Doctor Knowall (Grimm)
Division into chapters is editorial.
The peasant becomes Doctor Knowall
A poor peasant named Crabb drove his cart pulled by two oxen to town, carrying a load of wood to sell. He found a buyer in a wealthy doctor who paid him two thalers for the wood.
While the money was being counted out, Crabb observed the doctor sitting at his table, eating and drinking with great refinement.
When the peasant saw how daintily he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and he would willingly have been a doctor too.
Crabb lingered and eventually asked if he too could become a doctor. The physician assured him it was easily managed and gave him specific instructions.
In the first place buy thyself an A.B.C. book of the kind which has a cock on the frontispiece... have a sign painted for thyself with the words, 'I am Doctor Knowall'
The lords call for help
Crabb followed all the doctor's advice. He sold his cart and oxen, bought proper clothes and medical supplies, and had the sign made. After practicing as a doctor for a short time, word of Doctor Knowall reached a wealthy lord who had suffered a theft. The nobleman was told that Doctor Knowall in the village would surely know what had become of his stolen money. The lord ordered his carriage prepared and drove to the village to find Crabb. When asked if he was Doctor Knowall, Crabb confirmed he was. The lord demanded he come along to recover the stolen money. Crabb agreed but insisted his wife Grethe must accompany them.
Confusion and fear at the castle
The lord willingly allowed both Crabb and his wife to ride in the carriage, and they all traveled together to the nobleman's castle. Upon arrival, the table was set for a meal, and Crabb was invited to sit down and eat. He insisted that Grethe join him at the table as well.
When the first servant entered with a dish of delicate food, Crabb nudged his wife and said, 'Grethe, that was the first,' meaning it was the servant bringing the first dish. However, the servant misunderstood completely.
The servant, however, thought he intended by that to say, 'That is the first thief,' and as he actually was so, he was terrified
The frightened servant rushed outside and warned his comrade that the doctor knew everything and had identified him as the first thief. The second servant was reluctant to enter but was forced to serve. When he brought his dish, Crabb again nudged Grethe and said, 'Grethe, that is the second.' This servant became equally alarmed and quickly left. The third servant fared no better when Crabb announced, 'Grethe, that is the third.'
The fourth servant had to carry in a covered dish. The lord told the doctor to demonstrate his skill by guessing what lay beneath the cover. Crabb looked at the dish, having no idea what to say, and in desperation cried out his own name.
The Doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and cried, 'Ah, poor Crabb.' When the lord heard that, he cried, 'There! he knows it, he knows who has the money!'
The servants looked terribly uneasy and signaled to the doctor that they wished to speak with him privately outside.
The servants confess and Doctor Knowall succeeds
All four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain
They begged him not to denounce them, threatening that they would be hanged if exposed. The servants led him to where the money was hidden, and Doctor Knowall was satisfied with this arrangement. He returned to the hall and announced he would consult his book to locate the gold. Meanwhile, the fifth servant had crept into the stove to eavesdrop. As Crabb opened his A.B.C. book and searched for the cock illustration, he said aloud that he knew someone was there and they should show themselves. The terrified servant in the stove thought the doctor meant him and sprang out crying that the man knew everything. Doctor Knowall then showed the count where the money was located but never revealed who had stolen it. He received generous rewards from both the grateful lord and the relieved servants, and became a renowned man.