Well, the Smith lived in good accord with the Demon for some ten years. Then he fell ill and died. His son succeeded to his place as head of the household, and took the smithy into his own hands. But he was not disposed to show attention to the Demon as the old man had done. When he went into the smithy in the morning, he never said "Good morrow" to him; instead of offering him a kindly word, he took the biggest hammer he had handy, and thumped the Demon with it three times right on the forehead, and then he would go to his work. And when one of God's holy days came round, he would go to church and offer each saint a taper; but he would go up to the Demon and spit in his face. Thus three years went by, he all the while favoring the Evil One every morning either with a spitting or with a hammering. The Demon endured it and endured it, and at last found it past all endurance. It was too much for him. "I've had quite enough of this insolence from him!" thinks he. "Suppose I make use of a little diplomacy, and play him some sort of a trick!" So the Demon took the form of a youth, and went to the smithy. "Good day, uncle!" says he. "Good day!" "What should you say, uncle, to taking me as an apprentice? At all events, I could carry fuel for you, and blow the bellows." The Smith liked the idea. "Why shouldn't I?" he replied. "Two are better than one." The Demon began to learn his trade; at the end of a month he knew more about smith's work than his master did himself, was able to do everything that his master couldn't do. It was a real pleasure to look at him! There's no describing how satisfied his master was with him, how fond he got of him. Sometimes the master didn't go into the smithy at all himself, but trusted entirely to his journeyman, who had complete charge of everything. Well, it happened one day that the master was not at home, and the journeyman was left all by himself in the smithy. Presently he saw an old lady[70] driving along the street in her carriage, whereupon he popped his head out of doors and began shouting:-- "Heigh, sirs! Be so good as to step in here! We've opened a new business here; we turn old folks into young ones." Out of her carriage jumped the lady in a trice, and ran into the smithy. "What's that you're bragging about? Do you mean to say it's true? Can you really do it?" she asked the youth. "We haven't got to learn our business!" answered the Demon. "If I hadn't been able to do it, I wouldn't have invited people to try." "And how much does it cost?" asked the lady. "Five hundred roubles altogether." "Well, then, there's your money; make a young woman of me." The Demon took the money; then he sent the lady's coachman into the village. "Go," says he, "and bring me here two buckets full of milk."