The Crimson Fairy Book, part 21 · page 21 2101If you want food you must earn it.”102And the beggar went on.103After the young man had finished his dinner he rose and walked on for several hours, till he reached a second hill, where he threw himself down on the grass, and took some bread and milk from his wallet.104While he was eating and drinking, there came by an old man, yet more wretched than the first, and begged for a few mouthfuls.checked by a teacher105But instead of food he only got hard words, and limped sadly away.106Towards evening the young man reached an open space in the wood, and by this time he thought he would like some supper.107The birds saw the food, and flew round his head in numbers hoping for some crumbs, but he threw stones at them, and frightened them off.108Then he began to wonder where he should sleep.109Not in the open space he was in, for that was bare and cold, and though he had walked a long way that day, and was tired, he dragged himself up, and went on seeking for a shelter.110At length he saw a deep sort of hole or cave under a great rock, and as it seemed quite empty, he went in, and lay down in a corner.111About midnight he was awakened by a noise, and peeping out he beheld a terrible ogress approaching.112He implored her not to hurt him, but to let him stay there for the rest of the night, to which she consented, on condition that he should spend the next day in doing any task which she might choose to set him.113To this the young man willingly agreed, and turned over and went to sleep again.checked by a teacher114In the morning, the ogress bade him sweep the dust out of the cave, and to have it clean before her return in the evening, otherwise it would be the worse for him.checked by a teacher115Then she left the cave.1 2← previousThe Crimson Fairy Book, part 20next →The Crimson Fairy Book, part 22↑ back to The Crimson Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg2435/21/page/2/