to the rule; but as the figure that had taken the girl's place
could feel no pain, the blows that were showered on her night and
day made no difference. If the father ever tried to come to his
daughter's help, his wife turned upon him, and things were rather
worse than before.

One day the stepmother had given the girl a frightful beating,
and then threatened to kill her outright. Mad with rage, she
seized the figure by the throat with both hands, when out came a
black snake from her mouth and stung the woman's tongue, and she
fell dead without a sound. At night, when the husband came home,
he found his wife lying dead upon the ground, her body all
swollen and disfigured, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. His
screams brought the neighbours from their cottages, but they were
unable to explain how it had all come about. It was true, they
said, that about mid-day they had heard a great noise, but as
that was a matter of daily occurrence they did not think much of
it. The rest of the day all was still, but no one had seen
anything of the daughter. The body of the dead woman was then
prepared for burial, and her tired husband went to bed, rejoicing
in his heart that he had been delivered from the firebrand who
had made his home unpleasant. On the table he saw a slice of
bread lying, and, being hungry, he ate it before going to sleep.

In the morning he too was found dead, and as swollen as his wife,
for the bread had been placed in the body of the figure by the
old man who made it. A few days later he was placed in the grave
beside his wife, but nothing more was ever heard of their
daughter.