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“Where is it to be had?” said the wolf.

“In such and such a house; you must creep into it through the kitchen-sink, and will find cakes, and bacon, and sausages, and as much of them as you can eat,” and he described to him exactly his father’s house. The wolf did not require to be told this twice, squeezed himself in at night through the sink, and ate to his heart’s content in the larder. When he had eaten his fill, he wanted to go out again, but he had become so big that he could not go out by the same way. Thumbling had reckoned on this, and now began to make a violent noise in the wolf’s body, and raged and screamed as loudly as he could. “Will you be quiet,” said the wolf, “you will waken up the people!” “What do I care!” replied the little fellow, “you have eaten your fill, and I will make merry likewise,” and began once more to scream with all his strength. At last his father and mother were aroused by it, and ran to the room and looked in through the opening in the door. When they saw that a wolf was inside, they ran away, and the husband fetched his axe, and the wife the scythe. “Stay behind,” said the man, when they entered the room. “When I have given him a blow, if he is not killed by it, you must cut him down and hew his body to pieces.” Then Thumbling heard his parents’ voices, and cried: “Dear father, I am here; I am in the wolf’s body.” Said the father, full of joy: “Thank God, our dear child has found us again,” and bade the woman take away her scythe, that Thumbling might not be hurt with it. After that he raised his arm, and struck the wolf such a blow on his head that he fell down dead, and then they got knives and scissors and cut his body open, and drew the little fellow forth. “Ah,” said the father, “what sorrow we have gone through for your sake.” “Yes, father, I have gone about the world a great deal. Thank heaven, I breathe fresh air again!” “Where have you been, then?” “Ah, father, I have been in a mouse’s hole, in a cow’s belly, and then in a wolf’s paunch; now I will stay with you.” “And we will not sell you again, no, not for all the riches in the world,” said his parents, and they embraced and kissed their dear Thumbling. They gave him to eat and to drink, and had some new clothes made for him, for his own had been spoiled on his journey.

The Wedding of Mrs. Fox

FIRST STORY

THERE was once upon a time an old fox with nine tails, who believed that his wife was not faithful to him, and wished to put her to the test. He stretched himself out under the bench, did not move a limb, and behaved as if he were stone dead. Mrs. Fox went up to her room, shut herself in, and her maid, Miss Cat, sat by the fire, and did the cooking. When it became known that the old fox was dead, suitors presented themselves. The maid heard someone standing at the house-door, knocking. She went and opened it, and it was a young fox, who said:

“What may you be about, Miss Cat?

Do you sleep or do you wake?”

She answered:

“I am not sleeping, I am waking,

Would you know what I am making?

I am boiling warm beer with butter,

Will you be my guest for supper?”

“No, thank you, miss,” said the fox, “what is Mrs. Fox doing?” The maid replied:

“She is sitting in her room,

Moaning in her gloom,

Weeping her little eyes quite red,

Because old Mr. Fox is dead.”

“Do just tell her, miss, that a young fox is here, who would like to woo her.” “Certainly, young sir.”

The cat goes up the stairs trip, trap,

The door she knocks at tap, tap, tap,

“Mistress Fox, are you inside?”

“Oh, yes, my little cat,” she cried.

“A wooer he stands at the door out there.”

“What does he look like, my dear?”

“Has he nine as beautiful tails as the late Mr. Fox?” “Oh, no,” answered the cat, “he has only one.” “Then I will not have him.”

Miss Cat went downstairs and sent the wooer away. Soon afterwards there was another knock, and another fox was at the door who wished to woo Mrs. Fox. He had two tails,