When he had warmed himself and had something to eat, he wanted to go to
sleep; but before long he heard such a terrible noise, as if they were
turning the castle upside down. The door burst wide open, and he saw
nothing but a gaping jaw extending from the threshold up to the lintel.
"There is a mouthful for you," said the youngster and threw the pauper
boy into the swallow: "taste that! But let me see now who you are!
Perhaps you are an old acquaintance?"
And so it was; it was the devil who was about again.
They began to play cards, for the devil wanted to try and win back some
of the ground-rent which the youngster had got out of his mother by
threats, when he was sent by the king to collect it; but the youngster
was always the fortunate one, for he put a cross on the back of all the
good cards, and when he had won all the money which the devil had upon
him, the devil had to pay him out of the gold and silver which was in
the castle.
Suddenly the fire went out, so they could not tell the one card from the
other.
"We must chop some wood now," said the youngster, who drove the axe into
the fir block, and forced the wedge in; but the twisted, knotty block
would not split, although the youngster worked as hard as he could with
the axe.
"They say you are strong," he said to the devil; "just spit on your
hands, stick your claws in, and tear away, and let me see what you are
made of.
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