The spirit said haughtily, “that is a very trifling feat,” drew himself together, and made himself as small and slender as he had been at first, so that he crept through the same opening, and right through the neck of the bottle in again. Scarcely was he within than the scholar thrust the cork he had drawn back into the bottle, and threw it among the roots of the oak into its old place, and the spirit was betrayed.

And now the scolar was about to return to his father, but the spirit cried very piteously, “Ah, do let me out! ah, do let me out!”

“No,” answered the scholar, “not a second time! He who has once tried to take my life shall not be set free by me, now that I have caught him again.”

“If thou wilt set me free,” said the spirit, “I will give thee so much that thou wilt have plenty all the days of thy life.”

“No,” answered the boy, “thou wouldst cheat me as thou didst the first time.”