“Only try me”, said the Smith, “and you’ll soon know.”
So our Lord gave him three wishes.
“Well”, said the Smith, “first and foremost, I wish that any one whom I ask to climb up into the pear-tree that stands outside by the wall of my forge, may stay sitting there till I ask him to come down again. The second wish I wish is, that any one whom I ask to sit down in my easy chair which stands inside the workshop yonder, may stay sitting there till I ask him to get up. Last of all, I wish that any one whom I ask to creep into the steel purse which I have in my pocket, may stay in it till I give him leave to creep out again.”
“You have wished as a wicked man”, said St Peter; “first and foremost, you should have wished for God’s grace and goodwill.”
“I durstn’t look so high as that”, said the Smith; and after that our Lord and St Peter bade him “good-bye”, and went on their way.
Well, the years went on and on, and when the time was up, the Devil came to fetch the Smith, as it was written in their bargain.
“Are you ready?” he said, as he stuck his nose in at the door of the forge.
“Oh”, said the Smith, “I must just hammer the head of this tenpenny nail first; meantime, you can just climb up into the pear-tree, and pluck yourself a pear to gnaw at; you must be, both hungry and thirsty after your journey.”
So the Devil thanked him for his kind offer, and climbed up into the pear-tree.
“Very good”, said the Smith; “but now, on thinking the matter over, I find I shall never be able to have done hammering the head of this nail till four years are out at least, this iron is so plaguey hard; down you can’t come in all that time, but may sit up there and rest your bones.”