J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

2 66 WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
her. When he went away she began to open the cham-
bers. Every one, as she opened it, was getting finer
and finer, till she came to the one that was forbidden.
It seemed to her, " What might be in it that she
might not open it too." She opened it, and it was
full of dead gentlewomen, and she went down to the
knee in blood. Then she came out, and she was clean-
ing her foot ; and though she were cleaniug it, still she
could not take a bit of the blood off it. A tiny cat
came where she was, and she said to her, " If she
would give a little drop of milk that she would clean
her foot as well as it was before. "Thou ! ugly bea.st !
be off before thee. Dost thou suppose that I won't
clean them better than thou ?" " Yes, yes, take tliine
oAvn way. Thou wilt see what will happen to thee
when himself comes home." He came home, and
she set the dinner on the board, and they sat down
at it. Before they ate a bit he said to her, " Wert
thou a good Avoman to-day V " I Avas," said she.
'' Let me see thy foot, and I will tell thee whether
thou wert or wert not." She let him see the one that
was clean. " Let me see the other one," said he. Wlien
he saw the blood, "Oh! ho !" said he. He rose and
took the axe and took her head off, and he threw her
into the chamber ^dth the other dead people. He laid
down that night, and early on the morrow he went to
the widow's yard again. Said the second one of the
widow's daughters to her mother — " I will go out to-
day, and I will keep the gray horse out of the yard"
She went out seAving. She struck the thing she was
sewing on the horse. The cloth stuck to the horse,
and her hand stuck to the clotL They reached
the hill. He called as usual to the hill ; the hill
opened, and they went in. He warmed Avater
for her feet, and made a soft bed for her limbs, and