A short time afterwards, as the door was still heavy, Catherine said,
“Ah, Frederick, I must pour out the vinegar.” “No, Catherine, you must
not, it might betray us.” “Ah, but, Frederick, I must, it weighs me
down far too much.” “Then do it and be hanged!” So she emptied out the
vinegar, and it besprinkled the robbers. They said amongst themselves,
“The dew is already falling.” At length Catherine thought, “Can it
really be the door which weighs me down so?” and said, “Frederick, I
must throw the door down.” “No, not now, Catherine, it might discover
us.” “Oh, but, Frederick, I must. It weighs me down far too much.” “Oh,
no, Catherine, do hold it fast.” “Ah, Frederick, I am letting it fall!”
“Let it go, then, in the devil’s name.” Then it fell down with a
violent clatter, and the rascals below cried, “The devil is coming down
the tree!” and they ran away and left everything behind them. Early
next morning, when the two came down they found all their gold again,
and carried it home.
When they were once more at home, Frederick said, “And now, Catherine,
you, too, must be industrious and work.” “Yes, Frederick, I will soon
do that, I will go into the field and cut corn.” When Catherine got
into the field, she said to herself, “Shall I eat before I cut, or
shall I sleep before I cut? Oh, I will eat first.” Then Catherine ate
and eating made her sleepy, and she began to cut, and half in a dream
cut all her clothes to pieces, her apron, her gown, and her shift. When
Catherine awoke again after a long sleep she was standing there
half-naked, and said to herself, “Is it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is
not I.” In the meantime night came, and Catherine ran into the village,
knocked at her husband’s window, and cried, “Frederick.”
“What is the matter?” “I should very much like to know if Catherine is
in?” “Yes, yes,” replied Frederick, “she must be in and asleep.”
Said she, “’Tis well, then I am certainly at home already,” and ran
away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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