However, the last day of the last month he takes her to a new room. There was nothing in it but a spinning-wheel and a stool. And he says, “Now, my dear, I’ll shut you here tomorrow with some food and some flax, and if you do not spin five skeins by the night, your head will be cut.[8]” And he went away.
The girl was very frightened, she didn’t know how to spin, and what will she show the king tomorrow? Nobody will come to help her. She sat down on a stool in the kitchen, and began to cry.
Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. She stood up and opened it, and she saw a small black impet with a long tail. He looked at her, and asked:
“Why are you crying?”
“Why do you ask?” says she.
“Tell me,” said he, “why are you crying.”
And he turned his tail around.
So the poor girl told him about the pies, and the skeins, and everything.
“I’ll help you,” says the little black impet, “I’ll come to your window every morning and take the flax and bring it ready at night.”
“What do you want for that?” says she.
He said, “I’ll give you three guesses every night to guess my name, and if you don’t guess it before the end of the month you will be mine.[9]”
Well, she thought, “I’ll guess his name for sure[10]”. “All right,” says she, “I agree.”
The next day, her husband took her into the room, and there was the flax and her food.
“This is the flax,” says he, “and if you don’t spin it this night, you’ll lose your head.” And then he went out and locked the door.
So the girl heard a knock near the window. She stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet.
“Where’s the flax?” says he.
“Here it is,” says she. And she gave it to him.
When the evening came, the knock came again to the window. The girl stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet with five skeins of flax on his arm.
“Here it is,” says he, and he gave it to her.
“Now, what’s my name?” says he.
“Is that Bill?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Is that Ned?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Well, is that Mark?” says she.
“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail harder and flew away.
When her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for him. “Well, I shan’t[11] kill you tonight, my dear,” says he; “you’ll have your food and your flax in the morning,” says he, and goes away.