[[N,NAR]]Now there once lived a certain Housewife who had a sharp eye to her
own interests in temporal matters, and gave alms of what she had no
use for, for the good of her soul. One day a Hillman knocked at her
door.
[[H,HIL]]
"Can you lend us a saucepan, good Mother?"
[[N,NAR]]
said he.
[[N,HIL]]
"There's a wedding
in the hill,
[[S,HIL]]
and all the pots are in use."
[[N,NAR]]
At supper-time the maid filled the pan with milk, and set it on the
fire for the children's supper. But in a few minutes the milk was so
burnt and smoked that no one could touch it, and even the pigs refused
the wash into which it was thrown.
[[A,HOU]]
"Ah! Good-for-nothing hussy!"
[[N,NAR]]
cried the Housewife,
[[N,NAR]]
as she refilled the
pan herself.
[[N,NAR]]
After a thorough cleaning, the saucepan was once more filled and set
on the fire, but with no better success. The milk was hopelessly
spoilt, and the housewife shed tears of vexation at the waste, crying,
[[AS,HOU]]
"Never before did such a thing befall me since I kept house! Three
quarts of new milk burnt for one meal!"
[[AHS,CHI]]
"And that's sixpence,"
[[N,NAR]]
cried the voice from the chimney.
[[AH,CHI]]
"You
didn't save the tinkering after all Mother!"
[[N,NAR]]
With which the Hillman himself came tumbling down the chimney, and
went off laughing through the door.
But thensforward the saucepan was as good as any other.