He held the magic root to the keyhole , and to his astonishment heard all the seven locks creaking and turning , the door flew suddenly wide open , and his greedy wife 's store of gold pieces lay before his eyes . He stood still in sheer amazement , not knowing which to rejoice over most -- this unexpected find , or the proof of the magic root 's real power ; but at last he remembered that it was quite time to be starting on his journey . So , filling his pockets with the gold , he carefully locked the empty cupboard again and left the house without further delay . When Dame Ilse and her daughter returned they wondered to find the house door shut , and Master Peter nowhere to be seen . They knocked and called , but nothing stirred within but the house cat , and at last the blacksmith had to be fetched to open the door . Then the house was searched from garret to cellar , but no Master Peter was to be found . ` Who knows ? ' cried Dame Ilse at last , ` the wretch may have been idling in some tavern since early morning . ' Then a sudden thought startled her , and she felt for her keys . Suppose they had fallen into her good-for-nothing husband 's hands and he had helped himself to her treasure ! But no , the keys were safe in their usual place , and the cupboard looked quite untouched . Mid-day came , then evening , then midnight , and still no Master Peter appeared , and the matter became really serious . Dame Ilse knew right well what a torment she had been to her husband , and remorse caused her the gloomiest forebodings . ` Ah ! Lucia , ' she cried , ' I greatly fear that your father has done himself a mischief . ' And they sat till morning weeping over their own fancies . As soon as it was light they searched every corner of the house again , and examined every nail in the wall and every beam ; but , luckily , Master Peter was not hanging from any of them . After that the neighbours went out with long poles to fish in every ditch and pond , but they found nothing , and then Dame Ilse gave up the idea of ever seeing her husband again and very soon consoled herself , only wondering how the sacks of corn were to be carried to the mill in future . She decided to buy a strong ass to do the work , and having chosen one , and after some bargaining with the owner as to its price , she went to the cupboard in the wall to fetch the money . But what were her feelings when she perceived that every shelf lay empty and bare before her !
For a moment she stood bewildered , then broke into such frightful ravings that Lucia ran to her in alarm ; but as soon as she heard XXXXX the disappearance of the money she was heartily glad , and no longer feared that her father had come to any harm , but understood that he must have gone out into the world to seek his fortune in some new way .
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