The Pink Fairy Book, part 16 · page 21 2101He was just as well as ever after doing this, and they got their broth without further trouble.102The troll then gave the old man a sackful of money, and laden with this he betook himself homewards.103When he came near his home he remembered that he had a cow about to calve, so he laid down the money on the ground, ran home as fast as he could, and asked his wife whether the cow had calved yet.104‘What kind of a hurry is this to come home in?’ said she.105‘No, the cow has not calved yet.’106‘Then you must come out and help me in with a sackful of money,’ said the man.107‘A sackful of money?’ cried his wife.108‘Yes, a sackful of money,’ said he.109‘Is that so very wonderful?’110His wife did not believe very much what he told her, but she humoured him, and went out with him.111When they came to the spot where he had left it there was no money there; a thief had come along and stolen it.112His wife then grew angry and scolded him heartily.113‘Well, well!’ said he, ‘hang the money!114I know what I have learned.’115‘What have you learned?’ said she.116‘Ah!117I know that,’ said the man.118After some time had passed the man had a mind to visit his second eldest daughter.119His wife again gave him some dry bread to eat, and when he grew tired and hungry he sat down on the east side of a mound and began to eat it.120As he sat there his daughter came up out of the mound, and invited him to come inside, which he did very willingly.121Soon after this the troll came home.122It was dark by that time, and his wife bade him go and buy some candles.123‘Oh, we shall soon get a light,’ said the troll.124With that he dipped his fingers into the fire, and they then gave light without being burned in the least.125The old man got two sacks of money here, and plodded away homewards with these.126When he was very nearly home he again thought of the cow that was with calf, so he laid down the money, ran home, and asked his wife whether the cow had calved yet.127‘Whatever is the matter with you?’ said she.128‘You come hurrying as if the whole house was about to fall.129You may set your mind at rest: the cow has not calved yet.’130The man now asked her to come and help him home with the two sacks of money.131She did not believe him very much, but he continued to assure her that it was quite true, till at last she gave in and went with him.132When they came to the spot there had again been a thief there and taken the money.133It was no wonder that the woman was angry about this, but the man only said, ‘Ah, if you only knew what I have learned.’134A third time the man set out--to visit his eldest daughter.135When he came to a mound he sat down on the east side of it and ate the dry bread which his wife had given him to take with him.136The daughter then came out of the mound and invited her father to come inside.137In a little the troll came home, and his wife asked him to go and buy some fish.138‘We can get them much more easily than that,’ said the troll.139‘Give me your dough trough and your ladle.’140They seated themselves in the trough, and rowed out on the lake which was beside the mound.141When they had got out a little way the troll said to his wife, ‘Are my eyes green?’142‘No, not yet,’ said she.143He rowed on a little further and asked again, ‘Are my eyes not green yet?’144‘Yes,’ said his wife, ‘they are green now.’145Then the troll sprang into the water and ladled up so many fish that in a short time the trough could hold no more.146They then rowed home again, and had a good meal off the fish.147The old man now got three sacks full of money, and set off home with them.148When he was almost home the cow again came into his head, and he laid down the money.149This time, however, he took his wooden shoes and laid them above the money, thinking that no one would take it after that.150Then he ran home and asked his wife whether the cow had calved.151It had not, and she scolded him again for behaving in this way, but in the end he persuaded her to go with him to help him with the three sacks of money.152When they came to the spot they found only the wooden shoes, for a thief had come along in the meantime and taken all the money.153The woman was very angry, and broke out upon her husband; but he took it all very quietly, and only said, ‘Hang the money!154I know what I have learned.’155‘What have you learned I should like to know?’ said his wife.156‘You will see that yet,’ said the man.157One day his wife took a fancy for broth, and said to him, ‘Oh, go to the village, and buy a piece of beef to make broth.’158‘There’s no need of that,’ said he; ‘we can get it an easier way.’159With that he drove a spike into a beam, and ran his head against it, and in consequence had to lie in bed for a long time afterwards.160After he had recovered from this his wife asked him one day to go and buy candles, as they had none.161‘No,’ he said, ‘there’s no need for that;’ and he stuck his hand into the fire.162This also made him take to bed for a good while.163When he had got better again his wife one day wanted fish, and asked him to go and buy some.164The man, however, wished again to show what he had learned, so he asked her to come along with him and bring her dough trough and a ladle.165They both seated themselves in this, and rowed upon the lake.166When they had got out a little way the man said, ‘Are my eyes green?’1 2← previousThe Pink Fairy Book, part 15next →The Pink Fairy Book, part 17↑ back to The Pink Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg5615/16/page/2/