r, but a few days. One evening, when her
mistress was out, her Fate appeared again and addressed her harshly:
"So, here you are now? Do you think you can escape me?" Then the Fate
tore and destroyed everything that it found, so that poor Catherine
again fled, in her anguish of heart. To cut the matter short, poor
Catherine led this frightful life seven years, flying from one city to
another, and everywhere attempting to find a place. Her Fate always
appeared after a few days, and tore and destroyed her employers' things,
so that the poor girl had to flee. As soon as she had left the house
the Fate restored everything and put it in its place.

Finally, after seven years, her Fate seemed weary of always persecuting
the unfortunate Catherine. One day Catherine came again to a city and
saw a lady standing at a window, who asked her: "Where are you going,
all alone, pretty girl?" "Ah! noble lady, I am a poor girl, and would
like to find a place to earn my bread. Can you not find use for me?" The
lady answered: "I will give you a place willingly, but you must perform
daily a service, and I do not know whether you have strength for it."
"Tell me what it is," said Catherine, "and if I can, I will do it." "Do
you see yonder high mountain?" asked the lady. "Every morning you must
carry up there a large board covered with fresh bread, and cry with a
loud voice: 'O my mistress' Fate! O my mistress' Fate! O my mistress'
Fate!' thrice. Then my Fate will appear and receive the bread." "I will
do that willingly," said Catherine, and the lady took her into her
service.

Now Catherine remained years with this lady, and every morning she took
a board with fresh bread and carried it up the mountain, and when she
had called three times: "O my mistress' Fate!" there appeared a
beautiful tall lady, who received the bread. Catherine often wept when
she thought that she, who had once been so rich, must now serve like a
poor maid. One day her mistress said to her: "Catherine, why do you weep
so much?" Then Catherine told her how ill it had fared with her, and her
mistress said: "I will tell you what, Catherine, when you take the bread
to the mountain to-morrow, ask my Fate to try and persuade your Fate to
leave you now in peace. Perhaps that will do some good." This advice
pleased poor Catherine, and the next morning, after she had taken the
bread to her mistress' Fate, she disclosed her trouble to her, and said:
"O my mistress' Fate, beg my Fa