_How Owlglass hired himself to a Merchant as Cook and Coachman._
In the town of Windsheim there lived a rich merchant, who was walking
one day outside the town, when he saw Owlglass lying on the grass, and
stopping, he asked him what his calling was. Owlglass answered that he
was a cook; whereupon the Merchant said, "You are just the man I want,
that is, if you understand your business; for my wife is not at all
satisfied with her present cook, and we have some of the first people
of the town to dine with us to-morrow, to whom we would like to give
a good dinner." Owlglass said that he would serve him faithfully, and
that he felt confident of giving satisfaction; so the merchant engaged
him, stipulating that he should also serve as coachman, and took him
home with him at once. As soon as the merchant's wife saw Owlglass,
she said, "Who is this fellow whom you have brought home with you, for
I do not like the look of him at all?" Her husband answered, "Never
mind his look, my Dear, for he is a first-rate cook, and we will serve
up a dinner to-morrow that shall be the envy of the whole town." Early
the next morning the Merchant gave Owlglass full instructions as to
the dinner, telling him what soup, meat, and vegetables to get, and
how he liked everything done. "As for game," he added, "Professor
Guzzle is particularly fond of roast hare, so we cannot do better
than let him have his favourite puss; but, mind, let it be the finest
that can be got in the whole town." Owlglass promised that all his
instructions should be strictly attended to; and the Merchant, having
business of importance to attend to, went out in easy confidence in
his new servant. The Merchant got home only just in time to receive
his guests, so that he could not visit the kitchen before dinner, and
his wife was too fine a lady to attend to such matters. However, the
dinner went off very well, and the hare, in particular, was declared
to be the finest that had been seen that year; so that all the company
were in high spirits. At dessert the conversation turned upon cats;
and one of the ladies, addressing the mistress of the house, said she
had heard that she had the finest one in the whole town. The Merchant's
wife was very proud of her cat, and gave orders that it should be
brought into the room; but it could not be found anywhere; and now the
servants remembered that they had not seen it since the morning, when
one of them saw Owlglass carry it from the kitchen to an outhouse.
Owlglass was now sent for into the dining-room, before all the guests,
and questioned as to what had become of the cat. Without being in the
slightest degree disconcerted, he said his master had told him that
Professor Guzzle was very fond of roast hare, and that they could not
do better than let him have his favourite puss, and therefore he,
Owlglass, was to be sure and get the very finest in the town; that he
had searched the whole town through, but there were none to compare to
the one in the house, and he was sure his master would not begrudge it
his guests; therefore he had killed and roasted it, and the company
had just eaten it. Horror was depicted upon most of the countenances,
whilst one or two of the guests tried to joke about it; but these the
very first showed symptoms of distress, and one after another of the
company had to leave the room pale as death, and not one returned.
The mistress insisted upon Owlglass being at once sent away; but
the Merchant said, "I want him to drive me and the priest to Goslar
to-morrow, and when we get back I will immediately send him about his
business." That evening he told Owlglass to get the carriage ready for
the morrow, and to grease it well. As soon as all had gone to bed,
Owlglass took some cart grease and greased the carriage outside and in,
but particularly the seats. Early the next morning the Merchant ordered
the horses to be put to the carriage, and he and the priest getting in,
they drove off in high spirits. They had not gone far, however, when
they found they were gradually slipping off the seats; and the Priest
exclaimed, "What is all this grease? I held on with my hands to check
the jolting, and I am all grease." They ordered Owlglass to stop, and
they found they were covered with grease; so that they had to buy a
bundle of straw from a farmer and rub themselves and the carriage
well. The Merchant had now lost all patience, and he cried out to
Owlglass, "I find out now that you are a professed wag, and of the
most mischievous class; but you are in the right road, go on, my good
Friend, straight to the gallows, and there your journey will be at an
end." Owlglass did as he was bid, for, turning off the road, he drove
straight to a gallows which stood at no great distance, and stopping
there began to take the horses out of the carriage. "What are you doing
now, you rascal?" the Merchant exclaimed. Owlglass answered, "You told
me to go straight to the gallows, and that there my journey would be at
an end, so I naturally thought that we were to stop here." The Merchant
looked out of the carriage, and seeing that they were indeed under the
gallows, could not help laughing. He said, "You have delayed us so
long on the road with your foolery that I am afraid we shall not reach
Goslar in time for our business, so now, my good Fellow, I pray you
get on as fast as you can. Do not look behind you, but mind only the
road before you." Owlglass now again mounted his horse, having first
loosened the pin connecting the front wheels, and set off as fast as
the horses could gallop. He had not gone far when the pin fell out;
but, without looking behind him, he galloped on, carrying off the pole
and front wheels, and leaving the body of the carriage far behind. In
vain the Priest and Merchant shouted to him to stop. On he went; so
they had to jump out of the carriage, and by scrambling through hedges
and running across fields they were, fortunately, able to overtake
him. Complaint was useless; and as they found they could not now reach
Goslar in time, even if their coachman could be trusted to take them
there, they determined upon returning home. The homeward journey was
accomplished without any further accident; and when the Merchant found
himself safe in his own house, he called Owlglass to him and said, "It
is but too evident that all the mischief you have done since you have
been with me has been done purposely. What have you to say to this?"
Owlglass answered, "I do everything strictly to the letter, as I am
told, and if I do wrong, the fault is therefore not mine, but the fault
of those who give the orders. You do not seem satisfied, so, if you pay
me my wages, I would rather look for justice elsewhere." The Merchant
thinking it better to avoid further, and perhaps worse, mischief by
getting rid of him at once, paid him, and they parted.
[Illustration: _Owlglass's "skilful" Coachmanship._]
[Decoration]