a palace of his own, and
heaps of riches! Oh, dear! oh, dear!"

"Don't laugh, Will," said the wife, "and I'll make you the most
beautiful firmity[2] you ever tasted to-morrow. Don't let him hear you
laughing."

[Footnote 2: _Firmity_: generally written frumenty; wheat boiled in milk
with sugar and fruit.]

"Why, he comes for no harm," said the woodman. "I've never cut down any
trees that he had not marked, and I've always laid his toll of the wood,
neatly cut up, beside his foot-path, so I am not afraid. Besides, don't
you know that he always pays where he lodges, and very handsomely, too?"

"Pays, does he?" said the wife. "Well, but he is an awful creature to
have so near one. I would much rather he had really been an old soldier.
I hope he is not looking after my baby; he shall not have him, let him
offer ever so much."

The more the wife talked, the more the husband laughed at her fears,
till at length he fell asleep, whilst she lay awake, thinking and
thinking, till by degrees she forgot her fears, and began to wonder what
they might expect by way of reward. Hours appeared to pass away during
these thoughts. At length, to her great surprise, while it was still
quite dark, her husband called to her from below:

"Come down, Kitty; only come down to see what the Ouphe has left us."

As quickly as possible Kitty started up and dressed herself, and ran
down the ladder, and then she saw her husband kneeling on the floor over
the knapsack, which the Ouphe had left behind him. Kitty rushed to the
spot, and saw the knapsack bursting open with gold coins, which were
rolling out over the brick floor. Here was good fortune! She began to
pick them up, and count them into her apron. The more she gathered, the
faster they rolled, till she left off counting, out of breath with joy
and surprise.

"What shall we do with all this money?" said the delighted woodman.

They consulted for some time. At last they decided to bury it in the
garden, all but twenty pieces, which they would spend directly.
Accordingly they dug a hole and carefully hid the rest of the money, and
then the woodman went to the town, and soon returned laden with the
things they had agreed upon as desirable possessions; namely, a leg of
mutton, two bottles of wine, a necklace for Kitty, some tea and sugar, a
grand velvet waistcoat, a silver watch, a large clock, a red silk cloak,
and a hat and feather for the baby, a quilted petticoat, a great many
muffins