_How Owlglass hired himself to a Barber, and entered his House
through the Window._
Once upon a time Owlglass went to the city of Hamburg, and having
reached the market-place he there stood still and looked about him.
Whilst he was standing there a man came up to him and asked what he was
looking out for. Owlglass saw at once, by his questioner's appearance,
what business he followed, answered that he was a barber and was
seeking employment. "Well met then," his new acquaintance said, "for I
just happen to be in want of a barber's assistant, and I dare say we
shall be able to come to a satisfactory arrangement together. I live
in that high house just opposite. You see those windows that reach
down to the ground. Go in there, and I will follow you presently."
Owlglass answered, "Yes." Then crossing the road walked straight
through the window, with a terrific crash, and made a polite bow to
those within the room. The barber's wife sat there spinning, and, being
much frightened, cried out for help, saying, "Here is a madman come
through the window." Owlglass said to her, "My good Lady, pray be not
angry, for the master bid me come in here, having just hired me as his
assistant." "May the foul fiend take you," the lady answered, for she
was not possessed of the most even temper, "a pretty assistant you
are. Was the door not wide enough for you, that you must needs come in
through the window?" Owlglass answered, "My dear Madam, must not an
assistant do as his master bids him?" Just then the Barber entered,
and seeing all the destruction around him, exclaimed, "What does all
this mean?" Owlglass addressed him thus, "You said to me, you see those
windows that reach down to the ground--go in there, and I will follow
you presently. Now this good lady is angry that I have broken the
window, but how could I help doing so, as it was not open? It seems to
me that I have the most reason to complain, for I might have cut myself
to pieces in doing what I was told to do; but I hope whatever may be
the danger I shall never shrink from doing my duty. Now, excuse me to
the lady I beseech you, my dear Master, for you see I could not avoid
causing the mischief that has happened."
[Illustration: _Owlglass walks through the Barber's Window._]
The poor Barber knew not what to say, so thought he might as well not
say anything; besides, he wanted his assistance, and was in hopes he
might be induced to accept more reasonable terms in consideration of
the damage he had done. He now gave Owlglass some razors to sharpen,
and as they were somewhat rusty at the backs, he said, "Brighten up
the backs; indeed, make them quite like the edge." Owlglass took the
razors and made the backs as sharp as the edges, so that the Barber,
when he went to see what he was doing, exclaimed, "This is not right!"
"How not right?" Owlglass said; "are the backs not sharp enough? But
have a little patience and they shall be quite like the edges, as you
told me to make them. You see they had got very blunt at the backs, but
after a little more sharpening you will be satisfied with them." "Are
you an idiot?" the Master cried in a rage; "or is all this mischief
done intentionally? Leave the sharpening and pack yourself off back to
where you came from." "Well," Owlglass said, "I see we should not be
happy together for all our lives, so I may as well go at once;" and he
walked out through the window as he had gone in. The Barber was still
more enraged at this, and ran after him to have him seized and locked
up till he paid for the broken window; but Owlglass was too quick for
him, reached a ship that was just about to sail, and was off.
[Decoration]