Page 60 - Arrow Publications Pvt. Ltd.

When the little man came the next day, she uttered all the names she knew. Caspar,

Melchior, Balthezar and so on. But to every name the little man said, “No, this is not
my name.” On the second day, she had enquiries made in the neighbourhood about

the names of people there. She repeated them to the little man. “Perhaps your name is
Sheepshanks, Laceleg, Short Ribs.” But the little man only said, “That is not my name.”

On the third day, the messenger came back again and said. “I have not been able to find
a single new name but as I came to a high mountain at the end of the forest, I saw a

little house. And before the house, a fire was burning and round about the fire, a funny
little man was jumping and hopping as he sang,

“Today I brew, today I bake,

Tomorrow I will the baby take,

For the queen will lose the game,

For she knows not my fame

And that Rumpelstiltskin is my name.”

When the queen heard this, she jumped for joy.

The next day, when the little man came in and
asked, “What is my name?” She said, “Is your

name Conrad? or Harry? Perhaps your name is Rumpelstiltskin?”

When the little man heard this, he cried out in anger, “The devil has told you that. The
devil has told you that.” Then in a fit of rage, he stamped his foot and pushed the earth

so hard that his whole leg went into the ground. When he tried to pull out his leg with
great force, it tore his body into two.

The queen was terrified. But she was relieved that the little man was no more alive to

trouble her.

Word Power

miller: someone who works in a mill delighted: happy

spin: draw out and twist into threads glittering: shining

straw: dry, cut stalks of corn, rice etc. enquiries: asking questions to find out

astonished: surprised something

terrified: filled with fear, frightened

60 Arrow-English Plus-5