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格林童話故事第185篇：智者神偷The master-thief
《智者神偷》是格林童話故事之一，下面是小編收集的這篇童話故事的中英文對(duì)照，歡迎大家閱讀與學(xué)習(xí)。
從前，一對(duì)老夫婦剛干完一天的活，正坐在他們的破屋前，突然遠(yuǎn)處駛來(lái)了一架漂亮的馬車，馬車由四匹黑馬拉著，車上下來(lái)了一位衣著華麗的人。農(nóng)夫站起身來(lái)，走到大人物跟前，問(wèn)他需要什么，可否為他效勞。陌生人向老人伸出了一只手，說(shuō)："我不要?jiǎng)e的，只想吃一頓農(nóng)家的便飯，就像平常一樣給我弄一頓土豆，到時(shí)我會(huì)到桌上放開(kāi)肚皮吃一頓。"農(nóng)夫笑道："你準(zhǔn)是個(gè)伯爵或侯爵，要么就是位公爵，高貴的老爺們常有這種欲望，不過(guò)我會(huì)滿足你的。"于是老婆子便開(kāi)始下廚洗刷土豆，并按鄉(xiāng)下人的方式把它削成米團(tuán)子。就在她一個(gè)人忙得起勁的時(shí)候，只聽(tīng)農(nóng)夫?qū)δ吧苏f(shuō)："跟我到花園來(lái)，那兒我還有些活要干。"他在花園里挖好了一些坑，現(xiàn)在要在里面種上樹(shù)。"你可有兒女?"陌生人問(wèn)，"他們可以幫你干點(diǎn)活啊!""沒(méi)有，"農(nóng)夫答道，"確切地說(shuō)，我曾有過(guò)一個(gè)兒子，但很久前他就離家出走了。他以前不務(wù)正業(yè)，人雖聰明機(jī)靈，卻不學(xué)無(wú)術(shù)，腦子里全是鬼主意，最后還是離我們走了，從此便杳無(wú)音訊。"
老人拾起一株小樹(shù)，栽入坑中，在樹(shù)旁插上樁，又鏟進(jìn)些泥土，再用腳踩緊，然后用繩子把樹(shù)的上、中、下三處扎在樁上。"不過(guò)你能否告訴我，"陌生人說(shuō)，"那邊有棵彎曲的樹(shù)快垂地了，為什么不把它也靠在樁上，讓它也長(zhǎng)直呢?"農(nóng)夫笑道："老爺，你說(shuō)的和你知道的是一樣多，顯然你對(duì)園藝業(yè)一竅不通。那株樹(shù)年歲已久，已生結(jié)疤，現(xiàn)在已無(wú)法弄直了，樹(shù)要從小就精心培植。""你的兒子也和這樹(shù)一樣，"陌生人說(shuō)，"如果從小就對(duì)他好好管教，他就不會(huì)離家出走。現(xiàn)在他一定長(zhǎng)硬，并生了結(jié)疤。""那是肯定的，"老人說(shuō)，"他出走這么久一定早變了。""如果他再回來(lái)，你會(huì)認(rèn)出他嗎?"陌生人問(wèn)。"外貌肯定認(rèn)不出，"農(nóng)夫說(shuō)，"不過(guò)他有個(gè)標(biāo)記，在他的肩上有粒胎記，有蠶豆粒般大小。"等他說(shuō)完，只見(jiàn)陌生人脫下上衣，露出肩膀，讓農(nóng)夫瞧那顆豆大的胎記。"天啊!"老人大叫："你真是我的兒!"愛(ài)子之心油然而生，老人一時(shí)心亂如麻。"不過(guò)，"他又說(shuō)，"你已是位富貴高雅的尊敬的大老爺，怎么可能是我的兒子呢?""哦，爹，"兒子答道，"幼苗不用樁來(lái)靠就會(huì)長(zhǎng)歪，現(xiàn)在我已太老，再也伸不直了。你問(wèn)我是怎樣變成這樣的，因?yàn)槲乙炎隽诵⊥怠e驚訝，我可是個(gè)偷盜高手，對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)世上沒(méi)有什么鐵鎖或門閂，我想要的就是我的。千萬(wàn)別把我想成個(gè)下三流的小偷，我只把富人多余的東西借來(lái)一用，窮人則是安全的，我只會(huì)接濟(jì)他們，決不會(huì)去取他們絲毫之物。而且那些不費(fèi)腦力、不動(dòng)腦子、不施巧計(jì)就能得到的東西，我連碰都不碰。""唉呀!兒子，"父親說(shuō)，"我卻不喜歡，小偷終究是小偷，他們最終是會(huì)遭報(bào)應(yīng)的。"老父把兒子帶到母親跟前，等她得知那就是她的親生兒子時(shí)，高興得哭起來(lái)了;但知道他是個(gè)偷盜高手時(shí)，眼淚又唰地流了出來(lái)。最后只聽(tīng)她說(shuō)："即使做了小偷，但他終究是我的兒子，我總算又瞧見(jiàn)他了。"
他們一家仨口圍坐在桌旁，他又和父母一起吃起了那粗糙的飯，他有很久沒(méi)有吃這種飯了。這時(shí)父親開(kāi)口道："要是城里的伯爵老爺?shù)弥闶钦l(shuí)，以及你所干的行當(dāng)，他可不會(huì)像給你洗禮時(shí)那樣把你抱在懷里，他會(huì)把你送上絞架的。""別擔(dān)心，爹，他可傷不著我，我有一套呢。今晚我就去登門拜訪伯爵大人。"天黑時(shí)，神偷坐上馬車駛向了城堡。伯爵客氣地接待了他，還以為這是個(gè)大人物，可當(dāng)他道明身份后，伯爵的臉唰的一下白了，一時(shí)竟說(shuō)不出話來(lái)。最后他總算開(kāi)口了，說(shuō)："你是我的教子，出于這一點(diǎn)，我不會(huì)對(duì)你無(wú)情無(wú)義的，我會(huì)對(duì)你寬大的。既然你夸口自己是個(gè)神偷，就露幾手給我瞧瞧。如果不堪一試，你得自討一副繩索，到時(shí)烏鴉會(huì)來(lái)哇哇給你奏樂(lè)的。""伯爵老爺，"神偷答道，"盡量想三樁難題，如果我不能做到，到時(shí)我會(huì)聽(tīng)?wèi){你的處罰。"伯爵想了一會(huì)兒說(shuō)："第一件是，你得從我的馬廄里把我的馬盜出來(lái);第二件是，趁我和夫人睡覺(jué)時(shí)，你得從我們身下把褥子偷去，而不讓我們察覺(jué)，還有我夫人的結(jié)婚戒指;最后一件是，你得從教堂里把牧師和執(zhí)事偷出來(lái)。記住我說(shuō)的，以后就看你的造化了。"
神偷來(lái)到最臨近的城里，買了一套老農(nóng)婦的衣服穿在身上，然后又把臉涂成棕色，再在上面畫上皺紋。他還把一個(gè)小酒桶裝滿匈牙利酒，并向里面撒了些蒙汗藥。于是他便拖著緩慢的步子，踉踉蹌蹌地走向伯爵的城堡。等他趕到城里時(shí)，天已黑了，他在院中一塊石頭上坐下，便開(kāi)始咳嗽起來(lái)，樣子酷似一位患哮喘病的老婦人。他擦了擦手，像是冷得不得了。就在馬廄的門前，一些士兵正圍著一堆火坐在地上。其中的一個(gè)瞧見(jiàn)了婦人，便對(duì)她喊道："過(guò)來(lái)吧，老大媽。到我們旁邊來(lái)暖暖身子吧。想必你連過(guò)夜的地方也沒(méi)有，你可以在這兒將就一宿。"老婦人踉蹌地走了過(guò)去，請(qǐng)他們幫忙把身上的酒桶取下來(lái)，然后在他們身邊的火旁坐了下來(lái)。"桶里裝的是什么，老太婆?"一個(gè)問(wèn)道。"幾口上好的酒，"她答道，"我靠做點(diǎn)生意過(guò)日子，只要話說(shuō)得好，價(jià)錢合理，我倒會(huì)讓你來(lái)一杯的。""那我就在這里喝吧。"那士兵說(shuō)著，先要了一杯，說(shuō)："只要酒好，我還要來(lái)一杯。"說(shuō)完就自己倒了一杯，其他的人也學(xué)著他的樣倒了就喝。"喂，伙計(jì)們，"其中的一個(gè)向馬廄里的士兵喊道，"這有一位老婆子，她的陳年老酒和她的年齡差不多，來(lái)喝一口吧!暖暖身子，它可比烤火管用得多。"老婦人提著桶子進(jìn)了馬廄，只見(jiàn)里面一個(gè)士兵坐在馬鞍子上，一個(gè)手握韁繩，另一個(gè)抓著馬的尾巴。
她給這三個(gè)人倒了許多酒，直到酒桶見(jiàn)底為止。不多久，韁繩就從那個(gè)士兵的手中掉了下來(lái)，士兵也跟著倒下，并開(kāi)始打起鼾來(lái)。另一個(gè)也松開(kāi)了馬尾巴，倒在地上，呼嚕聲一個(gè)高過(guò)一個(gè)。騎在馬上的人仍坐在上面，不過(guò)頭幾乎彎到了馬脖上，他也睡熟了，嘴角兒出氣兒，就像是在拉風(fēng)箱。外面的士兵早就睡熟了，一個(gè)個(gè)就像死尸般躺在那兒，一動(dòng)也不動(dòng)。神偷見(jiàn)自己已得手，拿了根繩子換下了那個(gè)士兵手中的韁繩，拿一把稻草換下另一士兵手中的馬尾，不過(guò)馬鞍上那個(gè)該怎辦呢?他不想把他推下來(lái)，這樣會(huì)把他弄醒使他大喊大叫起來(lái)。他想了個(gè)好主意，只見(jiàn)他把馬肚下的馬鞍帶子解開(kāi)，用幾根繩子把馬鞍牢牢地拴在了墻上的吊環(huán)上，然后再把那位睡熟了的騎士吊在空中，又把繩子繞在柱子上，牢牢扎緊。然后他迅速地把馬鏈解開(kāi)，但如果他就這樣騎著馬走在院中的石板路上，里面的人肯定會(huì)聽(tīng)見(jiàn)，于是他用破布把馬蹄包好，小心翼翼地牽出馬廄，然后一躍而上，飛奔而去。
天亮了，神偷騎著盜來(lái)的馬來(lái)到城堡。伯爵剛剛起床，正在往外望。"早上好，伯爵老爺，"小偷向他叫道，"馬在這里，我已幸運(yùn)地把它從馬廄里牽了出來(lái)。瞧，你的士兵躺在那里一個(gè)個(gè)睡得多美啊!如果你樂(lè)意到馬廄去，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)你的守衛(wèi)有多舒服。"伯爵忍不住笑了起來(lái)，只聽(tīng)他說(shuō)："這次得逞了，下此休想那么僥幸，我警告你如果給我逮住，我會(huì)把你當(dāng)賊來(lái)處置。"
當(dāng)晚伯爵夫人睡覺(jué)時(shí)，手里緊緊握住那只結(jié)婚戒指，只聽(tīng)伯爵說(shuō)："所有的門都已鎖上閂好，我一夜不睡等著小偷，如果他從窗戶進(jìn)來(lái)，我就開(kāi)槍打死他。"此刻神偷趁著夜色來(lái)到了刑場(chǎng)的絞架下，他一刀割下絞索，放下罪犯，然后扛著回到了城里。他在臥室下架起一把梯子，肩上扛著死尸就向上爬。等他爬到一定的高度時(shí)，死尸的腦袋正好在窗前露出，守候在床上的伯爵拔槍就射，神偷應(yīng)聲松開(kāi)了手，可憐的罪犯摔下了地，他立刻爬下梯子，躲進(jìn)了墻角里。那天夜晚月色分外明亮，月光里伯爵爬到窗外，順著梯子爬了下來(lái)，把地上的死尸扛向花園，在那里開(kāi)始挖坑掩埋尸體。神偷把這一切看得一清二楚，"現(xiàn)在機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)了!"神偷想。于是他機(jī)靈地從墻腳下溜了出來(lái)，爬上梯子，徑直走進(jìn)伯爵夫人的臥室，裝著伯爵的聲音說(shuō)："親愛(ài)的夫人，小偷已死了，但他畢竟是我的教子，他最多只是淘氣，算不了什么壞人，我不想公開(kāi)出他的丑，而且我也同情他那可憐的父母，天亮前我想把他在花園埋了，這樣也無(wú)人知曉。給我褥子，把他裹起來(lái)，這樣埋起來(lái)就不會(huì)像條狗一樣。"伯爵夫人給了他褥子。"而且我說(shuō)，"小偷繼續(xù)說(shuō)道，"為了表明我的寬宏大量，再把戒指給我，這位不幸的人為之付出了生命，就讓他帶進(jìn)墳?zāi)拱?"伯爵夫人不敢違背丈夫，盡管不樂(lè)意，還是把戒指退了下來(lái)，遞給了伯爵。小偷拿到兩樣?xùn)|西后就走了，趕在伯爵在花園里埋完尸體前平平安安地回到了家。
第二天上午，神偷送來(lái)了褥子和戒指，伯爵的臉兒拉得可長(zhǎng)啦!"難道你會(huì)法術(shù)?"他說(shuō)，"是誰(shuí)把你從墳?zāi)怪信鰜?lái)的?明明是我親手埋掉了你，是誰(shuí)讓你起死回生的?""你埋的可不是我，"小偷說(shuō)，"而是已處決的罪犯。"然后他又把一切原原本本地講給伯爵聽(tīng)了。伯爵不由得也承認(rèn)他是個(gè)聰明狡猾的小偷。"不過(guò)還沒(méi)完呢!"他又說(shuō)道，"你還剩一件事未干，如果到時(shí)不成，一切均是枉然。"神偷笑而不答地回家了。
天黑了，他肩背一只長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的大袋子，腋下攜著個(gè)包裹，手中提著一只燈籠來(lái)到村里的教堂。他袋中裝的是螃蟹，包裹里盛的是蠟燭。到了教堂的院內(nèi)，他坐在地上，掏出了一只螃蟹，在它背上粘上蠟燭，然后又點(diǎn)上小蠟燭，把它放在地上，讓它自己四處亂爬。接著他又掏出了另一只，同樣地?cái)[弄一番，他如此這般地忙著，直到袋內(nèi)一只不剩。這時(shí)他又披上一件黑色的同神甫的僧衣沒(méi)有什么兩樣的外衣，并在下巴上粘上花白胡子，直到最后無(wú)人再能認(rèn)出他來(lái)，他才提著那只裝螃蟹的袋子走進(jìn)教堂，登上了神壇。這時(shí)頭頂上的鐘聲正好敲響了十二點(diǎn)，當(dāng)最后一聲鐘敲完后，他便放聲高喊起來(lái)，聲音尖銳刺耳："聽(tīng)著!聽(tīng)著!誰(shuí)想和我一起進(jìn)天堂，馬上爬進(jìn)這袋中，我是看守天堂大們的彼得。看啦外面的死尸正在四處游蕩，拾著他們的尸骨。快來(lái)!快來(lái)!趕快爬進(jìn)這袋中，世界就要?dú)в谝坏┝恕?quot;叫聲響徹整個(gè)村莊，久久回蕩不已。牧師和執(zhí)事住得離教堂最近，最先聽(tīng)到;這時(shí)他們又看到一些燈火在教堂里移動(dòng)，覺(jué)得事情有點(diǎn)不對(duì)勁，便來(lái)到了教堂。他們聽(tīng)了好一會(huì)兒布道，只見(jiàn)執(zhí)事用手肘輕輕推著牧師，說(shuō)："世界末日到來(lái)前，能輕而易舉地進(jìn)入天堂，此機(jī)不用更待何時(shí)。""說(shuō)實(shí)在的，"牧師說(shuō)，"這正合我意，如果你愿意，我們一塊走吧。""好!"執(zhí)事答道，"牧師您先請(qǐng)，我隨后就來(lái)。"于是牧師在先，執(zhí)事在后，登上了神壇，那兒神偷正張開(kāi)那只袋子。牧師先爬了進(jìn)去，接著執(zhí)事也跟著進(jìn)去了。神偷隨即把袋口扎緊，攔腰抓起，拖下了神壇。每當(dāng)兩個(gè)傻瓜腦袋碰在階梯上，他就高聲說(shuō)："我們正在穿山越嶺呢!"到了村口時(shí)他也是這樣拖著，當(dāng)他橫過(guò)泥坑時(shí)就大聲說(shuō)："我們正在騰云駕霧呢!"最后神偷把他們拖上了城堡的石級(jí)，他又大叫："我們正在上天堂的臺(tái)階，很快就要到天堂的前院了。"等他到達(dá)上面時(shí)，就把袋子推入鴿子籠，鴿子紛紛地飛了出來(lái)，他又說(shuō)："聽(tīng)，天使們有多高興，他們正在展翅飛舞呢!"說(shuō)完就插上門走了。
第二天早上他再次來(lái)到伯爵的跟前，告訴他完成了第三項(xiàng)任務(wù)，并已把牧師和執(zhí)事扛出了教堂。"你把他們放在哪兒?"伯爵問(wèn)。"他們正躺在樓上的鴿子籠內(nèi)的口袋中，他們以為自己正在天堂呢!"伯爵親自登上城樓，證實(shí)了神偷所說(shuō)的是實(shí)話。當(dāng)他把牧師和執(zhí)事放出來(lái)后，說(shuō)："你確實(shí)是個(gè)通天神偷，你贏了。這次你又安然無(wú)恙地逃脫了，但從此你得離開(kāi)我的領(lǐng)地，如果你膽敢再踏進(jìn)此地一步，我就會(huì)把你送上西天。"通天神偷于是辭別了父母，再次走入大千世界，從此便再無(wú)音訊。
智者神偷英文版：
The master-thief
One day an old man and his wife were sitting in front of a miserable house resting a while from their work. Suddenly a splendid carriage with four black horses came driving up, and a richly-dressed man descended from it. The peasant stood up, went to the great man, and asked what he wanted, and in what way he could be useful to him? The stranger stretched out his hand to the old man, and said, "I want nothing but to enjoy for once a country dish; cook me some potatoes, in the way you always have them, and then I will sit down at your table and eat them with pleasure." The peasant smiled and said, "You are a count or a prince, or perhaps even a duke; noble gentlemen often have such fancies, but you shall have your wish." The wife went into the kitchen, and began to wash and rub the potatoes, and to make them into balls, as they are eaten by the country-folks. Whilst she was busy with this work, the peasant said to the stranger, "Come into my garden with me for a while, I have still something to do there." He had dug some holes in the garden, and now wanted to plant some trees in them. "Have you no children," asked the stranger, "who could help you with your work?" - "No," answered the peasant, "I had a son, it is true, but it is long since he went out into the world. He was a ne'er-do-well; sharp, and knowing, but he would learn nothing and was full of bad tricks, at last he ran away from me, and since then I have heard nothing of him."
The old man took a young tree, put it in a hole, drove in a post beside it, and when he had shovelled in some earth and had trampled it firmly down, he tied the stem of the tree above, below, and in the middle, fast to the post by a rope of straw. "But tell me," said the stranger, "why you don't tie that crooked knotted tree, which is lying in the corner there, bent down almost to the ground, to a post also that it may grow straight, as well as these?" The old man smiled and said, "Sir, you speak according to your knowledge, it is easy to see that you are not familiar with gardening. That tree there is old, and mis-shapen, no one can make it straight now. Trees must be trained while they are young." - "That is how it was with your son," said the stranger, "if you had trained him while he was still young, he would not have run away; now he too must have grown hard and mis-shapen." - "Truly it is a long time since he went away," replied the old man, "he must have changed." - "Would you know him again if he were to come to you?" asked the stranger. "Hardly by his face," replied the peasant, "but he has a mark about him, a birth-mark on his shoulder, that looks like a bean." When he had said that the stranger pulled off his coat, bared his shoulder, and showed the peasant the bean. "Good God!" cried the old man, "Thou art really my son!" and love for his child stirred in his heart. "But," he added, "how canst thou be my son, thou hast become a great lord and livest in wealth and luxury? How hast thou contrived to do that?" - "Ah, father," answered the son, "the young tree was bound to no post and has grown crooked, now it is too old, it will never be straight again. How have I got all that? I have become a thief, but do not be alarmed, I am a master-thief. For me there are neither locks nor bolts, whatsoever I desire is mine. Do not imagine that I steal like a common thief, I only take some of the superfluity of the rich. Poor people are safe, I would rather give to them than take anything from them. It is the same with anything which I can have without trouble, cunning and dexterity I never touch it." - "Alas, my son," said the father, "it still does not please me, a thief is still a thief, I tell thee it will end badly." He took him to his mother, and when she heard that was her son, she wept for joy, but when he told her that he had become a master-thief, two streams flowed down over her face. At length she said, "Even if he has become a thief, he is still my son, and my eyes have beheld him once more." They sat down to table, and once again he ate with his parents the wretched food which he had not eaten for so long. The father said, "If our Lord, the count up there in the castle, learns who thou art, and what trade thou followest, he will not take thee in his arms and cradle thee in them as he did when he held thee at the font, but will cause thee to swing from a halter." - "Be easy, father, he will do me no harm, for I understand my trade. I will go to him myself this very day." When evening drew near, the master-thief seated himself in his carriage, and drove to the castle. The count received him civilly, for he took him for a distinguished man. When, however, the stranger made himself known, the count turned pale and was quite silent for some time. At length he said, "Thou art my godson, and on that account mercy shall take the place of justice, and I will deal leniently with thee. Since thou pridest thyself on being a master-thief, I will put thy art to the proof, but if thou dost not stand the test, thou must marry the rope-maker's daughter, and the croaking of the raven must be thy music on the occasion." - "Lord count," answered the master-thief, "Think of three things, as difficult as you like, and if I do not perform your tasks, do with me what you will." The count reflected for some minutes, and then said, "Well, then, in the first place, thou shalt steal the horse I keep for my own riding, out of the stable; in the next, thou shalt steal the sheet from beneath the bodies of my wife and myself when we are asleep, without our observing it, and the wedding-ring of my wife as well; thirdly and lastly, thou shalt steal away out of the church, the parson and clerk. Mark what I am saying, for thy life depends on it."
The master-thief went to the nearest town; there he bought the clothes of an old peasant woman, and put them on. Then he stained his face brown, and painted wrinkles on it as well, so that no one could have recognized him. Then he filled a small cask with old Hungary wine in which was mixed a powerful sleeping-drink. He put the cask in a basket, which he took on his back, and walked with slow and tottering steps to the count's castle. It was already dark when he arrived. He sat down on a stone in the court-yard and began to cough, like an asthmatic old woman, and to rub his hands as if he were cold. In front of the door of the stable some soldiers were lying round a fire; one of them observed the woman, and called out to her, "Come nearer, old mother, and warm thyself beside us. After all, thou hast no bed for the night, and must take one where thou canst find it." The old woman tottered up to them, begged them to lift the basket from her back, and sat down beside them at the fire. "What hast thou got in thy little cask, old lady?" asked one. "A good mouthful of wine," she answered. "I live by trade, for money and fair words I am quite ready to let you have a glass." - "Let us have it here, then," said the soldier, and when he had tasted one glass he said, "When wine is good, I like another glass," and had another poured out for himself, and the rest followed his example. "Hallo, comrades," cried one of them to those who were in the stable, "here is an old goody who has wine that is as old as herself; take a draught, it will warm your stomachs far better than our fire." The old woman carried her cask into the stable. One of the soldiers had seated himself on the saddled riding-horse, another held its bridle in his hand, a third had laid hold of its tail. She poured out as much as they wanted until the spring ran dry. It was not long before the bridle fell from the hand of the one, and he fell down and began to snore, the other left hold of the tail, lay down and snored still louder. The one who was sitting in the saddle, did remain sitting, but bent his head almost down to the horse's neck, and slept and blew with his mouth like the bellows of a forge. The soldiers outside had already been asleep for a long time, and were lying on the ground motionless, as if dead. When the master-thief saw that he had succeeded, he gave the first a rope in his hand instead of the bridle, and the other who had been holding the tail, a wisp of straw, but what was he to do with the one who was sitting on the horse's back? He did not want to throw him down, for he might have awakened and have uttered a cry. He had a good idea, he unbuckled the girths of the saddle, tied a couple of ropes which were hanging to a ring on the wall fast to the saddle, and drew the sleeping rider up into the air on it, then he twisted the rope round the posts, and made it fast. He soon unloosed the horse from the chain, but if he had ridden over the stony pavement of the yard they would have heard the noise in the castle. So he wrapped the horse's hoofs in old rags, led him carefully out, leapt upon him, and galloped off.
When day broke, the master galloped to the castle on the stolen horse. The count had just got up, and was looking out of the window. "Good morning, Sir Count," he cried to him, "here is the horse, which I have got safely out of the stable! Just look, how beautifully your soldiers are lying there sleeping; and if you will but go into the stable, you will see how comfortable your watchers have made it for themselves." The count could not help laughing, then he said, "For once thou hast succeeded, but things won't go so well the second time, and I warn thee that if thou comest before me as a thief, I will handle thee as I would a thief." When the countess went to bed that night, she closed her hand with the wedding-ring tightly together, and the count said, "All the doors are locked and bolted, I will keep awake and wait for the thief, but if he gets in by the window, I will shoot him." The master-thief, however, went in the dark to the gallows, cut a poor sinner who was hanging there down from the halter, and carried him on his back to the castle. Then he set a ladder up to the bedroom, put the dead body on his shoulders, and began to climb up. When he had got so high that the head of the dead man showed at the window, the count, who was watching in his bed, fired a pistol at him, and immediately the master let the poor sinner fall down, and hid himself in one corner. The night was sufficiently lighted by the moon, for the master to see distinctly how the count got out of the window on to the ladder, came down, carried the dead body into the garden, and began to dig a hole in which to lay it. "Now," thought the thief, "the favourable moment has come," stole nimbly out of his corner, and climbed up the ladder straight into the countess's bedroom. "Dear wife," he began in the count's voice, "the thief is dead, but, after all, he is my godson, and has been more of a scape-grace than a villain. I will not put him to open shame; besides, I am sorry for the parents. I will bury him myself before daybreak, in the garden that the thing may not be known, so give me the sheet, I will wrap up the body in it, and bury him as a dog burries things by scratching." The countess gave him the sheet. "I tell you what," continued the thief, "I have a fit of magnanimity on me, give me the ring too, -- the unhappy man risked his life for it, so he may take it with him into his grave." She would not gainsay the count, and although she did it unwillingly she drew the ring from her finger, and gave it to him. The thief made off with both these things, and reached home safely before the count in the garden had finished his work of burying.
What a long face the count did pull when the master came next morning, and brought him the sheet and the ring. "Art thou a wizard?" said he, "Who has fetched thee out of the grave in which I myself laid thee, and brought thee to life again?" - "You did not bury me," said the thief, "but the poor sinner on the gallows," and he told him exactly how everything had happened, and the count was forced to own to him that he was a clever, crafty thief. "But thou hast not reached the end yet," he added, "thou hast still to perform the third task, and if thou dost not succeed in that, all is of no use." The master smiled and returned no answer. When night had fallen he went with a long sack on his back, a bundle under his arms, and a lantern in his hand to the village-church. In the sack he had some crabs, and in the bundle short wax-candles. He sat down in the churchyard, took out a crab, and stuck a wax-candle on his back. Then he lighted the little light, put the crab on the ground, and let it creep about. He took a second out of the sack, and treated it in the same way, and so on until the last was out of the sack. Hereupon he put on a long black garment that looked like a monk's cowl, and stuck a gray beard on his chin. When at last he was quite unrecognizable, he took the sack in which the crabs had been, went into the church, and ascended the pulpit. The clock in the tower was just striking twelve; when the last stroke had sounded, he cried with a loud and piercing voice, "Hearken, sinful men, the end of all things has come! The last day is at hand! Hearken! Hearken! Whosoever wishes to go to heaven with me must creep into the sack. I am Peter, who opens and shuts the gate of heaven. Behold how the dead outside there in the churchyard, are wandering about collecting their bones. Come, come, and creep into the sack; the world is about to be destroyed!" The cry echoed through the whole village. The parson and clerk who lived nearest to the church, heard it first, and when they saw the lights which were moving about the churchyard, they observed that something unusual was going on, and went into the church. They listened to the sermon for a while, and then the clerk nudged the parson and said, "It would not be amiss if we were to use the opportunity together, and before the dawning of the last day, find an easy way of getting to heaven." - "To tell the truth," answered the parson, "that is what I myself have been thinking, so if you are inclined, we will set out on our way." - "Yes," answered the clerk, "but you, the pastor, have the precedence, I will follow." So the parson went first, and ascended the pulpit where the master opened his sack. The parson crept in first, and then the clerk. The master immediately tied up the sack tightly, seized it by the middle, and dragged it down the pulpit-steps, and whenever the heads of the two fools bumped against the steps, he cried, "We are going over the mountains." Then he drew them through the village in the same way, and when they were passing through puddles, he cried, "Now we are going through wet clouds." And when at last he was dragging them up the steps of the castle, he cried, "Now we are on the steps of heaven, and will soon be in the outer court." When he had got to the top, he pushed the sack into the pigeon-house, and when the pigeons fluttered about, he said, "Hark how glad the angels are, and how they are flapping their wings!" Then he bolted the door upon them, and went away.
Next morning he went to the count, and told him that he had performed the third task also, and had carried the parson and clerk out of the church. "Where hast thou left them?" asked the lord. "They are lying upstairs in a sack in the pigeon-house, and imagine that they are in heaven." The count went up himself, and convinced himself that the master had told the truth. When he had delivered the parson and clerk from their captivity, he said, "Thou art an arch-thief, and hast won thy wager. For once thou escapest with a whole skin, but see that thou leavest my land, for if ever thou settest foot on it again, thou may'st count on thy elevation to the gallows." The arch-thief took leave of his parents, once more went forth into the wide world, and no one has ever heard of him since.
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