Next day he went to his mother, the lady of the castle, and told her that he wished to marry the scullery-maid, Catskin.  “Never,” said the lady, and rushed from the room.  Well, the young lord was so grieved at that, that he took to his bed and was very ill.  The doctor tried to cure him, but he would not take any medicine unless from the hands of Catskin.  So the doctor went to the lady of the castle, and told her her son would die if she did not consent to his marriage with Catskin.  So she had to give way, and summoned Catskin to her.  But she put on her coat of beaten gold, and went to the lady, who soon was glad to wed her son to so beautiful a maid.

Well, so they were married, and after a time a dear little son came to them, and grew up a bonny lad; and one day, when he was four years old, a beggar woman came to the door, so Lady Catskin gave some money to the little lord and told him to go and give it to the beggar woman.  So he went and gave it, but put it into the hand of the woman’s child, who leant forward and kissed the little lord.  Now the wicked old cook—­why hadn’t she been sent away?—­was looking on, so she said, “Only see how beggars’ brats take to one another.”  This insult went to Catskin’s heart, so she went to her husband, the young lord, and told him all about her father, and begged he would go and find out what had become of her parents.  So they set out in the lord’s grand coach, and travelled through the forest till they came to Catskin’s father’s house, and put up at an inn near, where Catskin stopped, while her husband went to see if her father would own her.

Now her father had never had any other child, and his wife had died; so he was all alone in the world and sate moping and miserable.  When the young lord came in he hardly looked up, till he saw a chair close up to him, and asked him:  “Pray, sir, had you not once a young daughter whom you would never see or own?”

The old gentleman said:  “It is true; I am a hardened sinner.  But I would give all my worldly goods if I could but see her once before I die.”  Then the young lord told him what had happened to Catskin, and took him to the inn, and brought his father-in-law to his own castle, where they lived happy ever afterwards.

Stupid’s Cries

There was once a little boy, and his mother sent him to buy a sheep’s head and pluck; afraid he should forget it, the lad kept saying all the way along: 

     “Sheep’s head and pluck! 
      Sheep’s head and pluck!”

Trudging along, he came to a stile; but in getting over he fell and hurt himself, and beginning to blubber, forgot what he was sent for.  So he stood a little while to consider:  at last he thought he recollected it, and began to repeat: 

     “Liver and lights and gall and all! 
      Liver and lights and gall and all!”

Away he went again, and came to where a man had a pain in his liver, bawling out: