Oldal 31 [31]
CLEVER GRETHEL. II
came the guest, knocking very genteelly and softly at the front
door. Grethel ran and looked to see who it was, and when
she caught sight of the guest she put her finger on her lip say¬
ing, " Hush! make the best haste you can out of this, for if
my master catches you, it will be bad for you; he asked you
to come to supper, but he really means to cut off your ears!
Just listen how he is sharpening his knife !”
The guest, hearing the noise of the sharpening, made off
as fast as he could go. And Grethel ran screaming to her
master. ‘A pretty guest you have asked to the house !” cried
she.
“ How so, Grethel? what do you mean?” asked he,
‘What indeed!” said she ; " why, he has gone and run away
with my pair of fowls that I had just dished up.”
c Thats pretty sort of conduct!” said the master, feeling
very sorry about the fowls ; "he might at least have left me one,
that I might have had something to eat.” And he called out
to him to stop, but the guest made as if he did not hear him ;
then he ran after him, the knife still in his hand, crying out,
“Only one! only one!” meaning that the guest should let him
have one of the fowls and not take both, but the guest thought
he meant to have only one of his ears, and he ran so much
the faster that he might get home with both of them safe.