THE MASTER THIEF THERE was once upon a time a husbandman who had three sons . He had no property to bequeath to them , and no means of putting them in the way of getting a living , and did not know what to do , so he said that they had his leave to take to anything they most fancied , and go to any place they best liked . He would gladly accompany them for some part of their way , he said , and that he did . He went with them till they came to a place where three roads met , and there each of them took his own way , and the father bade them farewell and returned to his own home again . What became of the two elder I have never been able to discover , but the youngest went both far and wide . It came to pass , one night , as he was going through a great wood , that a terrible storm came on . It blew so hard and rained so heavily that he could scarcely keep his eyes open , and before he was aware of it he had got quite out of the track , and could neither find road nor path . But he went on , and at last he saw a light far away in the wood . Then he thought he must try and get to it , and after a long , long time he did reach it . There was a large house , and the fire was burning so brightly inside that he could tell that the people were not in bed . So he went in , and inside there was an old woman who was busy about some work . ` Good evening , mother ! ' said the youth . ` Good evening ! ' said the old woman . ` Hutetu ! it is terrible weather outside to-night , ' said the young fellow . ` Indeed it is , ' said the old woman . ` Can I sleep here , and have shelter for the night ? ' asked the youth .
` It would n't be good XXXXX you to sleep here , ' said the old hag , ` for if the people of the house come home and find you , they will kill both you and me . '
So about after as before for in through till with