34 Fairy Tales

over him all the night through, while the
cold was so piercing that he was almost
frozen. In the morning, when she called
him out to work, she had not a word of
pity, and only tossed him a miserable hunch
of hard bread.

“There,” she said. ‘No more to-day
and less to-morrow. Dost like thy lodging,
and the rats, or wilt call the raven?”

Somehow or other, in spite of the past
night, and although his heart was sick, it
was easier for Jacob to say ‘‘ No,” and he
said it once more.

“Then thou shalt starve, as I have sworn.
No more to-day, and less to-morrow.”

But as you have heard she was very crafty,
and cared a great deal more for getting Krawk
into her power than for punishing the boy, so
she tied him again to her husband, and had
him outside the door to chop wood, while
she kept out of sight. For the sun was
shining, and the beautiful bare branches of
the trees stood up clear and strong against
white clouds, and she hoped the sight of it