From that day, whenever they wanted food they went to the hut, and though the robin could not speak, he would hop on their shoulders and let them feed him with the food they knew he liked best. When the man came back he found the girl looking so much prettier and fatter than when he had left her, that he insisted that they should be married on the spot. And the mother, who did not know how to get rid of him, gave in. The husband spent all his time in hunting, and the family had never had so much meat before; but the man, who had seen for himself how poor they were, noticed with amazement that they did not seem to care about it, or to be hungry. “They must get food from somewhere,” he thought, and one morning, when he pretended to be going out to hunt, he hid in a thicket to watch. Very soon they all left the house together, and walked to the other hut, which the girl’s husband saw for the first time, as it was hid in a hollow. He followed, and noticed that each one went up to the redbreast, and shook him by the claw; and he then entered boldly and shook the bird’s claw too. The whole party afterwards sat down to dinner, after which they all returned to their own hut. The next day the husband declared that he was very ill, and could not eat anything; but this was only a presence so that he might get what he wanted. The family were all much distressed, and begged him to tell them what food he fancied. “Oh! I could not eat any food,” he answered every time, and at each answer his voice grew fainter and fainter, till they thought he would die from weakness before their eyes. “There must be some thing you could take, if you would only say what it is,” implored his wife. “No, nothing, nothing; except, perhaps—but of course that is impossible!” “No, I am sure it is not,” replied she; “you shall have it, I promise—only tell me what it is.” “I think—but I could not ask you to do such a thing. Leave me alone, and let me die quietly.” “You shall not die,” cried the girl, who was very fond of her husband, for he did not beat her as most girls’ husbands did. “Whatever it is, I will manage to get it for you.” “Well, then, I think, if I had that—redbreast, nicely roasted, I could eat a little bit of his wing!” The wife started back in horror at such a request; but the man turned his face to the wall, and took no notice, as he thought it was better to leave her to herself for a little. Weeping and wringing her hands, the girl went down to her mother. The brothers were very angry when they heard the story, and declared that, if any one were to die, it certainly should not be the robin. But all that night the man seemed getting weaker and weaker, and at last, quite early, the wife crept out, and stealing to the hut, killed the bird, and brought him home to her husband.