The Three Apprentices (Grimm)
Short summary
Medieval Germany, fairy tale times. Three unemployed apprentices met a well-dressed stranger who offered them wealth if they would only say three specific phrases: 'All three of us,' 'For money,' and 'And quite right too!' The stranger revealed himself as the Devil with a horse's foot, but assured them he sought another soul already half his own. The apprentices agreed to the deal.
They arrived at an inn where their strange responses to all questions made other guests think them mad. A wealthy merchant asked the innkeeper to guard his gold. That night, the innkeeper and his wife murdered the merchant with an axe.
When the body was discovered, the innkeeper blamed the apprentices. At the trial, the judge asked them about the murder.
Have you killed the merchant? All three of us, For money, said the second; and the third added, And quite right too! There now, you hear, they confess it themselves.
The Devil arrived as a nobleman, declared the apprentices innocent, and revealed the innkeeper as the true murderer. The innkeeper was executed, and the Devil claimed his soul. The apprentices were freed with money for life.
Detailed summary
Division into chapters is editorial.
The Devils bargain with three poor apprentices
Three apprentices had agreed to travel and work together, but found themselves in rags with no work and nothing to live on. They decided to travel once more, and if they found no work, they would arrange with an innkeeper to write and tell each other where they were staying before separating. On their journey, they met a richly-dressed man who asked who they were. When they explained their situation, he offered them gold, work, and the promise of becoming great lords if they would do what he told them. The first apprentice cautiously asked about their souls and salvation.
If our souls and salvation be not endangered, we will certainly do it... They will not, replied the man, I have no claim on you... but on another soul, which is half my own already
One of the apprentices noticed the stranger had a horse's foot and a man's foot, but the Devil assured them he had no designs on them. He was after another soul that was already half his own.
Strange behavior at the inn
The first was to answer, All three of us, to every question; the second was to say, For money, and the third, And quite right too! ...but so long as they observed it, their pockets would always be full
The Devil gave them as much money as they could carry and directed them to a specific inn. At the inn, the innkeeper asked if they wished for anything to eat. Following their instructions perfectly, they responded in order with their assigned phrases.
The lodgers observed their strange behavior and declared them mad. The apprentices stayed at the inn for some time, saying nothing else but their assigned phrases, though they saw and knew all that was going on around them. A great merchant arrived with a large sum of money and asked the host to keep it safe from the three crazy apprentices who might steal it.
Murder of the merchant and false accusations
The host placed the merchant in a separate upstairs apartment while giving the apprentices lodging below.
When it was midnight... he came with his wife, and they had an axe and struck the rich merchant dead; and after they had murdered him they went to bed again.
When morning came, there was a great outcry as the merchant was found dead in bed, bathed in blood. The host immediately blamed the three crazy apprentices, and the other lodgers confirmed it could have been no one else.
When questioned about killing the merchant, the apprentices could only respond with their assigned phrases, which sounded like a confession. They were taken to prison and prepared for trial. That night, the Devil visited them and urged them to bear it just one day longer without playing away their luck, promising not one hair of their heads would be hurt.
Trial, rescue, and revelation of truth
At their trial, the judge questioned them about the murder, but they could only give their programmed responses. The judge declared them stubborn and ordered their immediate execution.
As they were led to the scaffold where the headsman waited with his naked sword, a dramatic rescue arrived.
A coach drawn by four bloodred chestnut horses came up suddenly, driving so fast that fire flashed from the stones, and someone made signs from the window with a white handkerchief.
The Devil stepped out as a noble gentleman and declared the three innocent, allowing them to speak freely. The eldest pointed to the innkeeper as the real murderer, directing them to his cellar where many other victims hung. The judge sent men to investigate, found the evidence, and had the innkeeper executed. The Devil revealed he had obtained the soul he wanted and freed the apprentices with money for the rest of their lives.