Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 06 (38 page)

But the woman replied: 'I will not kill her, for she has given me
a broom, whereas you forced me to clean the hearth with my
tongue.'

Then the witch called out in fury to the woman at the well: 'Take
the girl, I tell you, and fling her into the water, and drown
her!'

But the woman answered: 'No, I will not drown her, for she gave
me this rope, whereas you forced me to use my hair to let down
the bucket to draw water.'

Then the witch shouted to the dog to seize the girl and hold her
fast; but the dog answered: 'No, I will not seize her, for she
gave me a loaf of bread, whereas you let me starve with hunger.'

The witch was so angry that she nearly choked, as she called out:
'Door, bang upon her, and keep her a prisoner.'

But the door answered: 'I won't, for she has oiled my hinges, so
that they move quite easily, whereas you left them all rough and
rusty.'

And so Prunella escaped, and, with the casket under her arm,
reached the house of her mistress, who, as you may believe, was
as angry as she was surprised to see the girl standing before
her, looking more beautiful than ever. Her eyes flashed, as in
furious tones she asked her, 'Did you meet Bensiabel?'

But Prunella looked down, and said nothing.

'We shall see,' said the witch, 'who will win in the end. Listen,
there are three cocks in the hen-house; one is yellow, one black,
and the third is white. If one of them crows during the night you
must tell me which one it is. Woe to you if you make a mistake. I
will gobble you up in one mouthful.'

Now Bensiabel was in the room next to the one where Prunella
slept. At midnight she awoke hearing a cock crow.

'Which one was that?' shouted the witch.

Then, trembling, Prunella knocked on the wall and whispered:
'Bensiabel, Bensiabel, tell me, which cock crowed?'

'Will you give me a kiss if I tell you?' he whispered back
through the wall.

But she answered 'No.'

Then he whispered back to her: 'Nevertheless, I will tell you. It
was the yellow cock that crowed.'

The witch, who had noticed the delay in Prunella's answer,
approached her door calling angrily: 'Answer at once, or I will
kill you.'

So Prunella answered: 'It was the yellow cock that crowed.'

And the witch stamped her foot and gnashed her teeth.

Soon after another cock crowed. 'Tell me now which one it is,'
called the witch. And, prompted by Bensiabel, Prunella answered:
'That is the black cock.'

A few minutes after the crowing was heard again, and the voice of
the witch demanding 'Which one was that?'

And again Prunella implored Bensiabel to help her. But this time
he hesitated, for he hoped that Prunella might forget that he was
a witch's son, and promise to give him a kiss. And as he
hesitated he heard an agonised cry from the girl: 'Bensiabel,
Bensiabel, save me! The witch is coming, she is close to me, I
hear the gnashing of her teeth!'

With a bound Bensiabel opened his door and flung himself against
the witch. He pulled her back with such force that she stumbled,
and falling headlong, dropped down dead at the foot of the
stairs.

Then, at last, Prunella was touched by Bensiabel's goodness and
kindness to her, and she became his wife, and they lived happily
ever after.

[1]
'Riemen.'