‘Shall we take with us some of the stones of the beach?’ say they.
‘It is better to get permission’, says the elder.
The gillie again gets permission.
‘It is the better to get permission’, says the elder who was in the church. ‘Howbeit’, saith he, ‘they who shall take them will be mournful; and mournful, too, will be they who shall not take them.’
Some of them take one stone: some two stones: some three stones. When it was morning on the morrow they drank draughts of the water of the island, and it cast them into heavy sleep from one hour to another. On rising out of their sleep they all took their stones, whereof one was crystal, another was silver, another was gold. Mournful was he who took any of them with him, and mournful was he who took none, to wit, he who took somewhat was mournful because of the smallness of his taking: so thus the words of the old man were fulfilled.