How Owlglass ate a roasted Fowl off the spit, and did only half Work.

The first village Owlglass came to he went straight to the Priest’s house. Here he was hired, the Priest telling him that he should live as well as he and his cook, and do only half the work.

Owlglass agreed, promising himself to the very letter to act up to what had been said. The cook, who had but one eye, put two chickens to the fire to roast, bidding him turn the spit. This he readily did, thinking all the while of the Priest’s words, that he should live as well as he and his cook; and, when the chickens were well roasted, took one of them off the spit, and ate it then and there.

When dinner-time had come the cook went to the fire to baste the chickens, and seeing only one, said to Owlglass, “What has become of the other fowl?” To this he answered, “Open your other eye, my good Woman, and you will see the two.” She flew into a passion at having her defect of the loss of one eye thus thrown in her teeth, and straightway went to her master, to whom she complained of the insult offered to her, and how that his new servant understood cooking so well that two chickens dwindled down into one. The Priest thereupon went into the kitchen, and said, “Why is it, Owlglass, that you have mocked my servant? I see that there is only one fowl on the spit, whereas there were two; what has become of the other?” Owlglass answered, “Open both your eyes, and you will see that the other fowl is on the spit. I only said the same to your cook, when she grew angry.” The Priest laughed, and said, “My cook cannot open both eyes since she has only one.” Owlglass replied, “That you say, I do not say so.” The Priest continued, “With all this, there is but one fowl.” Owlglass said, “The other I have eaten, for you said I should live as well as you and your cook, and therefore one chicken was for me, and the other for you two. I should have been grieved that what you said were not true, and thus I took my share beforehand.” “Well, well, my good Fellow,” his master said, “it matters little about the eaten fowl, only you do in future what my cook tells you.” Owlglass said, “Yes, my dear Master, as you told me so will I do.” Now, at the hiring, the Priest had said Owlglass should do half the work which the cook would tell him, so that he only did the half of what she told him to do.

When told to fetch a pail full of water, he brought it only half full, and when he was to put two logs of wood on the fire, he only put one on. The cook saw well enough that all this was done to vex her, and said to her master that if he kept such a perverse fellow in his house she would leave it. Owlglass defended himself, saying, it was quite natural that having only one eye she should see the work only half done. At this the Priest laughed; but to appease his cook was obliged to dismiss his man, promising, however, that he would be a friend to him.