through the door, enters
by the window, and creeps in through any crevice which is not blocked
up; and thus was it now.[130]

The old woman returned home by night; and as soon as she came into the
room in the morning, she perceived at once that something was wrong. Her
heart was filled with rage, and she called her daughters one by one, and
severely cross-questioned them. They could not help themselves with lies
and excuses, for lies have short legs, and the cunning old woman soon
discovered what the village cock had crowed in her youngest daughter's
ear behind her back. Then the old woman began to curse so terribly that
it seemed as if she wanted to darken heaven and earth with her
imprecations. At last she threatened to break the neck of the young man
and give his flesh to the wild beasts to devour if he ever ventured near
the house again. The youngest daughter turned as red as a boiled crab,
and found no rest by day nor sleep by night; for the thought oppressed
her ever, that if the youth should return, he might meet his death.
Early in the morning she stole quietly out of the house while her mother
and sisters were still asleep, to breathe the freshness of the dewy
air. As luck would have it, she had learned the language of birds from
her mother when she was still a child, and her knowledge now stood her
in good stead. A raven was sitting in the branches of a pine-tree near,
preening his feathers, and the maiden called to him, "Dear bird of
wisdom, wisest of the race of birds, come to my aid." "What help dost
thou need?" answered the raven. The girl answered, "Fly from the wood
afar into the country, until you reach a stately city with a royal
palace. Endeavour to find the king's son, and warn him of the misfortune
which has come upon us." Then she told the raven the whole story, from
the breaking of the thread to the terrible threat of her mother, and
begged that the youth would never return to the house. The raven
promised to deliver her message, if he could find anybody who understood
his language, and flew away immediately.

The mother would not allow the youngest daughter to work at the
spinning-wheel again, but kept her busy winding the spun thread. This
work would have been easier to the maiden than the other, but her
mother's incessant cursing and scolding gave her no rest from morning
to night. Any attempt to palliate her offence only made matters worse.
If a woman's heart overflows with anger and loosens