The old Devil sat down at the table, but the dumb girl seized him by the hands and looked at them⁠—there were no hard places there: the hands were clean and smooth, with long nails. The dumb girl gave a grunt and pulled the Devil away from the table. And Iván’s wife said to him, “Don’t be offended, fine gentleman. My sister-in-law does not allow anyone to come to table who hasn’t horny hands. But wait awhile, after the folk have eaten you shall have what is left.”

The old Devil was offended that in the King’s house they wished him to feed like a pig. He said to Iván, “It is a foolish law you have in your kingdom that everyone must work with his hands. It’s your stupidity that invented it. Do people work only with their hands? What do you think wise men work with?”

And Iván said, “How are we fools to know? We do most of our work with our hands and our backs.”

“That is because you are fools! But I will teach you how to work with the head. Then you will know that it is more profitable to work with the head than with the hands.”