The Princesses And Her Six Brothers

Once upon a time, a king, hunting in a great forest, chased a wild boar so eagerly, that none of his people could follow him. When evening came, he stopped to look about him, and saw that he had lost himself. He sought everywhere for a way out of the wood, but could find none. Then he saw an old woman coming towards him whose head kept constantly shaking. She was a witch.

“My good woman,” said the king to her, “can you show me the way through the wood?”“O yes, your majesty,” answered she, “I can, but only on one condition, and if you do not agree to it, you will never get out, and must die here of hunger.” “What is the condition?” asked the king.“I have an only daughter,” said the old woman, “she is as beautiful than anyone else in this wide world, and well deserves to be your wife; if you will make her your queen, I will show you the way out of the wood.”

The king, in the fear of his life, agreed, and the old woman led him to her house, where her daughter sat by the fire. She received the king as if she had expected him, and he saw that she was very beautiful; but still the king was not pleased with her, but was afraid that he may loose his life if he rejected her. After he had lifted up the maiden beside him on his horse, the old woman showed him the way, and the king arrived again at his royal castle, where the wedding was celebrated.

He had been married once before, and had by his first wife seven children, six boys and a girl, whom he loved more than anything in the world. But, because he was afraid that the stepmother might not treat them well, or might even do them some harm, he took them to a lonely castle which stood in the middle of a wood. It was so hidden, and the road was so difficult to find, that he himself would not have found it, if a wise woman had not given him a wonderful ball of thread; which, when he threw it down before him, unrolled of itself and showed him the way. The king went out so often to his dear children, that the queen noticed his absence, and was full of curiosity to know what business took him thus alone to the wood. 

So she gave his servants a sum of money, and they told her the secret, and also told her of the ball of thread, which was the only thing that could show the way. After that she never rested till she had found out where the king kept the ball. Then she made some little white silk shirts, and as she had learned witchcraft from her mother, she sewed a spell into every one of them. And one day when the king was gone out to hunt, she took the little shirts and went into the wood, and the ball of thread showed her the way.

The six brothers, who saw some one in the distance, thought their dear father was coming, and ran to meet him, full of joy. As they approached, the queen threw one of the shirts over each of them, and when the shirts touched their bodies, they were changed into swans, and flew away over the wood. The witch’s daughter went home quite happy, and thought she had got rid of all her stepchildren; but the one little girl had not run out with her brothers, and the queen knew nothing about her.

Next day, the king came joyfully to visit his children, but he found nobody except the little sister. “Where are your brothers?” asked he. “Oh, dear father,” she answered, “they are gone, and have left me alone,” and then she told him all that she had seen out of her window; how her brothers were turned into swans, and had flown away over the wood; she also showed him the feathers which they had dropped into the courtyard, and which she had picked up.

The king was grieved, but he never thought that the queen had done this wicked deed; however, because he feared lest the little girl would be stolen from him likewise, he wished to take her away with him. But she was afraid of the stepmother, and begged the king to let her stay one night more in the castle in the wood. The poor little girl thought, “I cannot rest here any longer, I will go and look for my brothers.”

And when the night came, she ran away, and went straight into the wood. She went on all through the night, and the next day too, till she was so tired that she could go no further. Then she saw a little house, and went in, and found a room with six little beds; she did not dare to lie down in any, but crept under one of them, laid herself on the hard floor, and decided to stay there for the night. But when the sun was just going to set, she heard a rustling, and saw six swans come flying in at the window. They sat down on the floor, and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and took off their swan’s-skins like shirts. Then the little girl saw them and recognised her brothers, and was very glad, and crept out from under the bed.

The brothers were not less rejoiced when they saw their little sister, but their joy did not last long. “You cannot stop here,” said they to her, “this is a house belonging to robbers; if they come home, and find you, they will kill you.” “Please protect me?” asked the little sister. “No,” answered they, “we can only take off our swan’s-skins for a quarter of an hour every evening, and have our natural shape for that time, but afterwards we are turned into swans again.”

The little sister cried and said, “Cannot you be released?” “Oh, no!” answered they, “the conditions are too hard. You must not speak or laugh for six years, and must make for us six shirts out of stitch weed during that time. If while you are making them a single word comes from your mouth, all your work will be of no use.” When her brothers had said this, the quarter of an hour was over, and they turned into swans again, and flew out of the window.

But the little girl made a firm resolution to release her brothers, even if it cost her her life. She left the house, and went into the middle of the wood, and climbed up in a tree and spent the night there. Next morning she got down, collected a quantity of stitch weed, and began to sew. She could not speak to any one, and she did not want to laugh; so she sat, and only looked at her work.

When she had been there a long time, it happened that the king of the country was hunting in the wood, and his hunters came to the tree on which the little girl sat. They called to her, and said, “Who are you?” But she gave them no answer. “Come down to us,” said they, “we will not do you any harm.”

But she only shook her head. As they kept teasing her with their questions, she threw them down her gold necklace, and thought they would be satisfied with that. But they did not leave off, and climbed up the tree and brought down the little girl and took her to the king.

The king asked, “Who are you? what were you doing up in the tree?” But she did not answer. He asked it in all the languages that he knew, but she remained as dumb as a fish. But, because she was so beautiful, the king’s heart was moved, and he fell deeply in love with her. He took her before him on his horse, and brought her to his castle. Then he had her dressed in rich clothes, and she shone in her beauty like bright sunshine; but they could not get a word out of her. He set her by him at the table, and her modest look and proper behavior pleased him so much, that he said, “I will marry you, and no one else in the world,” and after a few days he was married to her. But the king had a wicked mother, who was not pleased with this marriage, and spoke ill of the young queen. “Who knows where the girl comes from,” said she, “she cannot speak; she is not good enough for a king.”

A year after, when the queen brought her first child into the world, the old mother took it away, and smeared her mouth with blood while she was asleep. Then she went to the king, and accused her of eating her child. The king would not believe it, and would not let anyone do her any harm. And she always sat and sewed the shirts, and took no notice of anything else. Next time, when she had another beautiful baby, the wicked stepmother did the same as before; but the king could not resolve to believe what she said.

He said, “My wife is too pious and good to do such a thing; if she were not dumb, and if she could defend herself, her innocence would be made clear.” But when for the third time the old woman took away the new-born child, and accused the queen, who could not say a word in her own defence, the king could not help himself; he was forced to give her up to the court of justice, and she was condemned to suffer death by fire.

When the day came upon which the sentence was to be executed, it was exactly the last day of the six years, in which she might not speak or laugh; and she had freed her dear brothers from the power of the spell. The six little shirts were finished, except that on the last one a sleeve was wanting. When she came to the place of execution, she laid the shirts on her arm, and when she stood at the stake, and the fire was just going to be lit, she looked round, and there came six swans flying through the air. Then her heart leaped with joy, for she saw that her deliverance was near.

The swans flew to her, and crouched down, so that she could throw the shirts over them; as soon as the shirts were touched by them, their swan’s-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her. They were all grown up, strong and handsome; only the youngest had no left arm, but instead of it a swan’s wing. They hugged and kissed their sister many times, and then the queen went to the king, and began to speak, and said, “Dearest husband, now I may speak, and declare to you that I am innocent and falsely accused;” and she told him about the deceit of the old mother, who had taken away her three children, and hidden them.

However they were soon fetched safely back, to the great joy of the king; and the wicked mother-in-law was tied to the stake, and burnt to ashes. But the king and queen, with their six brothers, lived many years in peace and happiness.

The Farmers Foolish Wife

Long ago there lived a poor farmer in a small village. He had a beautiful and young wife. The young wife always loved to enjoy life by going to fairs and by spending a lot of money on finery. But due to his old age arid feeble health, the old farmer hardly left his house and did not earn more than that which was necessary. So the young wife often felt sad. The couple often fought with each other.

One day, a rogue overheard their quarrel and saw the young wife running out of the house in tears. He followed her and then approached her to talk.

“Dear, I overheard your quarrel with your old husband. You are very beautiful and young and the old man cannot fulfill your desires for fun and finery. I am a widower looking for a wife. I have a lot of money but no one to spend it on. So, why don’t you leave the old man and accompany me to the city ? We will start a new, blissful life together?"

To his suggestion, the young wife readily agreed. That night she gathered all her fine clothes and a substantial amount of jewellery and money and left with the rogue for the city.

Early next morning, they reached a river on the outskirts the city. Then the rogue addressed the young woman:

“Dear, please stay here on this bank while I swim to the other side and arrange for a boat to get you across. Hand over your jewellery and money to me, for seeing you alone, some bandit may try to take it away from you.”

The young woman handed over the parcel of jewellery and money to the rogue and he left her on the river bank. The rogue had got what he wanted so he did not come back.

Now, it was noon but there was no sign of the rogue and the young woman grew impatient as she sat waiting by the riverside. Just then a jackal came to the river bank with a large chunk of meat in his mouth. He spotted a large fish in the river water and in the greed of catching the fish he dropped the meat on the river bank. A hawk promptly swooped on the meat and flew away. The hawk’s movement alerted the fish and it too fled to the river bed. Thus, the jackal was left with nothing to eat.

Seeing this the young wife laughed and said, “You fool, now you have neither the fish nor the meat to fill your hungry stomach".

At this the Jackal sneered at the young woman and said, “I am no different than you, for you have lost more than me.”

“How is that?” enquired the perplexed woman.

“You have lost your husband, your lover and your money. No one is as pitiable as you.”

The Naughty Squirrel

This is a Tale about a tail-a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.

He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins: they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake.

In the middle of the lake there is an island covered with trees and nut bushes; and amongst those trees stands a hollow oak-tree, which is the house of an owl who is called Old Brown.

One autumn when the nuts were ripe, and the leaves on the hazel bushes were golden and green, Nutkin and Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels came out of the wood, and down to the edge of the lake. They made little rafts out of twigs, and they paddled away over the water to Owl Island to gather nuts.

Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar, and spread out his tail for a sail. They also took with them an offering of three fat mice as a present for Old Brown, and put them down upon his door-step.

They reached the island and then Twinkleberry and the other little squirrels each made a low bow before the owl, and said politely “Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?”

But Nutkin was excessively rude and careless in his manners. He jumped up and down like a little red cherry, singing

“Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!

A little wee man, in a red red coat!

A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat;

If you’ll tell me this riddle, I’ll give you a groat.”

Now this riddle is as old as the hills; Mr. Brown paid no attention whatever to Nutkin asked. He shut his eyes obstinately and went to sleep. The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts, and sailed away home in the evening.

But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island; and Twinkleberry and the others brought a fine fat mole, and laid it on the stone in front of Old Brown’s doorway, and said “Mr. Brown, will you favour us with your gracious permission to gather some more nuts?”

But Nutkin, who had no respect, began to dance up and down, tickling old Mr. Brown with a nettle and singing

“Old Mr. B! Riddle-me-ree!

Hitty Pitty within the wall,

Hitty Pitty without the wall;

If you touch Hitty Pitty,

Hitty Pitty will bite you!”

Mr. Brown woke up suddenly and carried the mole into his house. He shut the door in Nutkin’s face. Presently a little thread of blue smoke from a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang-

“A house full, a hole full!

And you cannot gather a bowl-full!”

The squirrels searched for nuts all over the island and filled their little sacks.

But Nutkin gathered oak-apples-yellow and scarlet-and sat upon a beech-stump playing marbles, and watching the door of old Mr. Brown.

On the third day the squirrels got up very early and went fishing; they caught seven fat fishes as a present for Old Brown. They paddled over the lake and landed under a crooked chestnut tree on Owl Island.

Twinkleberry and six other little squirrels each carried a fat fish; but Nutkin, who had no nice manners, brought no present at all. He ran in front, singing

“The man in the wilderness said to me,

‘How many strawberries grow in the sea?’

I answered him as I thought good-

‘As many red herrings as grow in the wood.’”

But old Mr. Brown took no interest in riddles-not even when the answer was provided for him.

On the fourth day the squirrels brought a present of six fat beetles, which were as good as plums in plum-pudding for Old Brown. Each beetle was wrapped up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened with a pine-needle pin.

But Nutkin sang as rudely as ever-

“Old Mr. B! riddle-me-ree

Flour of England, fruit of Spain,

Met together in a shower of rain;

Put in a bag tied round with a string,

If you’ll tell me this riddle, I’ll give you a ring!”

Which was ridiculous of Nutkin, because he had not got any ring to give to Old Brown.

The other squirrels hunted up and down the nut bushes; but Nutkin did no work and sat playing.

On the fifth day the squirrels brought a present of wild honey; it was so sweet and sticky that they licked their fingers as they put it down upon the stone. They had stolen it out of a bumble bees’ nest on the tippitty top of the hill.

But Nutkin skipped up and down, singing-

“Hum-a-bum! buzz! buzz! Hum-a-bum buzz!

As I went over Tipple-tine

I met a flock of bonny swine;

Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!

They were the very bonniest swine

That e’er went over Tipple-tine.

Old Mr. Brown turned up his eyes in disgust at the rudeness of Nutkin. But he ate up the honey! The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts. But Nutkin sat upon a big flat rock, and played.

On the sixth day, which was Saturday, the squirrels came again for the last time; they brought a new-laid egg in a little rush basket as a last parting present for Old Brown.

But Nutkin ran in front laughing, and shouting-

“Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck,

With a white counterpane round his neck,

Forty doctors and forty wrights,

Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights!”

Now old Mr. Brown took an interest in eggs; he opened one eye and shut it again. But still he did not speak.

Nutkin became more and more rude-

“Old Mr. B! Old Mr. B!

Hickamore, Hackamore, on the King’s kitchen door;

All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men,

Couldn’t drive Hickamore, Hackamore,

Off the King’s kitchen door.”

Nutkin danced up and down like a sunbeam; but still Old Brown said nothing at all.

Nutkin began again-

“Arthur O’Bower has broken his band,

He comes roaring up the land!

The King of Scots with all his power,

Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!”

Nutkin made a whirring noise to sound like the wind, and he took a running jump right onto the head of Old Brown!…

Then all at once there was a flutterment and a scufflement and a loud sound “Squeak!”

The other squirrels frighteningly ran away into the bushes.

When they came back very cautiously, peeping round the tree-there was Old Brown sitting on his door-step, quite still, with his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened.

But Nutkin was in his waistcoat pocket!

This looks like the end of the story; but it isn’t.

Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house, and held him up by the tail, intending to skin him; but Nutkin pulled so very hard that his tail broke in two, and he dashed up the staircase and escaped out of the attic window.

And to this day, if you meet Nutkin up a tree and ask him a riddle, he will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout-

“Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r-cuck-k-k!”

The Golden Castle

Once upon a time a hunter was roaming through the wild wood when he heard a voice crying for help. Following the sound, the hunter went ahead, and discovered a dwarf caught in a pit which had been dug to trap wild animals. After the hunter had rescued the dwarf from his prison, the little man said to him: “Go ten miles to the north till you arrive at a gigantic pine tree and then turn to the east, and go ten miles more till you come to a black castle. Enter the castle without fear, and you will discover a round room in which stands a round table laden with gold and jewels. Help yourself to the treasure, and return home at once. And go early as possible to the castle; but don't go upstairs of the castle for if you do, evil will come of it.”

So the hunter thanked the dwarf, and after making sure that he had plenty of bread and cheese in his knapsack, hurried northwards as fast as his legs could carry him. Through bramble and brier, through valley and wooded dale went he, and at dusk he came to a gigantic pine tree standing solitary in a rocky field. Wearied with his long journey, the hunter lay down beneath the pine and slept. When it was dawn he woke refreshed, and turning his eyes toward the level rays of the rising sun, began his journey to the east. Presently he reached a height in the forest, and from this height, he saw, not very far away, a black castle. At high noon he arrived at the castle. It was ruinous and quite deserted; wild plants grew in the courtyard and between the bricks of the terrace, and the oak door was as soft rotten log that has long been buried in a swamp.

Entering the castle, the hunter soon discovered the round room. A table piled with wonderful treasures stood in the centre of the chamber, directly under a shower of sunlight pouring through a half-ruined window in the mildewed wall. How the diamonds and precious stones sparkled and gleamed!

Now, while the hunter was filling his pockets, the flash of a jewel lying on the floor happened to catch his eye, and looking down, he saw that a kind of trail of jewels lay along the floor leading out of the room. Following the scattered gems,–which had the appearance of having been spilled from some treasure-casket heaped too high,–the hunter came to a low door, and opening this door, he discovered a flight of stone steps leading to the stairs. The steps were made with the finest emeralds, topazes, beryls, moonstones, rubies, and crystal diamonds.

Remembering the counsel of his friend the dwarf, however, the hunter did not go up the stairs, but hurried home with his treasure. When the hunter returned to his country, the wonderful treasures which he had taken from the castle in the wood made him a very rich man, and in a short time the news of his prosperity came to the ears of the King. This King was the wickedest of rogues, and his two best friends, the Prime minister and the Chancellor, were equally bad people as the King. They oppressed the people with taxes, they stole from the poor, they robbed the churches; indeed there was no injustice which they were not ready to commit. So, when the 

Prime minister heard of the hunter’s wealth, he–being a cunning fellow declared that the simplest thing to do would be to kill the hunter and take his money.

The Chancellor, who was somewhat more cunning and worldly, declared that it would be better to throw the hunter into a foul, dark prison till he was ready to buy his freedom with all his wealth.  The King, who was the wickedest and wisest of the precious three, declared that the best thing to do was to find out where the hunter had got his treasure, so that, if there happened to be any left, they could go and get it. Then of course, they could kill the hunter and take his treasure too. Thus it came  that by a royal order the hunter was thrown into a horrible prison, and told that his only hope of release lay in revealing the origin of his riches. So, after he had been slowly starved and cruelly beaten, he told of the treasure castle in the wood.

On the following morning, the King, the Prime minister, and the Chancellor, taking with them some strong linen bags and some horses, rode forth in quest of the treasure. Great was their joy when they found the treasure castle and the treasure room just as the hunter had described. The Chancellor poured the shining gems through his claw-like fingers, and the King and the Prime minister threw their arms around each others’ shoulders and danced with joy. They began pouring the treasure into the linen sacks they had brought with them, and these, filled to the brim, they carried to the castle door.

Soon not the tiniest gem was left on the table. Suddenly the Prime minister happened to catch sight of the gems lying on the floor. “See, see!” he cried, in his greedy voice. “There is yet more to be had!” So the three rogues got down on their hands and knees and began stuffing the lying jewels into their big pockets. The trail of jewels led them across the hall to the little door opening on the stairway, and up this stairway they went upstairs as fast as they could go.

At the top of the stair, they found another round room lit by three narrow, barred windows, and in the centre of the room likewise they found a table laden with gold and jewels, . With moments of delight, the King and the Chancellor and the prime minister ran to this second treasure, and plunged their hands in the glittering golden treasure.

Suddenly, a great bell rang in the castle, a big bronze bell whose sound made the King and his men tremble with fear. “What’s that?” said the three cruel men in one breath, and rushed together to the door.

It was locked! An instant later there was a heavy explosion which threw them all to the floor, tossing the treasure over them; and then, wonder of wonders, the king and his men were caught in a cage and the upstairs of the castle, detached itself from the rest of the castle, and flew off into the air. From the barred windows, the King, the Prime minister, and the Chancellor saw league upon league of the forest rushing by beneath them. Suddenly the flying room began to descend swiftly, and landed lightly as a bird in the middle of a castle courtyard. Strange-looking fellows with human bodies and heads of horses came rushing towards them, and seized the prisoners. In a few moments they were brought before the King to whom the treasure belonged.

Now this King was a brother of the dwarf whom the hunter had rescued from the pit. He had a little gold crown on his head, and sat on a little golden throne with cushions of crimson velvet. “With what are these three charged?” said the Dwarf-King. “With having tried to rob the treasure castle, Your Majesty,” replied one of the horse-headed kings-men  in a firm, stable tone.

“Then send for the Lord Chief Justice at once,” said the Dwarf-King. The three culprits were left standing uneasily in a kind of cage. They would have tried to speak, but every time they opened their mouths, one of the guards gave them a dig in the ribs. For a space of five minutes there was quiet in the crowded throne-room,  and in came the sound of clear, sweet call of silver trumpets. “He’s coming! He’s coming!” murmured many voices. A buzz of excitement filled the room. The trumpets sounded a second time. The excitement increased. The trumpets sounded a third time, near at hand. A man’s voice announced in solemn tones, “The Lord Chief Justice approaches.”

The audience grew very still. Hardly a rustle or a flutter was heard. All came an elderly man dressed in black, and carrying a golden cage inside which there was a fine green parrot. On reaching the centre of the hall, the parrot flapped its wings. 

With great ceremony the Lord Chief Justice sat close by the throne of the Dwarf-King. Trumpets sounded. Two servants hurried forward with the captured prisoners.

“Your Venerability,” spoke the Dwarf-King to the parrot, who watched him intently out of its round yellow eye, and nodded its head, “this men has been taken in the act of robbing the treasure castle. What punishment do you suggest?” At these words, two servants bought a golden plate full of cards infront of the parrot and over them, swaying from one leg to the other the parrot swept his head.

An icy silence fell over the throng. The King, the Chancellor, and the Prime minister hearts were beating fast in fear. Presently the parrot picked out a card, and the servant handed it to the Dwarf-King. “Prisoner,” said the Dwarf-King to the prisoner King, “the Lord Chief Justice condemns you to be for the rest of your natural life as the Master Sweeper of the Palace Chimneys.”

Discreet applause was heard. The Chancellor was then hurried forward, and the bird picked out a second card. “Prisoner,” said the Dwarf-King, “the Lord Chief Justice condemns you to be for the rest of your natural life as the Master Washer of the Palace Windows.” More loud applause was heard. And now the Prime minister was brought to the bar. The parrot gave him quite a wicked eye, and hesitated for some time before drawing a card.

“Prisoner,” said the Dwarf-King, reading the card which the parrot had finally chosen, “the Lord Chief Justice condemns you for the rest of your natural life to be Master cleaner of the Palace Carpets.” Great applause followed this judgment. So the three rogues were led away, and unless you have heard to the contrary, they are still making up for their wicked lives by enforced diligence at their tasks. The palace has five hundred and ninety-six chimneys, eight thousand, seven hundred and fifty-three windows, and eleven hundred and ninety-nine large dust-gathering carpets, and the chimneys, windows, and carpets have to be swept, washed, and beaten at least once a week.

Now when the King, the Chancellor, and the Prime minister failed to return, the people took the hunter out of his prison and made him king, because he was the richest and most powerful of them all.

As for the treasure of the treasure castle, it is still there, packed in the linen sacks, lying just inside the great door.

The Two Sisters and the Witch

Once upon a time there were two sisters who were as like each other as two peas in a pod; but one was good, and the other was bad-tempered. Now their father had no work, so the girls began to think of going to service. “I will go first and see what I can make of it,” said the younger sister, ever so cheerfully, “then you, sis, can follow if I have good luck.” So she packed up a bundle, said good-bye, and started to find a place; but no one in the town wanted a girl, and she went farther a field into the country. 

And as she journeyed she came upon an oven in which a lot of loaves were baking. Now as she crossed, the mountains cried out with one voice: “Little girl! Little girl! Take us out! Please take us out! We have been baking for seven years, and no one has come to take us out. Do take us out or we shall soon be burnt!” Then, being a kind, obliging little girl, she stopped, put down her bundle, took out the bread, and went on her way saying "You will be more comfortable now.”

After a time she came to a cow lowing beside an empty pail, and the cow said to her “Little girl! Little girl! Milk me! Please milk me! Seven years have I been waiting, but no one has come to milk me!” So the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle, milked the cow into the pail, and went on her way saying “Now you will be more comfortable.” By and by she came to an apple tree so laden with fruit that its branches were nigh to break, and the apple tree called to her “Little girl! Little girl! Please shake my branches. The fruit is so heavy I can’t stand straight!” 

Then the kind girl stopped, put down her bundle, and shook the branches so that the apples fell off, and the tree could stand straight. Then she went on her way saying “You will be more comfortable now.” So she journeyed on till she came to a house where an old witch-woman lived. Now this witch-woman wanted a servant-maid, and promised good wages. Therefore the girl agreed to stop with her and worked for her. She had to sweep the floor, keep the house clean and tidy, the fire bright and cheery. But there was one thing the witch-woman said she must never do; and that was look up the chimney!

Well! the girl swept, and dusted, and made up the fire; but never a penny of wages did she see. Now the girl wanted to go home as she did not like witch-service; for the witch used to treat her badly and made to work her without any rest. But she did not like to go home penniless, so she stayed on, sweeping, and dusting, and doing her work, just as if she was pleased. 

Then one day, as she was sweeping up the hut, down tumbled some dust, and, without remembering she was forbidden to look up the chimney, she looked up to see where the dust came from. And, lo and behold! a big bag of gold fell plump into her lap. Now the witch happened to be out and so the girl thought it a fine opportunity to be off home. So she packed her bag and started to run home but she had only gone a little way when she heard the witch-woman coming after her on her broomstick. 

Now the apple tree she had helped to stand straight happened to be quite close; so she ran to it and cried “Apple tree! Apple tree, hide me So the old witch can’t find me, For if she does she’ll beat me and kill me. Then the apple tree said, “Of course I will help you. You helped me to stand straight, and one good turn deserves another.” So the apple tree hid her finely in its green branches. The witch came there and asked the apple tree 

“Tree of mine! O Tree of mine! 

Have you seen my naughty little maid 

  With a willy willy wag and a great big bag,

She’s stolen my money—all I had?”

The apple tree answered “No, mother dear, Not for seven year!” So the witch flew on the wrong way. The girl got down, thanked the tree politely, and started again. But just as she got to where the cow was standing beside the pail, she heard the witch coming again, so she ran to the cow and cried “Cow! Cow, please hide me So the witch can’t find me, For if she does she’ll beat me and kill me. “Certainly I will,” answered the cow. “Didn't you milk me and make me comfortable? Hide yourself behind me and you’ll be quite safe". And when the witch flew by and called to the cow 

“O Cow of mine! Cow of mine! 

Have you seen my naughty little maid 

With a willy willy wag and a great big bag, 

Who stole my money—all that I had?” 

The Cow just said politely “No, mother dear, Not for seven year!” Then the old witch went on in the wrong direction. The girl started afresh on her way home, but just as she got to where the oven stood, she heard that horrid old witch coming behind her again, so she ran as fast as she could to the oven and cried “O Oven! Oven! hide me, So as the witch can’t find me, For if she does she’ll beat me and kill me.

Then the oven said, “I am afraid there is no room for you, as another batch of bread is baking; but there is the baker—ask him.” So she asked the baker, and he said, “Of course I will. You saved my last batch from being burnt; so run into the bakehouse, you will be quite safe there, and I will settle the witch for you.”

So she hid in the bakehouse, only just in time, for there was the old witch calling angrily: 

“O Man of mine! Man of mine! 

Have you seen my naughty little maid 

With a willy willy wag and a great big bag, 

Who’s stole my money—all I had?” 

Then the baker replied, “Look in the oven. She may be there.”And the witch alighted from her broomstick and peered into the oven: but she could see none. “Creep in and look in the farthest corner,” said the baker slyly, and the witch crept in, and while she was leaning to see inside the oven the baker man pushed the witch into the oven. 

He shut the door in her face, and there she was roasting. And when she came out with the bread she was all crisp and brown, and had to go home as best she could and put cold cream all over her! But the kind, obliging little girl got safe home with her bag of money. 

Now the ill-tempered elder sister was very jealous of this good luck, and determined to get a bag of gold for herself. So she in her turn packed up a bundle and started to seek service by the same road. But when she came to the oven, and the loaves begged her to take them out because they had been baking seven years and were burning, she tossed her head and said “A likely story indeed, that I should burn my fingers to save your crusts. No, thank you!”

And with that she went on till she came across the cow standing waiting to be milked beside the pail. But when the cow said “Little girl! Little girl! Milk me! Please milk me, I've waited seven years to be milked——” She only laughed and replied, “You may wait another seven years for all I care. I’m not your dairymaid!” And with that she went on till she came to the apple tree, all overburdened by its fruit. But when it begged her to shake its branches, she only giggled, and plucking one ripe apple, said “One is enough for me: you can keep the rest yourself.” 

And with that she went on munching the apple, till she came to the witch-woman’s house. Now the witch-woman, though she had got over being crisp and brown from the oven, was dreadfully angry with all little maid-servants, and made up her mind this one should not trick her. So for a long time she never went out of the house. Thus the ill-tempered sister never had a chance of looking up the chimney, as she had meant to do at once. And she had to dust, and clean, and brush, and sweep ever so hard, until she was quite tired out.

But one day, when the witch-woman went into the garden, she seized the moment, looked up the chimney, and, sure enough, a bag of gold fell plump into her lap! Well! she was off with it in a moment, and ran and ran till she came to the apple tree, when she heard the witch-woman behind her. So she cried as her sister had done “Apple tree! Apple tree, hide me So the old witch can’t find me, For if she does she’ll beat me and kill me. But the apple tree said “No room here! I've too many apples.”

So she had to run on; and when the witch-woman on her broomstick came flying by and called 

“O Tree of mine! Tree of mine! 

Have you seen a naughty little maid

With a willy willy wag and a great big bag,

Who’s stolen my money—all I had?”

The apple tree replied “Yes, mother dear, She’s gone down there.” Then the witch-woman went after her, caught her, gave her a thorough good beating, took the bag of money away from her, and sent her home without a penny payment for all her dusting, and sweeping, and brushing, and cleaning.

The Naughty Peter

Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were- Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their Mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.‘Now my dears,’ said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, ‘you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don’t go into Mr. McGregor’s garden: your Father had an accident there; They killed your father and he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.’

‘Now run along, and don’t get into mischief. I am going out.’ Then old Mrs. Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella, and went through the wood to the baker’s. She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries. But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr. McGregor’s garden, and squeezed under the gate! First he ate some lettuces and some French beans; and then he ate some radishes; And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley. But round the end of a cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor!

Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, ‘Stop thief!’ 

Peter was most dreadfully frightened; he rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate. He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes. After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net, and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket. It was a blue jacket with big buttons, quite new.

Peter gave himself up for lost, and shed big tears; but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement, and helped him to free himself. Mr. McGregor came up with a knife, which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter; but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him. And rushed into the tool-shed, and jumped into a can. It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in, if it had not had so much water in it.

Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool-shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower-pot. He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each. Presently Peter sneezed-’Kertyschoo!’ Mr. McGregor was after him in no time. 

And tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants. The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter. He went back to his work. Peter sat down to rest; he was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go. Also he was very damp with sitting in that can. After a time he began to wander about, going lippity-lippity-not very fast, and looking all round. He found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.

An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood. Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer. She only shook her head at him. Peter began to cry. Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled. Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water-cans. A white cat was staring at some gold-fish, she sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive. Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her; he had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.

He went back towards the tool-shed, but suddenly, quite close to him, he heard the noise of a hoe-scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch. Peter scuttered underneath the bushes. But presently, as nothing happened, he came out, and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over. The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions. His back was turned towards Peter, and beyond him was the gate!

Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow; and started running as fast as he could go, along a straight walk behind some black-currant bushes. Mr. McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care. He slipped underneath the gate, and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden. Mr. McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scare-crow to frighten the blackbirds. Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir-tree. He was so tired that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand on the floor of the rabbit-hole and shut his eyes. His mother was busy cooking; she wondered what he had done with his clothes. It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight!

I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening. His mother put him to bed, and made some camomile tea; and she gave a dose of it to Peter!‘One table-spoonful to be taken at bed-time.’ But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.