertaking grew. More and more mightily they shot up within him, and the more he thought of the old man and his words, the more evident it became to him how unbelievable and unprofitable this idea actually was: to set out to get a ship that should also travel over land and even through the air; and then to take only enough food as to travel to the court of the czar without starving.

“And the doubt kept gnawing at his conscience. Finally Charles was sure that he was going the wrong way.
Without hesitating he turned around and rushed homeward.

“Should the youngest brother seek his fortune!
He himself was free from such nonsense, ”A ship that can travel over water and land, and even through the air,” that was the craziest thing Charles could think of!

“He knew the purchase of cereals and the selling of exquisite flour; there, in his field of expertise, he was respected by his family and friends - even in many parts of the world.
After all he delivered a good merchandise for an acceptable price.

“But to look for a flying ship, that travelled over land as well - his friends should better not hear of it. They would laugh at him, declare him insane, and unfortunately they were right.

The czar has ideas, naturally at the expense of others; for he demands others to realize them. Certainly he did not believe himself something so absurd; there you are: he does not want to get his daughter married at all and therefore he comes up with such unfeasible speculations.

“How good, that he, Charles, had been managing so successfully and had created profit, and how prudent too that he had turned around in time.
Certainly the father only wanted to find out if he had not been mistaken with him; for how was he to manage the worldwide purchase and sale of the goods with all its risks and problems: first of all one had to find good and successful farmers that were not too good at business; then the tough bargaining began - and all of it in different languages and dialects which hardly anyone understood; and finally he had to sell the ground corn again as flour.

“It was almost impossible to explain to someone how strict the rules were by which the father and the brother ground the grain and that therefore the price was justified. He himself was not even sure about the technique of grinding but the satisfied faces of the customers spoke a language that convinced Charles.
Therefore he was proud of his father and his elder brother for they delivered him quality for the high clientele.

“He knew well enough: he, Charles, was needed every minute; for the money had to come.

“Instead he had ventured about in the world, believing the strangest ideas of the czar.