He'd hardly gone, when there was a knocking against the window.
She upped and she oped it, and there sure enough was the little old
thing sitting on the ledge.
“Where's the flax?” says he.
“Here it be,” says she. And she gave it to him.
Well, come the evening a knocking came again to the window. She upped
and she oped it, and there was the little old thing with five skeins of
flax on his arm.
“Here it be,” says he, and he gave it to her.
“Now, what's my name?” says he.
“What, is that Bill?” says she.
“Noo, that ain't,” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Is that Ned?” says she.
“Noo, that ain't,” says he, and he twirled his tail.
“Well, is that Mark?” says she.
“Noo, that ain't,” says he, and he twirled his tail harder, and away he
flew.
Well, when her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for
him. “I see I shan't have to kill you to-night, my dear,” says he;
“you'll have your food and your flax in the morning,” says he, and away
he goes.
Well, every day the flax and the food were brought, and every day that
there little black impet used to come mornings and evenings. And all the
day the girl sat trying to think of names to say to it when it came at
night. But she never hit on the right one. And as it got towards the
end of the month, the impet began to look so maliceful, and that twirled
that's tail faster and faster each time she gave a guess.
At last it came to the last day but one. The impet came at night along
with 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, and that
says: “Woman, there's only to-morrow night, and then you'll be mine!”
And away it flew.
Well, she felt that horrid. However, she heard the king coming along the
passage. In he came, and when he sees 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, and as I reckon I shan't have to kill
you, I'll have supper in here to-night.” So they brought supper, and
another stool for him, and down the two sat.
Well, he hadn't eaten but a mouthful or so, when he stops and begins to
laugh.
“What is it?” says she.
“A-why,” says he, “I was out a-hunting to-day, and I got away to a place
in the wood I'd never seen before And there was an old chalk-pit. And I
heard a kind of a sort of a humming. So I got off my hobby, and I went
right quiet to the pit, and I looked down. Well, what should there be
but the funniest little black thing you ever set eyes on. And what was
that doing, but that had a little spinning-wheel, and that was spinning
wonderful fast, and twirling that's tail. And as that span that sang:
“Nimmy nimmy not
My name's Tom Tit Tot.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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