He took with him only a staff , a strong sack , and a little box which his daughter Lucia had given him . It happened that on the very day Peter had chosen for setting out , Lucia and her mother went off early to the town , leaving him to guard the house ; but in spite of that he was on the point of taking his departure when it occurred to him that it might be as well first to test the much-vaunted powers of the magic root for himself . Dame Ilse had a strong cupboard with seven locks built into the wall of her room , in which she kept all the money she had saved , and she wore the key of it always hung about her neck . Master Peter had no control at all of the money affairs of the household , so the contents of this secret hoard were quite unknown to him , and this seemed to be a good opportunity for finding out what they were . 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 XXXXX the wall and every beam ; but , luckily , Master Peter was not hanging from any of them .
at for in into of so that with within without