Well, in the Spae-Woman’s house he stayed for three-quarters of a year.
He often went in search of the robbers who had taken the Crystal Egg
with the Spae-Woman’s goose, but no trace of them nor their booty could
he ever find. He met birds and beasts who were his friends, but he could
not have speech with them without the Egg that let him have anything he
wished. He did work for the Spae-Woman--fixed her fences and repaired
her barn and brought _brosna_ for her fire every evening from the wood.
At night, before he went to sleep, the Spae-Woman used to tell him her
dreams of the night before and tell him about the people who had come to
her house to have their fortunes told.
One Monday morning she said to him, “I have had an inlook, son of
my heart, and I know that my gossip, the Churl of the Townland of
Mischance, is going to come and take you into his service.”
“And what sort of a man is your gossip, the Churl of the Townland of
Mischance?” Gilly asked.
“An unkind man. Two youths who served me he took away, one after the
other, and miserable are they made by what he did to them. I’m in dread
of your being brought to the Townland of Mischance.”
“Why are you in dread of it, Spae-Woman?” said Gilly. “Sure, I’ll be
glad enough to see the world.”
“That’s what the other two youths said,” said the Spae-Woman. “Now I’ll
tell you what my gossip the Churl of the Townland of Mischance does: he
makes a bargain with the youth that goes into his service, telling him
he will give him a guinea, a groat and a tester for his three months’
service. And he tells the youth that if he says he is sorry for the
bargain he must lose his wages and part with a strip of his skin, an
inch wide. He rode on a bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spotted
horse, from his neck to his heel. Oh, he is an unkind man, my gossip,
the Churl of the Townland of Mischance.”
“And is there no way to get the better of him?” asked Gilly.
“There is, but it is a hard way,” said the Spae-Woman. “If one could
make him say that he, the master, is sorry for the bargain, the Churl
himself would lose a strip of his skin an inch wide from his neck to his
heel, and would have to pay full wages no matter how short a time the
youth served him.”
“It’s a bargain anyway,” said Gilly, “and if he comes I’ll take service
with the Churl of the Townland of Mischance.”
The first wet day that came brought the Churl of the Townland of
Mischance. He rode on a bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spotted
horse. He carried an ash-plant in his hand to flog the horse and to
strike at the dogs that crossed his way. He had blue lips, eyes looking
crossways and eyebrows like a furze bush. He had a bag before him filled
with boiled pigs’ feet. Now when he rode up to the house, he had a
pig’s foot to his mouth and was eating. He got down off the bob-tailed,
big-headed, spavined and spotted horse, and came in.
“I heard there was a young fellow at your house and I want him to take
service with me,” said he to the Spae-Woman.
“If the bargain is a good one I’ll take service with you,” said Gilly.
“All right, my lad,” said the Churl. “Here is the bargain, and it’s as
fair as fair can be. I’ll give you a guinea, a groat and a tester for
your three months’ work with me.”
“I believe it’s good wages,” said Gilly.
“It is. Howsoever, if you ever say you are sorry you made the bargain
you will lose your wages, and besides that you will lose a strip of your
skin an inch wide from your neck to your heel. I have to put that in
or I’d never get work done for me at all. The serving boys are always
saying ‘I can’t do that,’ and ‘I’m sorry I made the bargain with you.’”
“And if you say you’re sorry you made the bargain?”
“Oh, then I’ll have to lose a strip of my skin an inch wide from my neck
to my heel, and besides that I’ll have to give you full wages no matter
how short a time you served me.”
“Well, if that suits you it will suit me,” said Gilly of the Goatskin.
“Then walk beside my horse and we’ll get back to the Townland of
Mischance to-night,” said the Churl. Then he swished his ash-plant
towards Gilly and ordered him to get ready. The Spae-Woman wiped the
tears from her face with her apron, gave Gilly a cake with her blessing,
and he started off with the Churl for the Townland of Mischance.