28 Fairy Tales

of sheer wantonness, when he had dragged
up heavy buckets from the well, and felt as
if every muscle was stretched to limpness,
would laugh and kick them over, so that
he had to begin again.

“There,” she would say, ‘another time
thou’lt do better.” But that was only her
wickedness.

How Jacob longed for a sight of Krawk’s
black wings! He knew now how foolishly
and ungratefully he had behaved to the raven,
and was always on the watch to slip out of
the house, and see whether he could not get
help from the wise old bird. But he began
to think it was impossible. The woman
was ever at hand, and once when he had
nearly succeeded she caught him by the
hair, dragged him back, and beat him till he
was sore all over, though he was too proud
to cry out.

“There, witch’s brat,” she screamed, ‘‘is
that enough, or dost want more? Tie him
to thy leg, Big Fool, and see he doth not
give thee the slip, or P’'ll serve thee the same.”