How Owlglass hired himself to a Barber, and entered his House through the Window.

Once upon a time Owlglass went to the city of Hamburg, and having reached the market-place he there stood still and looked about him. Whilst he was standing there a man came up to him and asked what he was looking out for. Owlglass saw at once, by his questioner’s appearance, what business he followed, answered that he was a barber and was seeking employment. “Well met then,” his new acquaintance said, “for I just happen to be in want of a barber’s assistant, and I dare say we shall be able to come to a satisfactory arrangement together. I live in that high house just opposite. You see those windows that reach down to the ground. Go in there, and I will follow you presently.” Owlglass answered, “Yes.” Then crossing the road walked straight through the window, with a terrific crash, and made a polite bow to those within the room. The barber’s wife sat there spinning, and, being much frightened, cried out for help, saying, “Here is a madman come through the window.” Owlglass said to her, “My good Lady, pray be not angry, for the master bid me come in here, having just hired me as his assistant.” “May the foul fiend take you,” the lady answered, for she was not possessed of the most even temper, “a pretty assistant you are. Was the door not wide enough for you, that you must needs come in through the window?” Owlglass answered, “My dear Madam, must not an assistant do as his master bids him?” Just then the Barber entered, and seeing all the destruction around him, exclaimed, “What does all this mean?” Owlglass addressed him thus, “You said to me, you see those windows that reach down to the ground—go in there, and I will follow you presently. Now this good lady is angry that I have broken the window, but how could I help doing so, as it was not open? It seems to me that I have the most reason to complain, for I might have cut myself to pieces in doing what I was told to do; but I hope whatever may be the danger I shall never shrink from doing my duty. Now, excuse me to the lady I beseech you, my dear Master, for you see I could not avoid causing the mischief that has happened.”

The poor Barber knew not what to say, so thought he might as well not say anything; besides, he wanted his assistance, and was in hopes he might be induced to accept more reasonable terms in consideration of the damage he had done. He now gave Owlglass some razors to sharpen, and as they were somewhat rusty at the backs, he said, “Brighten up the backs; indeed, make them quite like the edge.” Owlglass took the razors and made the backs as sharp as the edges, so that the Barber, when he went to see what he was doing, exclaimed, “This is not right!” “How not right?” Owlglass said; “are the backs not sharp enough? But have a little patience and they shall be quite like the edges, as you told me to make them. You see they had got very blunt at the backs, but after a little more sharpening you will be satisfied with them.” “Are you an idiot?” the Master cried in a rage; “or is all this mischief done intentionally? Leave the sharpening and pack yourself off back to where you came from.” “Well,” Owlglass said, “I see we should not be happy together for all our lives, so I may as well go at once;” and he walked out through the window as he had gone in. The Barber was still more enraged at this, and ran after him to have him seized and locked up till he paid for the broken window; but Owlglass was too quick for him, reached a ship that was just about to sail, and was off.