The Stolen Pennies

 7/154. The Stolen Pennies (Der gestohlene Heller)

A father was one day sitting at dinner with his wife and his children, and a good friend who had come on a visit was with them. And as they thus sat, and it was striking twelve o’clock, the stranger saw the door open, and a very pale child dressed in snow-white clothes came in. It did not look around, and it did not speak; but went straight into the next room. Soon afterwards it came back, and went out at the door again in the same quiet manner. On the second and on the third day, it came also exactly in the same way. At last the stranger asked the father to whom the beautiful child that went into the next room every day at noon belonged? “I have never seen it,” said he, neither did he know to whom it could belong. The next day when it again came, the stranger pointed it out to the father, who however did not see it, and the mother and the children also all saw nothing. On this the stranger got up, went to the room door, opened it a little, and peeped in. Then he saw the child sitting on the ground, and digging and seeking about industriously amongst the crevices between the boards of the floor, but when it saw the stranger, it disappeared. He now told what he had seen and described the child exactly, and the mother recognized it, and said, “Ah, it is my dear child who died a month ago.” They took up the boards and found two pennies which the child had once received from its mother that it might give them to a poor man; it, however, had thought, “Thou canst buy thyself a biscuit for that,” and had kept the pennies, and hidden them in the openings between the boards; and therefore it had had no rest in its grave, and had come every day at noon to seek for these pennies. The parents gave the money at once to a poor man, and after that the child was never seen again.

My Notes

• This is the translation of Margaret Hunt with minor edits.
• This is tale type 769 (A Child Returns From the Dead)
• The title in German literally translates to "The Stolen Penny." I have changed it to the plural for consistency.
• This story was present in all seven editions of Grimms' collection, but was placed as the seventh tale in the original 1812 edition. It was changed to the 154th tale for the 1819 second edition.

1812 version

A father was sitting at the table at noon with his wife and children, and a good friend who was visiting him. As they were sitting like that the clock struck twelve, and the stranger saw the door open and a pale little child dressed in snow-white clothes come in. It didn't look around, and didn't speak, but went quietly into the room next door. Soon afterwards it came back, and just as quietly went away again. On the second and third day the same child came back, and the stranger asked the father who the beautiful child that went into the room every day at noon belonged to. The father replied that he didn't know anything about it and had never seen it. The next day, when twelve o'clock struck and it came in again, the stranger showed it to the father, but he saw nothing, and neither did the mother or the children. The stranger got up, went to the door, opened it a little and looked in. Then he saw the pale little child sitting on the ground and busily digging and digging in the floorboard cracks with its fingers, but when it noticed the stranger it disappeared. Then the stranger related what he had seen and described the child in detail, and the mother recognized it and said, "Oh! That is my dear child who died four weeks ago." So they broke open the floorboards and found two pennies, which the child was once supposed to give to a poor man, but had thought, "You can get some biscuits for that," and had kept the pennies and hidden them in the cracks in the floorboards, and then there was no rest for the child and it had to come every midday and look for the pennies. So they gave the money to a poor man, and after that the little child was never seen again.