Popular Tales from the Norse Part 33

'What ails you, child?' she said.

'Ah!' said the la.s.sie, with a deep sigh, 'it's no good to tell you, for you'll never be able to help me.'

'Who knows?' said the old wife. 'May be I know how to help you after all.'

Well, thought the la.s.sie to herself, I may as well tell her, and so she told her how her fellow-servants had given out that she was good to spin a pound of flax in four and twenty hours.

'And here am I, wretch that I am, shut up to spin all that heap in a day and a night, when I have never even seen a spinning-wheel in all my born days.'

'Well, never mind, child', said the old woman. 'If you'll call me Aunt on the happiest day of your life, I'll spin this flax for you, and so you may just go away and lie down to sleep.'

Yes, the la.s.sie was willing enough, and off she went and lay down to sleep.

Next morning when she awoke, there lay all the flax spun on the table, and that so clean and fine, no one had ever seen such even and pretty yarn. The queen was very glad to get such nice yarn, and she set greater store by the la.s.sie than ever. But the rest were still more envious, and agreed to tell the queen how the la.s.sie had said she was good to weave the yarn she had spun in four and twenty hours.

So the queen said again, as she had said it she must do it; but if she couldn't quite finish it in four and twenty hours, she wouldn't be too hard upon her, she might have a little more time. This time, too, the la.s.sie dared not say No, but begged for a room to herself, and then she would try. There she sat again, sobbing and crying, and not knowing which way to turn, when another old woman came in and asked:

'What ails you, child?'

At first the la.s.sie wouldn't say, but at last she told her the whole story of her grief.

'Well, well!' said the old wife, 'never mind. If you'll call me Aunt on the happiest day of your life, I'll weave this yarn for you, and so you may just be off, and lie down to sleep.'

Yes, the la.s.sie was willing enough; so she went away and lay down to sleep. When she awoke, there lay the piece of linen on the table, woven so neat and close, no woof could be better. So the la.s.sie took the piece and ran down to the queen, who was very glad to get such beautiful linen, and set greater store than ever by the la.s.sie. But as for the others, they grew still more bitter against her, and thought of nothing but how to find out something to tell about her.

At last they told the queen the la.s.sie had said she was good to make up the piece of linen into s.h.i.+rts in four and twenty hours. Well, all happened as before; the la.s.sie dared not say she couldn't sew; so she was shut up again in a room by herself, and there she sat in tears and grief. But then another old wife came, who said she would sew the s.h.i.+rts for her if she would call her Aunt on the happiest day of her life. The la.s.sie was only too glad to do this, and then she did as the old wife told her, and went and lay down to sleep.

Next morning when she woke she found the piece of linen made up into s.h.i.+rts, which lay on the table--and such beautiful work no one had ever set eyes on; and more than that, the s.h.i.+rts were all marked and ready for wear. So, when the queen saw the work, she was so glad at the way in which it was sewn, that she clapped her hands, and said:

'Such sewing I never had, nor even saw in all my born days'; and after that she was as fond of the la.s.sie as of her own children; and she said to her:

'Now, if you like to have the Prince for your husband, you shall have him; for you will never need to hire work-women. You can sew, and spin, and weave all yourself.'

So as the la.s.sie was pretty, and the Prince was glad to have her, the wedding soon came on. But just as the Prince was going to sit down with the bride to the bridal feast, in came an ugly old hag with a long nose--I'm sure it was three ells long.

So up got the bride and made a curtsey, and said: 'Good-day, Auntie.'

'_That_ Auntie to my bride?' said the Prince.

'Yes, she was!'

'Well, then, she'd better sit down with us to the feast', said the Prince; but, to tell you the truth, both he and the rest thought she was a loathsome woman to have next you.

But just then in came another ugly old hag. She had a back so humped and broad, she had hard work to get through the door. Up jumped the bride in a trice, and greeted her with 'Good-day, Auntie!'

And the Prince asked again if that were his bride's aunt. They both said Yes; so the Prince said, if that were so, she too had better sit down with them to the feast.

But they had scarce taken their seats before another ugly old hag came in, with eyes as large as saucers, and so red and bleared, 'twas gruesome to look at her. But up jumped the bride again, with her 'Good-day, Auntie', and her, too, the Prince asked to sit down; but I can't say he was very glad, for he thought to himself: 'Heaven s.h.i.+eld me from such Aunties as my bride has!' So when he had sat awhile, he could not keep his thoughts to himself any longer, but asked,

'But how, in all the world, can my bride, who is such a lovely la.s.sie, have such loathsome, misshapen Aunts?'

'I'll soon tell you how it is', said the first. 'I was just as good- looking when I was her age; but the reason why I've got this long nose is, because I was always kept sitting, and poking, and nodding over my spinning, and so my nose got stretched and stretched, until it got as long as you now see it.'

'And I', said the second, 'ever since I was young, I have sat and scuttled backwards and forwards over my loom, and that's how my back has got so broad and humped as you now see it.'

'And I', said the third, 'ever since I was little, I have sat, and stared, and sewn, and sewn and stared, night and day; and that's why my eyes have got so ugly and red, and now there's no help for them.'

'So! so! 'said the Prince, ''twas lucky I came to know this; for if folk can get so ugly and loathsome by all this, then my bride shall neither spin, nor weave, nor sew all her life long.'

THE c.o.c.k, THE CUCKOO, AND THE BLACK-c.o.c.k

[This is another of those tales in which the birds' notes must be imitated.]

Once on a time the c.o.c.k, the Cuckoo, and the Black-c.o.c.k bought a cow between them. But when they came to share it, and couldn't agree which should buy the others out, they settled that he who woke first in the morning should have the cow.

So the c.o.c.k woke first.

Now the cow's mine!

Now the cow's mine!

Hurrah! hurrah!

he crew, and as he crew, up awoke the Cuckoo.

Half cow!

Half cow!

sang the Cuckoo, and woke up the Black-c.o.c.k.

A like share, a like share; Dear friends, that's only fair!

Saw see! See saw!

That's what the Black-c.o.c.k said.

And now, can you tell me which of them ought to have the cow?

RICH PETER THE PEDLAR

Once on a time there was a man whom they called Rich Peter the Pedlar, because he used to travel about with a pack, and got so much money, that he became quite rich. This Rich Peter had a daughter, whom he held so dear that all who came to woo her, were sent about their business, for no one was good enough for her, he thought. Well, this went on and on, and at last no one came to woo her, and as years rolled on, Peter began to be afraid that she would die an old maid.

'I wonder now', he said to his wife, 'why suitors no longer come to woo our la.s.s, who is so rich. 'Twould be odd if no body cared to have her, for money she has, and more she shall have. I think I'd better just go off to the Stargazers, and ask them whom she shall have, for not a soul comes to us now.'

'But how', asked the wife, 'can the Stargazers answer that?'

'Can't they?' said Peter; 'why! they read all things in the stars.'