The scheming old woman delivers all the keys to the house to the young squire, who goes in and wakes the lady in her bedchamber.
The squire is unable to detect the deception and sleeps with the girl, taking her ring and her ring-finger as tokens of the night.
Within the Child collection, the story bears remarkable similarity to "Redesdale and Wise William," which is ballad number 246.
[5] Despite the differences of ending and the distinction of sister rather than wife, the tales are obviously related and both fit within the Aarne-Thompson Type 882.
Outside of the collection, a parallel story and possible source is found in many versions of the Greek tale, "Maurianos and His Sister.
[6] Like a far more famous poem from the same period, Tae a Moose, "The Twa Knights" is written in the Scots language.
‘There’s nae gude women,’ the squire did say, ‘Into this place but nine;’ ‘O well falls me,’ the knight replied, ‘For ane o them is mine.’
‘O I’ll gang till a far countrie, And far beyond the faem, And ye winna gain my lady’s love Whan nine lang months are gane.’ 'There's no good women,' the squire did say, 'In this place but nine;' ‘O well falls me,’ the knight replied, ‘For one of them is mine.’
‘O I’ll go to a far country, And far beyond the foam, And ye will not gain my lady’s love Whan nine long months are gone.’