Сборник лучших английских сказок. Уровень 1

She sat down on a stool in the kitchen and began to cry.

Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She stood up and opened it, and she saw a small black impet with a long tail. He looked at her and asked:

“Why are you crying?”

“Why do you ask?” says she.

“Tell me,” said he, “why are you crying.”

And he turned his tail around.

So the poor girl told him about the pies and the skeins and everything.

“I’ll help you,” says the little black impet, “I’ll come to your window every morning and take the flax and bring it ready at night.

“What do you want for that?” says she.

He said, “I’ll give you three guesses every night to guess my name, and if you don’t guess it before the end of the month, you will be mine[103 - you will be mine – ты будешь моею].”

“Well,” she thought, “I’ll guess his name for sure[104 - for sure – наверняка]”. “All right,” says she, “I agree.”

The next day, her husband took her into the room, and there was the flax and her food.

“This is the flax,” says he, “and if you don’t spin it this night, you’ll lose your head.” And then he went out and locked the door.

So the girl heard a knock near the window. She stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet.

“Where’s the flax?” says he.

“Here it is,” says she. And she gave it to him.

When the evening came, the knock came again to the window. The girl stood up and opened it, and there was the little old impet with five skeins of flax on his arm.

“Here it is,” says he, and he gave it to her.

“Now, what’s my name?” says he.

“Is that Bill?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.

“Is that Ned?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail.

“Well, is that Mark?” says she.

“No, it isn’t!” says he, and he twirled his tail harder and flew away.

When her husband came in, there were the five skeins ready for him.

Every day he brought the flax and the food, and every day that little black impet came mornings and evenings. And all the day the girl was trying to guess his name in order to[106 - in order to – чтобы] say it when the impet came at night.