as soon as they heard that , the men servants cried out that he was a warlock , and they dragged him before the bishop , and , as bishops in those days had a holy horror of warlocks and witches , he ordered him to be burned alive . when the sentence was pronounced , you may be very sure that the poor old man wished with all his heart that he had stayed quietly at home in bed , and never hankered after the bishop 's wine . but it was too late to wish that now , for the servants dragged him out into the courtyard , and put a chain round his waist , and fastened it to a great iron stake , and they piled faggots of wood round his feet and set them alight . as the first tiny little tongue of flame crept up , the poor old man thought that his last hour had come . but when he thought that , he forgot completely that his wife was a witch . for , just as the little tongue of flame began to singe his breeches , there was a swish and a flutter in the air , and a great grey bird , with outstretched wings , appeared in the sky , and swooped down suddenly , and perched for a moment on the old man 's shoulder . and in this grey bird 's mouth was a little red pirnie , which , to everyone 's amazement , it popped on to the prisoner 's head . then it gave one fierce croak , and flew away again , but to the old man 's ears that croak was the sweetest music that he had ever heard . for to him it was the croak of no earthly bird , but the voice of his wife whispering words of magic to him . and when he heard them he jumped for joy , for he knew that they were words of deliverance , and he shouted them aloud , and his chains fell off , and he mounted in the air -- up and up -- while the onlookers watched him in awestruck silence . he flew right away to the kingdom of fife , without as much as saying good - bye to them ; and when he found himself once more safely at home , you may be very sure that he never tried to find out his wife 's secrets again , but left her alone to her own devices . 
he got himself in trouble .
why did the husband leave his wife alone and never tried to find out her secrets again ?
why did the husband leave his wife alone and never tried to find out her secrets again ?