s brother:

"Do tell me by what good luck have you grown rich?"

The peasant made a clean breast of everything--how Woe
the Woeful had attached itself to him, how he and Woe had
drunk away all that he had, to the very last thread, so that the
only thing that was left him was the soul in his body. How
Woe showed him a treasure in the open field, how he took that
treasure, and freed himself from Woe into the bargain. The
rich man became envious.

"Suppose I go to the open field," thinks he, "and lift up the
stone and let Woe out. Of a surety it will utterly destroy my
brother, and then he will no longer brag of his riches before me!"

So he sent his wife home, but he himself hastened into the
plain. When he came to the big stone, he pushed it aside, and
knelt down to see what was under it. Before he had managed
to get his head down low enough, Woe had already leapt out
and seated itself on his shoulders.

"Ha!" it cried, "you wanted to starve me to death in here!
No, no! Now will I never on any account depart from you."

"Only hear me, Woe!" said the merchant: "it wasn't I at
all who put you under the stone."

"Who was it then, if it wasn't you?"

"It was my brother put you there, but I came on purpose to
let you out."

"No, no! that's a lie. You tricked me once; you shan't
trick me a second time!"

Woe gripped the rich merchant tight by the neck; the man
had to carry it home, and there everything began to go wrong
with him. From the very first day Woe began again to play
its usual part, every day it called on the merchant to renew his
drinking.[234] Many were the valuables which went in the pot-house.

"Impossible to go on living like this!" says the merchant to
himself. "Surely I've made sport enough for Woe! It's time
to get rid of it--but how?"

He thought and thought, and hit on an idea. Going into the
large yard, he cut two oaken wedges, took a new wheel, and
drove a wedge firmly into one end of its axle-box. Then he
went to where Woe was:

"Hallo, Woe! why are you always idly sprawling there?"

"Why, what is there left for me to do?"

"What is there to do! let's go into the yard and play at
hide-and-seek."

Woe liked the idea. Out they went into the yard. First
the merchant hid himself; Woe found him immediately. Then
it was Woe's turn to hide.

"Now then," says Woe, "you won't find me in a hurry!
T