Page:Grimm's household tales, volume 2 (1884).djvu/360

346 her out again, but they could not find the place into which she had fallen. Meantime the King's daughter had fallen quite deep down into the earth into a great cave. An old fellow with a very long grey beard came to meet her, and told her that if she would be his servant and do everything he bade her, she might live, if not he would kill her. So she did all he bade her. In the mornings he took his ladder out of his pocket, and set it up against the mountain and climbed to the top by its help, and then he drew up the ladder after him. The princess had to cook his dinner, make his bed, and do all his work, and when he came home again he always brought with him a heap of gold and silver. When she had lived with him for many years, and had grown quite old, he called her Mother Mansrot, and she had to call him Old Rinkrank. Then once when he was out, and she had made his bed and washed his dishes, she shut the doors and windows all fast, and there was one little window through which the light shone in, and this she left open. When Old Rinkrank came home, he knocked at his door, and cried, "Mother Mansrot, open the door for me." "No," said she, "Old Rinkrank, I will not open the door for thee." Then he said,

"I have washed thy dishes already," said she. Then again he said,

"I have made thy bed already," said she. Then again he said,

Then he ran all round his house, and saw that the little window was open, and thought, "I will look in and see