“Here it be,” says she. And she gonned⁴

Well, in the evening a knockin’ came again to the window. She upped and she oped it, and there were the little old thing with five skeins of flax on his arm.

“Here te be,” says he, and he gonned it to her.

“Now, what’s my name?” says he.

“What, is that Bill?” says she.

“Noo, that ain’t,” says he, an’ he twirled his tail.

“Is that Ned?” says she.

“Noo, that ain’t,” says he, an’ he twirled his tail.

“Well, is that Mark?” says she.

“Noo, that ain’t,” says he, an’ he twirled his tail harder an’ away he flew.

Well, when her husband he come in, there was the five skeins ready for him. “I see I shan’t have for to kill you to-night, my dear,” says he; “you’ll have your vittles and your flax in the mornin’,” says he, an’ away he goes.

Well, every day the flax an’ the vittles they was brought, an’ every day that there little black impet used for to come mornings and evenings. An’ all the day the mawther she set a-trying for to think of names to say to it when it come at night. But she never hit on the right one. An’ as it got towards the end o’ the month, the impet that began for to look so maliceful, an’ that twirled that’s tail faster an’ faster each time she gave a guess.

At last it came to the last day but one. The impet, that came at night along o’ the five skeins, and that said:

“What, ain’t you got my name yet?”

“Is that Nicodemus?” says she.

“Noo, t’ain’t,” that says.

“Is that Sammle?” says she.

“Noo, t’ain’t,” that says.

“A-well, is that Methusalem?” says she.

“Noo, t’ain’t that neither,” that says.

Then that looks at her with that’s eyes like a coal o’ fire, an’ that says: “Woman, there’s only to-morrow night, an’ then you’ll be mine!” An’ away it flew.

Well, she felt that horrid. Howsomeover, she heard the king a-comin’ along the passage. In he came, an’ when he see the five skeins, he says, says he:

“Well, my dear,” says he, “I don’t see but what you’ll have your skeins ready to-morrow night as well, an’ as I reckon I sha’n’t have to kill you, I’ll have supper in here to-night.” So they brought supper an’ another stool for him, and down the two they sat.