George Webbe Dasent

“ Now when they sat down to dinner, the Prince who had served with the Giant said he thought they ought to ask the maiden who had lent them her shovel-handle and porch-door, and calf, to come up to the palace.
"For," said he, "if we hadn't got these three things, we should have been sticking here still."
Yes; the King thought that only fair and right, so he sent five of his best men down to the gilded hut to greet the maiden from the King, and to ask her if she wouldn't be so good as to come up and dine at the palace. ”

“ So he went on his way, and did just as the Mastermaid had told him; and when he reached the rock he took up the club and gave a great thump. Then the rock opened, and out came one whose face glistened, and out of whose eyes and nostrils new sparks of fire.
"What is your will?" said he.
"Oh! I'm only come from the Giant to fetch his fire-tax," said the Prince.
"How much will you have then?" said the other.
"I never wish for more than I am able to carry," said the Prince.
"Lucky for you that you did not ask for a whole horse-load," said he who came out of the rock ”

“ Then the Mastermaid said,—
"God grant that you may hold the shovel, and the shovel you, and may you heap hot burning coals over yourself till morning breaks."
So there stood the Constable all night long, shovelling hot burning coals over himself; and though he begged, and prayed, and wept, the coals were not a bit colder for that; but as soon as day broke, and he had power to cast away the shovel, he did not stay long, as you may fancy, but set off as if the Evil One or the bailiff were at his heels ”

“ When you get near it, fire and flame will come out of its nostrils, as out of a tar barrel; but look out, and take the bit which hangs behind the door yonder, and throw it right into his jaws, and he will grow so tame that you may do what you like with him. ”

“ So at even he came back with a great fat sack of money—I think it was a whole bushel sack—and set it down on the bench; and the long and the short of the matter was, that he was to have her, and they went to bed. But all at once the Mastermaid had forgotten to shut the door of the porch, and she must get up and make it fast for the night.
"What, you do that!" said the Attorney, "while I lie here; that can never be; lie still while I go and do it." ”

“ As he was a great man, he went a little slower than the Attorney and the Constable, but the slower he went the more time people had to gape and stare at him; and I must say they made good use of their time, for he was terribly tattered and torn, after his dance with the calf.
Next day was fixed for the wedding at the palace, and the eldest brother was to drive to church with his bride, and the younger, who had lived with the Giant, with the bride's sister. But when they had got into the coach, and were just going to drive off, one of the trace-pins snapped off ”

“ So they set to work to make a new bottom as they best might; but it mattered not how many nails they put into it, nor of what wood they made it, for as soon as ever they got the bottom well into the coach and were driving off, snap it went in two again, and they were even worse off than when they lost the trace-pin. Just then the Attorney said—for if the Constable was there, you may fancy the Attorney was there too—"Away yonder, in the copse, lives a maiden, and if you could only get her to lend you one-half of her porch-door, I know it can hold together." ”