Pagina 317 van 626

After a while, as the maid did not come back, and those upstairs

were thirsty for the beer, the man said to the boy: 'Just go down

into the cellar and see where Elsie and the girl are.' The boy

went down, and there sat Clever Elsie and the girl both weeping

together. Then he asked: 'Why are you weeping?' 'Ah,' said Elsie,

'have I not reason to weep? If I get Hans, and we have a child,

and he grows big, and has to draw beer here, the pick-axe will

fall on his head and kill him.' Then said the boy: 'What a clever

Elsie we have!' and sat down by her, and likewise began to howl

loudly. Upstairs they waited for the boy, but as he still did not

return, the man said to the woman: 'Just go down into the cellar

and see where Elsie is!' The woman went down, and found all three

in the midst of their lamentations, and inquired what was the

cause; then Elsie told her also that her future child was to be

killed by the pick-axe, when it grew big and had to draw beer,

and the pick-axe fell down.