When she got there, the priest came out, took his whip, thrashed her soundly. She came home, said to her husband, ‘O my God, I did just get a thrashing!’
And the Gypsy is at work. Straightway the hammer fell from his hand. ‘Now, wait a bit till I show him a trick, and teach him a lesson.’
The Gypsy went to the church, and took a look at the door, how to make the key to the tower. He came home, sat down at his anvil, set to work at once on the key. When he had made it, he went back to try to open the door. It opened it as though it had been made for it.
‘Wait a bit, now,’ he thinks to himself; ‘what shall I need next?’
He went straight off to the shop, and bought himself some fine paper, just like the fine clothes the priests wear for high mass. When he had bought it, he went to the tailor, told him to make him clothes like an angel’s; he looked in them [[47]]just like a priest. He came home, told his son (he was twenty years old), ‘Hark’ee, mate, come along with me, and bring the pot. Catch about a hundred crabs. Ha! they shall see what I’ll do this night; the priest won’t escape with his life.’
All right!
Midnight came. The Gypsy went to the church, lit all the lights that were in the church. The cook goes to look out. ‘My God! what’s the matter? the whole church is lighted up.’
She goes to the priest, wakes him up. ‘Get up! Let’s go and see what it is. The whole church is blazing inside. What ever is it?’
The priest was in a great fright. He pulled on his vestment, and went to the church to see. The Gypsy chants like a priest performing service in the great church where the greatest folks go to service. ‘Oh!’ the Gypsy was chanting, ‘O God, he who is a sinful man, for him am I come; him who takes so much money with him will I fetch to Paradise, and there it shall be well with him.’
When the gentleman heard that, he went home, and got all the money he had in the house.