And the Pedlars said: ‘The leaves are falling.’
A little later, finding that the door still pressed very heavily, Kate said: ‘Fred, I must pour away the vinegar.’
‘No, Kate, not now; it would betray us.’
‘But, Fred, I must, it is terribly heavy.’
‘Well, do it, then, if you must, in the name of fortune!’
So she poured out the vinegar, and the Pedlars were sprinkled with it.
They said to each other: ‘Why, the dew is falling already.’
At last Kate thought: ‘Can it be the door that presses so heavily?’ And she said: ‘Fred, I must throw the door down.’
‘No, Kate, not now; it might betray us.’
‘But, Fred, I must; it weighs me down.’
‘No, Kate, hold it fast.’
‘Fred, it’s slipping, I must let it fall.’
‘Well, let it fall, then, in the devil’s name!’
So down it fell through the branches with such a clatter, that the Pedlars cried: ‘The devil’s in this tree.’ And they ran away as fast as ever they could go, leaving all their treasure behind them.
In the early morning, when Fred and Kate climbed down, they found all their gold, and took it home with them.
