“Eh! eh! goodman,” said she, “don’t be downhearted. Eat your supper now, and go to sleep. Rise early, and all will get done in good time.”
So Emelyán lay down and slept. In the morning his wife woke him. “Go,” said she, “to the palace—all is ready. Only, near the wharf in front of the palace, there is a mound left; take a spade and level it.”
When the King awoke he saw a river where there had not been one; ships were sailing up and down, and Emelyán was levelling a mound with a spade. The King wondered, but was pleased neither with the river nor with the ships, so vexed was he at not being able to condemn Emelyán. “There is no task,” thought he, “that he cannot manage. What is to be done?” And he called his servants and again asked their advice.
“Find some task,” said he, “which Emelyán cannot compass. For whatever we plan he fulfils, and I cannot take his wife from him.”
The King’s servants thought and thought, and at last devised a plan. They came to the King and said: “Send for Emelyán and say to him: ‘Go to there, don’t know where,’ and bring back ‘that, don’t know what.’ Then he will not be able to escape you. No matter where he goes, you can say that he has not gone to the right place, and no matter what he brings, you can say it is not the right thing. Then you can have him beheaded and can take his wife.”
The King was pleased. “That is well thought of,” said he. So the King sent for Emelyán and said to him: “Go to ‘there, don’t know where,’ and bring back ‘that, don’t know what.’ If you fail to bring it, I will have you beheaded.”
Emelyán returned to his wife and told her what the King had said. His wife became thoughtful.
“Well,” said she, “they have taught the King how to catch you. Now we must act warily.” So she sat and thought, and at last said to her husband: