Самые лучшие английские сказки - стр. 2

When the evening came, the knock came again to the window. The girl stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet with five skeins of flax on his arm.

“Here it is,” says he, and he gave it to her.

“Now, what’s my name?” says he.

“Is that Bill?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.

“Is that Ned?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.

“Well, is that Mark?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail harder and flew away.

When her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for him. “Well, I shan’t[11] kill you tonight, my dear,” says he; “you’ll have your food and your flax in the morning,” says he, and goes away.

Every day he brought the flax and the food, and every day that little black impet came mornings and evenings. And all the day the girl was trying to guess his name in order to[12] say it when the impet came at night. But she did not say the right name. By the end of the month, the impet began to look very angrily, and twirled his tail faster and faster.

Finally the last day came. The impet came at night with the five skeins, and said:

“Do you know my name?”

“Is that Nicodemus?[13]” says she.

“No, it isn’t,” he says.

“Is that Sammle?[14]” says she.

“No, it isn’t,” he says.

“Is that Methusalem?[15]” says she.

“No, no, no!” he says.

Then he looks at her and says: “Woman, there’s only tomorrow night, and then you’ll be mine!” And he flew away.

She was very afraid. But the king came. When he sees the five skeins, he says:

“Well, my dear, if I see the skeins ready tomorrow night, I shan’t kill you. And I’ll have supper here.” So he brought supper, and another stool for him, and they sat down.

Suddenly he stops and begins to laugh.

“What’s up?[16]“ says she.

“Oh,” says he, “I was hunting today, and I went very far in the wood. And I heard a song. So I got off[17] my horse, and I went forward. I saw a funny little black man. He had a little spinning-wheel, and he was spinning wonderfully fast, and he was twirling his tail. And he was singing:

“Nimmy nimmy not

My name’s Tom Tit Tot.”

When the girl heard this, she became very happy, but she didn’t say a word.

Next day that little impet looked very maliceful when he came for the flax. And when the night came, she heard the knock. She opened the window, and the impet came into the room. He was grinning, and his tail was twirling very fast.

“What’s my name?” he asked when he was giving her the skeins.

“Is that Solomon?[18]” she says.

“No, it isn’t,” he said, and came further into the room.