After this still more came, each with one
tail more than the other, but they were all turned away, until at last
one came who had nine tails, like old Mr. Fox. When the widow heard
that, she said joyfully to the cat,

“Now open the gates and doors all wide,
And carry old Mr. Fox outside.”


But just as the wedding was going to be solemnized, old Mr. Fox stirred
under the bench, and cudgelled all the rabble, and drove them and Mrs.
Fox out of the house. SECOND STORY


When old Mr. Fox was dead, the wolf came as a wooer, and knocked at the
door, and the cat who was servant to Mrs. Fox, opened it for him. The
wolf greeted her, and said,

“Good day, Mrs. Cat of Kehrewit,
“How comes it that alone you sit? What are you making good?”


The cat replied,

“In milk I’m breaking bread so sweet,
Will the gentleman please come in and eat?”


“No, thank you, Mrs. Cat,” answered the wolf. “Is Mrs. Fox not at
home?”

The cat said,

“She sits upstairs in her room,
Bewailing her sorrowful doom,
Bewailing her trouble so sore,
For old Mr. Fox is no more.”


The wolf answered,

“If she’s in want of a husband now,
Then will it please her to step below?”
The cat runs quickly up the stair,
And lets her tail fly here and there,
Until she comes to the parlour door. With her five gold rings at the door she knocks,
“Are you within, good Mistress Fox? If you’re in want of a husband now,
Then will it please you to step below? Mrs. Fox asked, “Has the gentleman red stockings on’ and has he a
pointed mouth?” “No,” answered the cat. “Then he won’t do for me.”

When the wolf was gone, came a dog, a stag, a hare, a bear, a lion, and
all the beasts of the forest, one after the other. But one of the good
points which old Mr. Fox had possessed, was always lacking, and the cat
had continually to send the wooers away. At length came a young fox. Then Mrs. Fox said, “Has the gentleman red stockings on, and has he a
little pointed mouth?” “Yes,” said the cat, “he has.” “Then let him
come upstairs,” said Mrs. Fox, and ordered the servant to prepare the
wedding-feast. “Sweep me the room as clean as you can,
Up with the window, fling out my old man! For many a fine fat mouse he brought,
Yet of his wife he never thought,
But ate up every one he caught.”


Then the wedding was solemnized with young Mr. Fox, and there was much
rejoicing and dancing; and if they have not left off, they are dancing
still. 39 The Elves

FIRST STORY


A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he
had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening,
he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning,
and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed,
commended himself to God, and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had
said his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes
stood quite finished on his table. He was astounded, and knew not what
to say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer,
and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them,
just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer
came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them
than was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to
purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He cut them out at night, and
next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage; but he had no
need to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers
also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for
four pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found the four
pairs made; and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the
evening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest
independence again, and at last became a wealthy man. Now it befell
that one evening not long before Christmas, when the man had been
cutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed, “What think you
if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this
helping hand?” The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then
they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which
were hanging up there, and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty
little naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker’s table, took all the
work which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and
hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the
shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not
stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran
quickly away. Next morning the woman said, “The little men have made us rich, and we
really must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and
have nothing on, and must be cold. I’ll tell thee what I’ll do: I will
make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit
both of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two
little pairs of shoes.” The man said, “I shall be very glad to do it;”
and one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all
together on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed
themselves to see how the little men would behave. At midnight they
came bounding in, and wanted to get to work at once, but as they did
not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of
clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense
delight. They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting
the pretty clothes on, and singing,

“Now we are boys so fine to see,
Why should we longer cobblers be?”


Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last
they danced out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but
as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his
undertakings prospered. SECOND STORY


There was once a poor servant-girl, who was industrious and cleanly,
and swept the house every day, and emptied her sweepings on the great
heap in front of the door. One morning when she was just going back to
her work, she found a letter on this heap, and as she could not read,
she put her broom in the corner, and took the letter to her master and
mistress, and behold it was an invitation from the elves, who asked the
girl to hold a child for them at its christening. The girl did not know
what to do, but at length, after much persuasion, and as they told her
that it was not right to refuse an invitation of this kind, she
consented. Then three elves came and conducted her to a hollow
mountain, where the little folks lived. Everything there was small, but
more elegant and beautiful than can be described. The baby’s mother lay
in a bed of black ebony ornamented with pearls, the coverlids were
embroidered with gold, the cradle was of ivory, the bath of gold. The
girl stood as godmother, and then wanted to go home again, but the
little elves urgently entreated her to stay three days with them.