English Fairy Tales / Английские сказки. Elementary

At once the room was darkened, and the house trembled; a clap of thunder rolled through the passage and the old room, and there stood before him a horrible, horrible form, breathing fire, and with eyes like burning lamps. It was the demon, whom he had called up[113 - whom he had called up – которого он вызвал] to serve him.

“Set me a task![114 - Set me a task! – Приказывай мне!]” said he with a voice like the roaring of an iron furnace.

The boy only trembled, and his hair stood up.

“Set me a task, or I shall strangle you!”

But the lad could not speak. Then the evil spirit stepped towards him and putting forth his hands touched his throat. The fingers burned his flesh. “Set me a task!”

“Water that flower,” cried the boy in despair, pointing to a geranium which stood in a pot on the floor. Instantly, the spirit left the room, but in another instant he returned with a barrel on his back and poured its contents over the flower; and again and again he went and came and poured more and more water till the floor of the room was ankle-deep[115 - the floor of the room was ankle-deep – воды в комнате стало по щиколотку].

“Enough, enough!” gasped the lad, but the demon did not hear him. The lad didn’t know the words by which to send him away, and still he fetched water.

It rose to the boy’s knees and still more water was poured. It mounted to his waist, and the demon still kept on bringing barrels full.

It rose to his armpits, and he scrambled to the table-top. And now the water in the room stood up to the window and washed against the glass and around his feet on the table. It still rose; it reached his breast. The poor boy cried, but all was useless. The evil spirit was pouring and pouring and pouring water. But the master remembered on his journey that he had not locked his book and therefore returned, and at the moment when the water was bubbling about the pupil’s chin, rushed into the room and spoke the words which cast the demon back into his fiery home.

Jack the Giant-Killer

When good King Arthur[116 - King Arthur – король Артур (легендарный вождь бриттов V-VI вв., собравший при своём дворе доблестнейших и благороднейших рыцарей Круглого стола.