n ever, and ran and hid myself in the thicket of the wood,
half-dead with fear, and wondering what would become of me. But
finding that no one followed after me, I grew calmer, and the storm
also drew off, and the sun shone out a little before his setting: so I
sat and spun, with fear in my heart, till I had finished my tale of
thread, and when dusk came, stole back again to the house, though my
legs would scarce bear me over the threshold into the chamber.

"There sat the woman in her rich attire no otherwise than her wont, nor
did she say aught to me; but looked at the yarn that I had spun, to see
that I had done my task, and nodded sternly to me as her wont was, and
I went to bed amongst my goats as I was used to do, but slept not till
towards morning, and then images of dreadful things, and of miseries
that I may not tell thee of, mingled with my sleep for long.

"So I awoke and ate my meat and drank of the goats' milk with a heavy
heart, and then went into the house; and when I came into the chamber
the woman looked at me, and contrary to her wont spoke to me, and I
shook with terror at her voice; though she said naught but this: 'Go
fetch thy white goat and come back to me therewith.' I did so, and
followed after her, sick with fear; and she led me through the wood
into a lawn which I knew well, round which was a wall, as it were, of
great yew trees, and amidst, a table of stone, made of four uprights
and a great stone plank on the top of them; and this was the only thing
in all the wood wherein I was used to wander which was of man's
handiwork, save and except our house, and the sheds and fences about it.

"The woman stayed and leaned against this stonework and said to me: 'Go
about now and gather dry sticks for a fire.' I durst do naught else,
and said to myself that I should be whipped if I were tardy, though,
forsooth, I thought she was going to kill me; and I brought her a
bundle, and she said, 'Fetch more.' And when I had brought her seven
bundles, she said: 'It is enough: stand over against me and hearken.'
So I stood there quaking; for my fear, which had somewhat abated while
I went to and fro after the wood, now came back upon me tenfold.

"She said: 'It were thy due that I should slay thee here and now, as
thou slayest the partridges which thou takest in thy springes: but for
certain causes I will not slay thee. Again, it were no more than thy
earnings were I to torment thee till thou shouldst cry