“There one can see,” said Catherine, “how they have
torn and skinned and galled the poor earth, it will never be whole
again as long as it lives,” and in her heart’s compassion she took her
butter and smeared the ruts right and left, that they might not be so
hurt by the wheels, and as she was thus bending down in her charity,
one of the cheeses rolled out of her pocket down the hill. Said
Catherine, “I have made my way once up here, I will not go down again;
another may run and fetch it back.” So she took another cheese and
rolled it down. But the cheeses did not come back, so she let a third
run down, thinking. “Perhaps they are waiting for company, and do not
like to walk alone.” As all three stayed away she said, “I do not know
what that can mean, but it may perhaps be that the third has not found
the way, and has gone wrong, I will just send the fourth to call it.”
But the fourth did no better than the third. Then Catherine was angry,
and threw down the fifth and sixth as well, and these were her last. She remained standing for some time watching for their coming, but when
they still did not come, she said, “Oh, you are good folks to send in
search of death, you stay a fine long time away! Do you think I will
wait any longer for you? I shall go my way, you may run after me; you
have younger legs than I.” Catherine went on and found Frederick, who
was standing waiting for her because he wanted something to eat. “Now
just let us have what you have brought with you,” said he. She gave him
the dry bread. “Where have you the butter and the cheeses?” asked the
man. “Ah, Freddy,” said Catherine, “I smeared the cart-ruts with the
butter and the cheeses will come soon; one ran away from me, so I sent
the others after to call it.” Said Frederick, “You should not have done
that, Catherine, to smear the butter on the road, and let the cheeses
run down the hill!” “Really, Frederick, you should have told me.” Then
they ate the dry bread together, and Frederick said, “Catherine, did
you make the house safe when you came away?” “No, Frederick, you should
have told me to do it before.” “Then go home again, and make the house
safe before we go any farther, and bring with you something else to
eat. I will wait here for you.” Catherine went back and thought,
“Frederick wants something more to eat, he does not like butter and
cheese, so I will take with me a handkerchief full of dried pears and a
pitcher of vinegar for him to drink.” Then she bolted the upper half of
the door fast, but unhinged the lower door, and took it on her back,
believing that when she had placed the door in security the house must
be well taken care of. Catherine took her time on the way, and thought,
“Frederick will rest himself so much the longer.” When she had once
reached him she said, “Here is the house-door for you, Frederick, and
now you can take care of the house yourself.” “Oh, heavens,” said he,
“what a wise wife I have! She takes the under-door off the hinges that
everything may run in, and bolts the upper one. It is now too late to
go back home again, but since you have brought the door here, you shall
just carry it farther.” “I will carry the door, Frederick, but the
dried pears and the vinegar-jug will be too heavy for me, I will hang
them on the door, it may carry them.”

And now they went into the forest, and sought the rogues, but did not
find them. At length as it grew dark they climbed into a tree and
resolved to spend the night there. Scarcely, however, had they sat down
at the top of it than the rascals came thither who carry away with them
what does not want to go, and find things before they are lost. They
sat down under the very tree in which Frederick and Catherine were
sitting, lighted a fire, and were about to share their booty. Frederick
got down on the other side and collected some stones together. Then he
climbed up again with them, and wished to throw them at the thieves and
kill them. The stones, however, did not hit them, and the knaves cried,
“It will soon be morning, the wind is shaking down the fir-apples.”
Catherine still had the door on her back, and as it pressed so heavily
on her, she thought it was the fault of the dried pears, and said,
“Frederick, I must throw the pears down.” “No, Catherine, not now,” he
replied, “they might betray us.” “Oh, but, Frederick, I must! They
weigh me down far too much.” “Do it, then, and be hanged!” Then the
dried pears rolled down between the branches, and the rascals below
said, “The leaves are falling.”

A short time afterwards, as the door was still heavy, Catherine said,
“Ah, Frederick, I must pour out the vinegar.” “No, Catherine, you must
not, it might betray us.” “Ah, but, Frederick, I must, it weighs me
down far too much.” “Then do it and be hanged!” So she emptied out the
vinegar, and it besprinkled the robbers. They said amongst themselves,
“The dew is already falling.” At length Catherine thought, “Can it
really be the door which weighs me down so?” and said, “Frederick, I
must throw the door down.” “No, not now, Catherine, it might discover
us.” “Oh, but, Frederick, I must. It weighs me down far too much.” “Oh,
no, Catherine, do hold it fast.” “Ah, Frederick, I am letting it fall!”
“Let it go, then, in the devil’s name.” Then it fell down with a
violent clatter, and the rascals below cried, “The devil is coming down
the tree!” and they ran away and left everything behind them. Early
next morning, when the two came down they found all their gold again,
and carried it home. When they were once more at home, Frederick said, “And now, Catherine,
you, too, must be industrious and work.” “Yes, Frederick, I will soon
do that, I will go into the field and cut corn.” When Catherine got
into the field, she said to herself, “Shall I eat before I cut, or
shall I sleep before I cut? Oh, I will eat first.” Then Catherine ate
and eating made her sleepy, and she began to cut, and half in a dream
cut all her clothes to pieces, her apron, her gown, and her shift. When
Catherine awoke again after a long sleep she was standing there
half-naked, and said to herself, “Is it I, or is it not I? Alas, it is
not I.” In the meantime night came, and Catherine ran into the village,
knocked at her husband’s window, and cried, “Frederick.”

“What is the matter?” “I should very much like to know if Catherine is
in?” “Yes, yes,” replied Frederick, “she must be in and asleep.”

Said she, “’Tis well, then I am certainly at home already,” and ran
away. Outside Catherine found some vagabonds who were going to steal. Then
she went to them and said, “I will help you to steal.” The rascals
thought that she knew the situation of the place, and were willing. Catherine went in front of the houses, and cried, “Good folks, have you
anything? We want to steal.” The thieves thought to themselves, “That’s
a fine way of doing things,” and wished themselves once more rid of
Catherine. Then they said to her, “Outside the village the pastor has
some turnips in the field.