"Gode'en, missis," says he, "I've brought thee the heart o' the thing I like the best of all; and I put it hapt in paper on the table." "Aye so?" says she, and looked at him through her spectacles. "Tell me this then, what runs without feet?" He scratched his head, and thought, and thought, but he couldn't tell. "Go thy ways," says she, "thou 'st not fetched me the right thing yet. I've no brains for thee to-day." And she clapt the book together, and turned her back. So off the fool went to tell his mother. But as he got nigh the house, out came folk running to tell him that his mother was dying. And when he got in, his mother only looked at him and smiled as if to say she could leave him with a quiet mind since he had got brains enough now to look after himself--and then she died. So down he sat and the more he thought about it the badder he felt. He minded how she'd nursed him when he was a tiddy brat, and helped him with his lessons, and cooked his dinners, and mended his clouts, and bore with his foolishness; and he felt sorrier and sorrier, while he began to sob and greet. "Oh, mother, mother!" says he, "who'll take care of me now? Thou shouldn't have left me alone, for I liked thee better than everything!" And as he said that, he thought of the words of the wise woman. "Hi, yi!" says he, "must I take mother's heart to her?" "No! I can't do that," says he. "What'll I do? what'll I do to get that pottle o' brains, now I'm alone in the world?" So he thought and thought and thought, and next day he went and borrowed a sack, and bundled his mother in, and carried it on his shoulder up to the wise woman's cottage. "Gode'en, missis," says he, "I reckon I've fetched thee the right thing this time, surely," and he plumped the sack down kerflap! in the doorsill. "Maybe," says the wise woman, "but read me this, now, what's yellow and shining but isn't gold?" And he scratched his head, and thought and thought, but he couldn't tell. "Thou 'st not hit the right thing, my lad," says she. "I doubt thou 'rt a bigger fool than I thought!" and shut the door in his face. "See there!" says he, and set down by the road side and greets. "I've lost the only two things as I cared for, and what else can I find to buy a pottle o' brains with!" and he fair howled, till the tears ran down into his mouth. And up came a lass that lived near at hand, and looked at him. "What's up with thee, fool?" says she. "Oo, I've killed my pig, and lost my mother and I'm nobbut a fool myself," says he, sobbing. "That's bad," says she; "and haven't thee anybody to look after thee?" "No," says he, "and I canna buy my pottle o' brains, for there's nothing I like best left!" "What art talking about?" says she. And down she sets by him, and he told her all about the wise woman and the pig, and his mother and the riddles, and that he was alone in the world. "Well," says she, "I wouldn't mind looking after thee myself." "Could thee do it?" says he.