Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

IN a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Cassim
was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty, while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and
children by cutting wood in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali
Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback, coming toward him in a cloud of
dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up
to him and dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and tied them to
trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to be their captain, went a little way
among some bushes, and said: Open, Sesame![1] so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door
opened in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and the door shut again
of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali Baba, fearing they might come out and catch
him, was forced to sit patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty Thieves
came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and made them all pass by him; he then
closed the door, saying: Shut, Sesame! Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain
put himself at their head, and they returned as they came.
Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the bushes, and said:
Open, Sesame! and it flew open. Ali Baba, who expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly
surprised to find it large and well lighted, hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a vault,
which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw rich bales of merchandisesilk,
stuff-brocades, all piled together, and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He
went in and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but brought out as many
bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were browsing outside, could carry, loaded them

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with the bags, and hid it all with fagots. Using the words: Shut, Sesame! he closed the door
and went home.
Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the money-bags to his wife, and
emptied them out before her. He bade her keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold.
Let me first measure it, said his wife. I will go borrow a measure of someone, while you dig
the hole. So she ran to the wife of Cassim and borrowed a measure. Knowing Ali Babas
poverty, the sister was curious to find out what sort of grain his wife wished to measure, and
artfully put some suet at the bottom of the measure. Ali Babas wife went home and set the
measure on the heap of gold, and filled it and emptied it often, to her great content. She then
carried it back to her sister, without noticing that a piece of gold was sticking to it, which
Cassims wife perceived directly her back was turned. She grew very curious, and said to
Cassim when he came home: Cassim, your brother is richer than you. He does not count his
money, he measures it. He begged her to explain this riddle, which she did by showing him
the piece of money and telling him where she found it. Then Cassim grew so envious that he
could not sleep, and went to his brother in the morning before sunrise. Ali Baba, he said,
showing him the gold piece, you pretend to be poor and yet you measure gold. By this Ali
Baba perceived that through his wifes folly Cassim and his wife knew their secret, so he
confessed all and offered Cassim a share. That I expect, said Cassim; but I must know where
to find the treasure, otherwise I will discover all, and you will lose all. Ali Baba, more out of
kindness than fear, told him of the cave, and the very words to use. Cassim left Ali Baba,
meaning to be beforehand with him and get the treasure for himself. He rose early next morning,
and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests. He soon found the place, and the door in
the rock. He said: Open, Sesame! and the door opened and shut behind him. He could have
feasted his eyes all day on the treasures, but he now hastened to gather together as much of it
as possible; but when he was ready to go he could not remember what to say for thinking of his
great riches. Instead of Sesame, he said: Open, Barley! and the door remained fast. He
named several different sorts of grain, all but the right one, and the door still stuck fast. He was
so frightened at the danger he was in that he had as much forgotten the word as if he had never
heard it.
About noon the robbers returned to their cave, and saw Cassims mules roving about with
great chests on their backs. This gave them the alarm; they drew their sabres, and went to the
door, which opened on their Captains saying: Open, Sesame! Cassim, who had heard the
trampling of their horses feet, resolved to sell his life dearly, so when the door opened he
leaped out and threw the Captain down. In vain, however, for the robbers with their sabres soon
killed him. On entering the cave they saw all the bags laid ready, and could not imagine how
anyone had got in without knowing their secret. They cut Cassims body into four quarters, and
nailed them up inside the cave, in order to frighten anyone who should venture in, and went
away in search of more treasure.

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 As night drew on Cassims wife grew very uneasy, and ran to her brother-in-law, and told
him where her husband had gone. Ali Baba did his best to comfort her, and set out to the forest
in search of Cassim. The first thing he saw on entering the cave was his dead brother. Full of
horror, he put the body on one of his asses, and bags of gold on the other two, and, covering all
with some fagots, returned home. He drove the two asses laden with gold into his own yard,
and led the other to Cassims house. The door was opened by the slave Morgiana, whom he
knew to be both brave and cunning. Unloading the ass, he said to her: This is the body of your
master, who has been murdered, but whom we must bury as though he had died in his bed. I
will speak with you again, but now tell your mistress I am come. The wife of Cassim, on
learning the fate of her husband, broke out into cries and tears, but Ali Baba offered to take her
to live with him and his wife if she would promise to keep his counsel and leave everything to
Morgiana; whereupon she agreed, and dried her eyes.
Morgiana, meanwhile, sought an apothecary and asked him for some lozenges. My poor
master, she said, can neither eat nor speak, and no one knows what his distemper is. She
carried home the lozenges and returned next day weeping, and asked for an essence only given
to those just about to die. Thus, in the evening, no one was surprised to hear the wretched shrieks
and cries of Cassims wife and Morgiana, telling everyone that Cassim was dead. The day after
Morgiana went to an old cobbler near the gates of the town who opened his stall early, put a
piece of gold in his hand, and bade him follow her with his needle and thread. Having bound
his eyes with a handkerchief, she took him to the room where the body lay, pulled off the
bandage, and bade him sew the quarters together, after which she covered his eyes again and
led him home. Then they buried Cassim, and Morgiana his slave followed him to the grave,
weeping and tearing her hair, while Cassims wife stayed at home uttering lamentable cries.
Next day she went to live with Ali Baba, who gave Cassims shop to his eldest son.
The Forty Thieves, on their return to the cave, were much astonished to find Cassims body
gone and some of their money-bags. We are certainly discovered, said the Captain, and shall
be undone if we cannot find out who it is that knows our secret. Two men must have known it;
we have killed one, we must now find the other. To this end one of you who is bold and artful
must go into the city dressed as a traveler, and discover whom we have killed, and whether men
talk of the strange manner of his death. If the messenger fails he must lose his life, lest we be
betrayed. One of the thieves started up and offered to do this, and after the rest had highly
commended him for his bravery he disguised himself, and happened to enter the town at
daybreak, just by Baba Mustaphas stall. The thief bade him good-day, saying: Honest man,
how can you possibly see to stitch at your age? Old as I am, replied the cobbler, I have very
good eyes, and will you believe me when I tell you that I sewed a dead body together in a place
where I had less light than I have now. The robber was overjoyed at his good fortune, and,
giving him a piece of gold, desired to be shown the house where he stitched up the dead body.
At first Mustapha refused, saying that he had been blindfolded; but when the robber gave him

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another piece of gold he began to think he might remember the turnings if blindfolded as before.
This means succeeded; the robber partly led him, and was partly guided by him, right in front
of Cassims house, the door of which the robber marked with a piece of chalk. Then, well
pleased, he bade farewell to Baba Mustapha and returned to the forest. By and by Morgiana,
going out, saw the mark the robber had made, quickly guessed that some mischief was brewing,
and fetching a piece of chalk marked two or three doors on each side, without saying anything
to her master or mistress.
The thief, meantime, told his comrades of his discovery. The Captain thanked him, and bade
him show him the house he had marked. But when they came to it they saw that five or six of
the houses were chalked in the same manner. The guide was so confounded that he knew not
what answer to make, and when they returned he was at once beheaded for having failed.
Another robber was dispatched, and, having won over Baba Mustapha, marked the house in red
chalk; but Morgiana being again too clever for them, the second messenger was put to death
also. The Captain now resolved to go himself, but, wiser than the others, he did not mark the
house, but looked at it so closely that he could not fail to remember it. He returned, and ordered
his men to go into the neighboring villages and buy nineteen mules, and thirty-eight leather jars,
all empty except one, which was full of oil. The Captain put one of his men, fully armed, into
each, rubbing the outside of the jars with oil from the full vessel. Then the nineteen mules were
loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, and the jar of oil, and reached the town by dusk. The
Captain stopped his mules in front of Ali Babas house, and said to Ali Baba, who was sitting
outside for coolness: I have brought some oil from a distance to sell at to-morrows market,
but it is now so late that I know not where to pass the night, unless you will do me the favor to
take me in. Though Ali Baba had seen the Captain of the robbers in the forest, he did not
recognize him in the disguise of an oil merchant. He bade him welcome, opened his gates for
the mules to enter, and went to Morgiana to bid her prepare a bed and supper for his guest. He
brought the stranger into his hall, and after they had supped went again to speak to Morgiana
in the kitchen, while the Captain went into the yard under pretense of seeing after his mules,
but really to tell his men what to do. Beginning at the first jar and ending at the last, he said to
each man: As soon as I throw some stones from the window of the chamber where I lie, cut
the jars open with your knives and come out, and I will be with you in a trice. He returned to
the house, and Morgiana led him to his chamber. She then told Abdallah, her fellow-slave, to
set on the pot to make some broth for her master, who had gone to bed. Meanwhile her lamp
went out, and she had no more oil in the house. Do not be uneasy, said Abdallah; go into the
yard and take some out of one of those jars. Morgiana thanked him for his advice, took the oil
pot, and went into the yard. When she came to the first jar the robber inside said softly: Is it
time?
Any other slave but Morgiana, on finding a man in the jar instead of the oil she wanted,
would have screamed and made a noise; but she, knowing the danger her master was in,

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bethought herself of a plan, and answered quietly: Not yet, but presently. She went to all the
jars, giving the same answer, till she came to the jar of oil. She now saw that her master, thinking
to entertain an oil merchant, had let thirty-eight robbers into his house. She filled her oil pot,
went back to the kitchen, and, having lit her lamp, went again to the oil jar and filled a large
kettle full of oil. When it boiled she went and poured enough oil into every jar to stifle and kill
the robber inside. When this brave deed was done she went back to the kitchen, put out the fire
and the lamp, and waited to see what would happen.
In a quarter of an hour the Captain of the robbers awoke, got up, and opened the window.
As all seemed quiet, he threw down some little pebbles which hit the jars. He listened, and as
none of his men seemed to stir he grew uneasy, and went down into the yard. On going to the
first jar and saying, Are you asleep? he smelt the hot boiled oil, and knew at once that his plot
to murder Ali Baba and his household had been discovered. He found all the gang was dead,
and, missing the oil out of the last jar, became aware of the manner of their death. He then
forced the lock of a door leading into a garden, and climbing over several walls made his escape.
Morgiana heard and saw all this, and, rejoicing at her success, went to bed and fell asleep.
At daybreak Ali Baba arose, and, seeing the oil jars still there, asked why the merchant had
not gone with his mules. Morgiana bade him look in the first jar and see if there was any oil.
Seeing a man, he started back in terror. Have no fear, said Morgiana; the man cannot harm
you: he is dead. Ali Baba, when he had recovered somewhat from his astonishment, asked
what had become of the merchant. Merchant! said she, he is no more a merchant than I am!
and she told him the whole story, assuring him that it was a plot of the robbers of the forest, of
whom only three were left, and that the white and red chalk marks had something to do with it.
Ali Baba at once gave Morgiana her freedom, saying that he owed her his life. They then buried
the bodies in Ali Babas garden, while the mules were sold in the market by his slaves.
The Captain returned to his lonely cave, which seemed frightful to him without his lost
companions, and firmly resolved to avenge them by killing Ali Baba. He dressed himself
carefully, and went into the town, where he took lodgings in an inn. In the course of a great
many journeys to the forest he carried away many rich stuffs and much fine linen, and set up a
shop opposite that of Ali Babas son. He called himself Cogia Hassan, and as he was both civil
and well dressed he soon made friends with Ali Babas son, and through him with Ali Baba,
whom he was continually asking to sup with him. Ali Baba, wishing to return his kindness,
invited him into his house and received him smiling, thanking him for his kindness to his son.
When the merchant was about to take his leave Ali Baba stopped him, saying: Where are you
going, sir, in such haste? Will you not stay and sup with me? The merchant refused, saying
that he had a reason; and, on Ali Babas asking him what that was, he replied: It is, sir, that I
can eat no victuals that have any salt in them. If that is all, said Ali Baba, let me tell you
that there shall be no salt in either the meat or the bread that we eat to-night. He went to give
this order to Morgiana, who was much surprised. Who is this man, she said, who eats no salt

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with his meat? He is an honest man, Morgiana, returned her master; therefore do as I bid
you. But she could not withstand a desire to see this strange man, so she helped Abdallah to
carry up the dishes, and saw in a moment that Cogia Hassan was the robber Captain, and carried
a dagger under his garment. I am not surprised, she said to herself, that this wicked man,
who intends to kill my master, will eat no salt with him; but I will hinder his plans.
She sent up the supper by Abdallah, while she made ready for one of the boldest acts that
could be thought on. When the dessert had been served, Cogia Hassan was left alone with Ali
Baba and his son, whom he thought to make drunk and then to murder them. Morgiana,
meanwhile, put on a head-dress like a dancing-girls, and clasped a girdle round her waist, from
which hung a dagger with a silver hilt, and said to Abdallah: Take your tabor, and let us go
and divert our master and his guest. Abdallah took his tabor and played before Morgiana until
they came to the door, where Abdallah stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy.
Come in, Morgiana, said Ali Baba, and let Cogia Hassan see what you can do; and, turning
to Cogia Hassan, he said: Shes my slave and my housekeeper. Cogia Hassan was by no
means pleased, for he feared that his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present; but
he pretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to play and Morgiana to
dance. After she had performed several dances she drew her dagger and made passes with it,
sometimes pointing it at her own breast, sometimes at her masters, as if it were part of the
dance. Suddenly, out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdallah with her left hand, and,
holding the dagger in her right hand, held out the tabor to her master. Ali Baba and his son put
a piece of gold into it, and Cogia Hassan, seeing that she was coming to him, pulled out his
purse to make her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana plunged the
dagger into his heart.
Unhappy girl! cried Ali Baba and his son, what have you done to ruin us?
It was to preserve you, master, not to ruin you, answered Morgiana. See here, opening
the false merchants garment and showing the dagger; see what an enemy you have
entertained! Remember, he would eat no salt with you, and what more would you have? Look
at him! he is both the false oil merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves.
Ali Baba was so grateful to Morgiana for thus saving his life that he offered her to his son
in marriage, who readily consented, and a few days after the wedding was celebrated with
greatest splendor.
At the end of a year Ali Baba, hearing nothing of the two remaining robbers, judged they
were dead, and set out to the cave. The door opened on his saying: Open Sesame! He went
in, and saw that nobody had been there since the Captain left it. He brought away as much gold
as he could carry, and returned to town. He told his son the secret of the cave, which his son
handed down in his turn, so the children and grandchildren of Ali Baba were rich to the end of
their lives.

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 Pinocchio

Once upon a time a carpenter, picked up a strange lump of wood one day while mending
a table. When he began to chip it, the wood started to moan. This frightened the carpenter and
he decided to get rid of it at once, so he gave it to a friend called Geppetto, who wanted to make
a puppet. Geppetto, a cobbler, took his lump of wood home, thinking about the name he would
give his puppet.
Ill call him Pinocchio, he told himself. Its a lucky name. Back in his humble basement
home and workshop, Geppetto started to carve the wood. Suddenly a voice squealed:
Ooh! That hurt! Geppeto was astonished to find that the wood was alive. Excitedly he
carved a head, hair and eyes, which immediately stared right at the cobbler. But the second
Geppetto carved out the nose, it grew longer and longer, and no matter how often the cobbler
cut it down to size, it just stayed a long nose. The newly cut mouth began to chuckle and when
Geppetto angrily complained, the puppet stuck out his tongue at him. That was nothing,
however! When the cobbler shaped the hands, they snatched the good mans wig, and the newly
carved legs gave him a hearty kick. His eyes brimming with tears, Geppetto scolded the puppet.
You naughty boy! I havent even finished making you, yet youve no respect for your
father! Then he picked up the puppet and, a step at a time, taught him to walk. But the minute
Pinocchio stood upright, he started to run about the room, with Geppetto after him, then he
opened the door and dashed into the street. Now, Pinocchio ran faster than Geppetto and though
the poor cobbler shouted Stop him! Stop him! none of the onlookers, watching in amusement,
moved a finger. Luckily, a policeman heard the cobblers shouts and strode quickly down the
street. Grabbing the runaway, he handed him over to his father.
Ill box your ears, gasped Geppetto, still out of breath. Then he realized that was
impossible, for in his haste to carve the puppet, he had forgotten to make his ears. Pinocchio
had got a fright at being in the clutches of the police, so he apologized and Geppetto forgave
his son.
Indeed, the minute they reached home, the cobbler made Pinocchio a suit out of flowered
paper, a pair of bark shoes and a soft bread hat. The puppet hugged his father.

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 Id like to go to school, he said, to become clever and help you when youre old!
Geppetto was touched by this kind thought.
Im very grateful, he replied, but we havent enough money even to buy you the first
reading book! Pinocchio looked downcast, then Geppetto suddenly rose to his feet, put on his
old tweed coat and went out of the house. Not long after he returned carrying a first reader, but
minus his coat. It was snowing outside.
Wheres your coat, father? I sold it. Why did you sell it? It kept me too warm!
Pinocchio threw his arms round Geppettos neck and kissed the kindly old man.
It had stopped snowing and Pinocchio set out for school with his first reading book under
his arm. He was full of good intentions. Today I want to learn to read. Tomorrow Ill learn to
write and the day after to count. Then Ill earn some money and buy Geppetto a fine new coat.
He deserves it, for . . . The sudden sound of a brass band broke into the puppets daydream
and he soon forgot all about school. He ended up in a crowded square where people were
clustering round a brightly colored booth.
Whats that? he asked a boy. Cant you read? Its the Great Puppet Show! How much
do you pay to go inside? Four pence. Wholl give me four pence for this brand new book?
Pinocchio cried. A nearby junk seller bought the reading book and Pinocchio hurried into the
booth. Poor Geppetto. His sacrifice had been quite in vain. Hardly had Pinocchio got inside,
when he was seen by one of the puppets on the stage who cried out:
Theres Pinocchio! Theres Pinocchio! Come, along. Come up here with us. Hurrah for
brother Pinocchio! cried the puppets. Pinocchio went onstage with his new friends, while the
spectators below began to mutter about uproar. Then out strode Giovanni, the puppet-master, a
frightful looking man with fierce bloodshot eyes. Whats going on here? Stop that noise! Get
in line, or youll hear about it later!
That evening, Giovanni sat down to his meal, but when he found that more wood was needed
to finish cooking his nice chunk of meat, he remembered the intruder who had upset his show.
Come here, Pinocchio! Youll make good firewood! The poor puppet started to weep and
plead. Save me, father! I dont want to die . . . I dont want to die! When Giovanni heard
Pinocchios cries, he was surprised. Are your parents still alive? he asked. My father is, but
Ive never known my mother, said the puppet in a low voice. The big mans heart melted. It
would be beastly for your father if I did throw you into the fire . . . but I must finish roasting
the mutton. Ill just have to burn another puppet. Men! Bring me Harlequin, trussed! When
Pinocchio saw that another puppet was going to be burned in his place, he wept harder than
ever. Please dont, sir! Oh, sir, please dont! Dont burn Harlequin! Thats enough! boomed
Giovanni in a rage. I want my meat well cooked! In that case, cried Pinocchio defiantly,
rising to his feet, burn me! Its not right that Harlequin should be burnt instead of me!
Giovanni was taken aback. Well, well! he said. Ive never met a puppet hero before!
Then he went on in a milder tone. You really are a good lad. I might indeed . . . Hope flooded

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Pinocchios heart as the puppet-master stared at him, then at last the man said: All right! Ill
eat half-raw mutton tonight, but next time, somebody will find himself in a pickle. All the
puppets were delighted at being saved.Giovanni asked Pinocchio to tell him the whole tale, and
feeling sorry for kindhearted Geppetto, he gave the puppet five gold pieces.
Take these to your father, he said. Tell him to buy himself a new coat, and give him my
regards.
Pinocchio cheerfully left the puppet booth after thanking Giovanni for being so generous.
He was hurrying homewards when he met a half-blind cat and a lame fox. He couldnt help but
tell them all about his good fortune, and when the pair set eyes on the gold coins, they hatched
a plot, saying to Pinocchio:
If you would really like to please your father, you ought to take him a lot more coins. Now,
we know of a magic meadow where you can sow these five coins. The next day, you will find
they have become ten times as many!
How can that happen? asked Pinocchio in amazement.
Ill tell you how! exclaimed the fox. In the land of Owls lies a meadow known as Miracle
Meadow. If you plant one gold coin in a little hole, next day you will find a whole tree dripping
with gold coins! Pinocchio drank in every word his two friends uttered and off they all went
to the Red Shrimp Inn to drink to their meeting and future wealth.
After food and a short rest, they made plans to leave at midnight for Miracle Meadow.
However, when Pinocchio was wakened by the innkeeper at the time arranged, he found that
the fox and the cat had already left. All the puppet could do then was pay for the dinner, using
one of his gold coins, and set off alone along the path through the woods to the magic meadow.
Suddenly Your money or your life! snarled two hooded bandits. Now, Pinocchio had
hidden the coins under his tongue, so he could not say a word, and nothing the bandits could do
would make Pinocchio tell where the coins were hidden. Still mute, even when the wicked pair
tied a noose round the poor puppets neck and pulled it tighter and tighter, Pinocchios last
thought was Father, help me!
Of course, the hooded bandits were the fox and the cat. Youll hang there, they said, till
you decide to talk. Well be back soon to see if you have changed your mind! And away they
went.
However, a fairy who lived nearby had overheard everything From the castle window, the
Turquoise Fairy saw a kicking puppet dangling from an oak tree in the wood. Taking pity on
him, she clapped her hands three times and suddenly a hawk and a dog appeared.
Quickly! said the fairy to the hawk. Fly to that oak tree and with your beak snip away the
rope round the poor lads neck!
To the dog she said: Fetch the carriage and gently bring him to me!
In no time at all, Pinocchio, looking quite dead, was lying in a cozy bed in the castle, while
the fairy called three famous doctors, crow, owl and cricket. A very bitter medicine, prescribed

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by these three doctors quickly cured the puppet, then as she caressed him, the fairy said: Tell
me what happened!
Pinocchio told her his story, leaving out the bit about selling his first reading book, but when
the fairy asked him where the gold coins were, the puppet replied that he had lost them. In fact,
they were hidden in one of his pockets. All at once, Pinocchios nose began to stretch, while
the fairy laughed.
Youve just told a lie! I know you have, because your nose is growing longer! Blushing
with shame, Pinocchio had no idea what to do with such an ungainly nose and he began to
weep. However, again feeling sorry for him, the fairy clapped her hands and a flock of
woodpeckers appeared to peck his nose back to its proper length.
Now, dont tell any more lies, the fairy warned him, or your nose will grow again! Go
home and take these coins to your father.
Pinocchio gratefully hugged the fairy and ran off homewards. But near the oak tree in the
forest, he bumped into the cat and the fox. Breaking his promise, he foolishly let himself be
talked into burying the coins in the magic meadow. Full of hope, he returned next day, but the
coins had gone. Pinocchio sadly trudged home without the coins Giovanni had given him for
his father.
After scolding the puppet for his long absence, Geppetto forgave him and off he went to
school. Pinocchio seemed to have calmed down a bit. But someone else was about to cross his
path and lead him astray. This time, it was Carlo, the lazy bones of the class.
Why dont you come to Toyland with me? he said. Nobody ever studies there and you
can play all day long! Does such a place really exist? asked Pinocchio in amazement. The
wagon comes by this evening to take me there, said Carlo. Would you like to come?
Forgetting all his promises to his father and the fairy, Pinocchio was again heading for
trouble. Midnight struck, and the wagon arrived to pick up the two friends, along with some
other lads who could hardly wait to reach a place where schoolbooks and teachers had never
been heard of. Twelve pairs of donkeys pulled the wagon, and they were all shod with white
leather boots. The boys clambered into the wagon. Pinocchio, the most excited of them all,
jumped on to a donkey. Toyland, here we come!
Now Toyland was just as Carlo had described it: the boys all had great fun and there were
no lessons. You werent even allowed to whisper the word school, and Pinocchio could hardly
believe he was able to play all the time.
This is the life! he said each time he met Carlo. I was right, wasnt I? exclaimed his
friend, pleased with himself. Oh, yes Carlo! Thanks to you Im enjoying myself. And just
think: teacher told me to keep well away from you.
One day, however, Pinocchio awoke to a nasty surprise. When he raised a hand to his head,
he found he had sprouted a long pair of hairy ears, in place of the sketchy ears that Geppetto
had never got round to finishing. And that wasnt all! The next day, they had grown longer than

10
ever. Pinocchio shamefully pulled on a large cotton cap and went off to search for Carlo. He
too was wearing a hat, pulled right down to his nose. With the same thought in their heads, the
boys stared at each other, then snatching off their hats, they began to laugh at the funny sight
of long hairy ears. But as they screamed with laughter, Carlo suddenly went pale and began to
stagger. Pinocchio, help! Help! But Pinocchio himself was stumbling about and he burst into
tears. For their faces were growing into the shape of a donkeys head and they felt themselves
go down on all fours. Pinocchio and Carlo were turning into a pair of donkeys. And when they
tried to groan with fear, they brayed loudly instead. When the Toyland wagon driver heard the
braying of his new donkeys, he rubbed his hands in glee.
There are two fine new donkeys to take to market. Ill get at least four gold pieces for
them! For such was the awful fate that awaited naughty little boys that played truant from
school to spend all their time playing games.
Carlo was sold to a farmer, and a circus man bought Pinocchio to teach him to do tricks like
his other performing animals. It was a hard life for a donkey! Nothing to eat but hay, and when
that was gone, nothing but straw. And the beatings! Pinocchio was beaten every day till he had
mastered the difficult circus tricks. One day, as he was jumping through the hoop, he stumbled
and went lame. The circus man called the stable boy.
A lame donkey is no use to me, he said. Take it to market and get rid of it at any price!
But nobody wanted to buy a useless donkey. Then along came a little man who said: Ill take
it for the skin. It will make a good drum for the village band!
And so, for a few pennies, Pinocchio changed hands and he brayed sorrowfully when he
heard what his awful fate was to be. The puppets new owner led him to the edge of the sea,
tied a large stone to his neck, and a long rope round Pinocchios legs and pushed him into the
water. Clutching the end of the rope, the man sat down to wait for Pinocchio to drown. Then he
would flay off the donkeys skin.
Pinocchio struggled for breath at the bottom of the sea, and in a flash, remembered all the
bother he had given Geppetto, his broken promises too, and he called on the fairy.
The fairy heard Pinocchios call and when she saw he was about to drown, she sent a shoal
of big fish. They ate away all the donkey flesh, leaving the wooden Pinocchio. Just then, as the
fish stopped nibbling, Pinocchio felt himself hauled out of the water. And the man gaped in
astonishment at the living puppet, twisting and turning like an eel, which appeared in place of
the dead donkey. When he recovered his wits, he babbled, almost in tears: Wheres the donkey
I threw into the sea?
Im that donkey, giggled Pinocchio. You! gasped the man. Dont try pulling my leg. If
I get angry . . . However, Pinocchio told the man the whole story . . . and thats how you come
to have a live puppet on the end of the rope instead of a dead donkey! I dont give a whit for
your story, shouted the man in a rage. All I know is that I paid twenty coins for you and I

11
want my money back! Since theres no donkey, Ill take you to market and sell you as
firewood!
By then free of the rope, Pinocchio made a face at the man and dived into the sea. Thankful
to be a wooden puppet again, Pinocchio swam happily out to sea and was soon just a dot on the
horizon. But his adventures were far from over. Out of the water behind him loomed a terrible
giant shark! A horrified Pinocchio sawits wide open jaws and tried to swim away as fast as he
could, but the monster only glided closer. Then the puppet tried to escape by going in the other
direction, but in vain. He could never escape the shark, for as the water rushed into its cavern-
like mouth, he was sucked in with it. And in an instant Pinocchio had been swallowed along
with shoals of fish unlucky enough to be in the fierce creatures path. Down he went, tossed in
the torrent of water as it poured down the sharks throat, till he felt dizzy. When Pinocchio came
to his senses, he was in darkness. Over his head, he could hear the loud heave of the sharks
gills. On his hands and knees, the puppet crept down what felt like a sloping path, crying as he
went:
Help! Help! Wont anybody save me?
Suddenly, he noticed a pale light and, as he crept towards it, he saw it was a flame in the
distance. On he went, till: Father! It cant be you! Pinocchio! Son! It really is you
Weeping for joy, they hugged each other and, between sobs, told their adventures. Geppetto
stroked the puppets head and told him how he came to be in the sharks stomach.
I was looking for you everywhere. When I couldnt find you on dry land, I made a boat to
search for you on the sea. But the boat capsized in a storm, then the shark gulped me down.
Luckily, it also swallowed bits of ships wrecked in the tempest, so Ive managed to survive by
getting what I could from these! Well, were still alive! remarked Pinocchio, when they had
finished recounting their adventures. We must get out of here! Taking Geppettos hand, the
pair started to climb up the sharks stomach, using a candle to light their way. When they got
as far as its jaws, they took fright, but as so happened, this shark slept with its mouth open, for
it suffered from asthma.
As luck would have it, the shark had been basking in shallow waters since the day before,
and Pinocchio soon reached the beach. Dawn was just breaking, and Geppetto, soaked to the
skin, was half dead with cold and fright.
Lean on me, father. said Pinocchio. I dont know where we are, but well soon find our
way home!
Beside the sands stood an old hut made of branches, and there they took shelter. Geppetto
was running a temperature, but Pinocchio went out, saying, Im going to get you some milk.
The bleating of goats led the puppet in the right direction, and he soon came upon a farmer. Of
course, he had no money to pay for the milk.

12
 My donkeys dead, said the farmer. If you work the treadmill from dawn to noon, then
you can have some milk. And so, for days on end, Pinocchio rose early each morning to earn
Geppettos food.
At long last, Pinocchio and Geppetto reached home. The puppet worked late into the night
weaving reed baskets to make money for his father and himself. One day, he heard that the fairy
after a wave of bad luck, was ill in hospital. So instead of buying himself a new suit of clothes,
Pinocchio sent the fairy the money to pay for her treatment.
One night, in a wonderful dream, the fairy appeared to reward Pinocchio for his kindness.
When the puppet looked in the mirror next morning, he found he had turned into somebody
else. For there in the mirror, was a handsome young lad with blue eyes and brown hair. Geppetto
hugged him happily.
Wheres the old wooden Pinocchio? the young lad asked in astonishment. There!
exclaimed Geppetto, pointing at him. When bad boys become good, their looks change along
with their lives!

Puss in Boots

Once upon a time there was a poor miller who had three sons. The years went by and the
miller died, leaving nothing but his mill, his donkey, and a cat. The eldest son took the mill, the
second-born son rode off on the donkey, and the youngest son inherited the cat .
Oh, well, said the youngest son, Ill eat this cat, and make some mittens out of his fur.
Then I will have nothing left in the world and shall die of hunger.
The Cat was listening to his master complain like this, but he pretended not to have heard
anything. Instead, he put on a serious face and said:
Do not look so sad, master. Just give me a bag and a pair of boots, and I will show you that
you did not receive such a poor inheritance in me.

13
 The Cats master had often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice,
as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the grain, and pretend to be dead;
Thinking this over, he thought that it wasnt impossible that the cat could help him after all.
And so he gave the cat his bag and spent his last pennies on ordering a fine pair of boots to be
made especially for the cat.
The cat looked very gallant in his boots, and putting his bag around his neck, he held the
strings of it in his two forepaws and lay by a rabbit warren which was home to a great many
rabbits
He put bran and corn into his bag, and stretching as if he were dead, he waited for some
young rabbits, still not acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage in his
bag for the bran and corn.
Not long after he lay down, he had what he wanted. A rash and foolish young rabbit jumped
into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drew close the strings and caught him. Proud of
his prey, he went with it to the palace and asked to speak with his majesty. He was shown
upstairs into the Kings apartment, and, making a low bow, said to him:
I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren, which my noble lord the Marquis of Carabas
(for that was the title which puss was pleased to give his master) has commanded me to present
to your majesty from him.
Tell thy master, said the king, that I thank him and that he does me a great deal of
pleasure.
Another time he went and hid himself among a corn field, holding still his bag open, and
when a brace of partridges ran into it he drew the strings and so caught them both. He went and
made a present of these to the king, as he had done before of the rabbit. The king, in like manner,
received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some money for drink.
In this way, the Cat continued for two or three months to bring presents to the king, always
saying that they were from his master, the Marquis of Carabas. One day in particular, he heard
at the palace that the King was planning to drive in his carriage along the river-bank, taking
with him his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. Puss in Boots said to his master.
If you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have nothing else to do but go and
wash yourself in the river, in the place that I shall show you, and leave the rest to me.
The millers son did what the Cat advised him to, without knowing why or wherefore. While
he was washing the King passed by, and the Cat began to cry out:
Help! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned.
At this noise the King put his head out of the coach- window, and, finding it was the Cat
who had so often brought him such good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately
to the assistance of his Lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they were drawing the poor
Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach and told the King that, while his master

14
was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, though he had cried
out: Thieves! thieves! several times, as loud as he could.
This cunning Cat had hidden the clothes under a great stone. The King immediately
commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the Lord
Marquis of Carabas.
The King was very pleased to meet the Marquis of Carabas, and the fine clothes he had given
him suited him extremely well, for although poor, he was a handsome and well built fellow.
The Kings daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner
cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances but she fell in love with him to
distraction. The King invited him to sit in the coach and ride along with them, with the
lifeguards in glittering uniform trotting along side. The Cat, quite overjoyed to see his project
begin to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with some countrymen, who were mowing
a meadow, he said to them:
Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King that the meadow you mow
belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, those soldiers will chop you up like herbs for the pot.
The King did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow they were mowing
belonged.
To my Lord Marquis of Carabas, answered they altogether, for the Cats threats had made
them terribly afraid .
You see, sir, said the Marquis, this is a meadow which never fails to yield a plentiful
harvest every year.
The Master Cat, who went still on before, met with some reapers, and said to them:
Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that all this corn belongs to
the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped up like herbs for the pot.
The King, who passed by a moment after, wished to know to whom all that corn, which he
then saw, did belong.
To my Lord Marquis of Carabas, replied the reapers, and the King was very well pleased
with it, as well as the Marquis, whom he congratulated.
Then the King said, Let us now go to your castle.
The millers son, not knowing what to reply, looked at puss who said: If your Majesty will
but wait an hour, I will go on before and order the castle to be made ready for you.
With that she jumped away and went to the castle of a great ogre and asked to see him saying
he could not pass so near his home without having the honor of paying his respects to him.
The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made him sit down.
I have been assured, said the Cat, that you have the gift of being able to change yourself
into all sorts of creatures as you wish; you can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or
elephant, and the like.

15
 That is true, answered the ogre very briskly; and to convince you, you shall see me now
become a lion.
Puss was so terrified at the sight of a lion so near him that he immediately climbed up the
curtains, not without difficulty, because his boots were no use to him for climbing. A little while
after, when Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form, he came down, and admitted
he had been very much frightened.
However, said the cat, I fear that you will not be able to save yourself even in the form
of a lion, for the king is coming with his army and means to destroy you.
The ogre looked out of the window and saw the king waiting outswide with his soliders, and
said,
What shall I do? How shall I save msyelf?
Puss replied: If you can also change yourself into something very small, then you can hide.
And in an instant, the ogre himself into a mouse, and began to run about the floor. Puss no
sooner saw this but he fell upon him and ate him up.
Puss, who heard the noise of his Majestys coach running over the draw-bridge, ran out, and
said to the King:
Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.
What! my Lord Marquis, cried the King, and does this castle also belong to you? There
can be nothing finer than this court and all the stately buildings which surround it; let us go into
it, if you please.
The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King, who went first. They
passed into a spacious hall, where they found a magnificent rum punch, which the ogre had
prepared for his friends, who were that very day to visit him. The friends, however dared not to
enter, knowing that the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good
qualities of my Lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter, who had fallen violently in love
with him, and, seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him, after having drunk five or six
glasses:
If you do not, my Lord Marquis, become my son in law, it will be of your own choosing.
The Marquis, making several low bows, accepted the honor which his Majesty conferred
upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married the Princess.
Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, except for pleasure

16
 The Emperors New Suit

Many, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of new clothes that he spent
all his money in order to obtain them; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He did
not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought
anything of was to drive out and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for every hour of the
day; and as one would say of a king He is in his cabinet, so one could say of him, The
emperor is in his dressing-room.
The great city where he resided was very gay; every day many strangers from all parts of the
globe arrived. One day two swindlers came to this city; they made people believe that they were
weavers, and declared they could manufacture the finest cloth to be imagined. Their colours
and patterns, they said, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothes made of their
material possessed the wonderful quality of being invisible to any man who was unfit for his
office or unpardonably stupid.
That must be wonderful cloth, thought the emperor. If I were to be dressed in a suit made
of this cloth I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places,
and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this cloth woven for me without
delay. And he gave a large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that they should set to
work without any loss of time. They set up two looms, and pretended to be very hard at work,
but they did nothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silk and the most precious
gold-cloth; all they got they did away with, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.
I should very much like to know how they are getting on with the cloth, thought the
emperor. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office
could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it
advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew
what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to see how bad or stupid
their neighbours were.

17
 I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers, thought the emperor. He can judge
best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he.
The good old minister went into the room where the swindlers sat before the empty looms.
Heaven preserve us! he thought, and opened his eyes wide, I cannot see anything at all, but
he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did not
admire the exquisite pattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the empty looms. The poor
old minister tried his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. Oh
dear, he thought, can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know
it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the
cloth.
Now, have you got nothing to say? said one of the swindlers, while he pretended to be
busily weaving.
Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful, replied the old minister looking through his
glasses. What a beautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell the emperor that I like the
cloth very much.
We are pleased to hear that, said the two weavers, and described to him the colours and
explained the curious pattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he might relate to the
emperor what they said; and so he did.
Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk and gold-cloth, which they required for
weaving. They kept everything for themselves, and not a thread came near the loom, but they
continued, as hitherto, to work at the empty looms.
Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtier to the weavers to see how they
were getting on, and if the cloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he looked and looked
but could see nothing, as there was nothing to be seen.
Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth? asked the two swindlers, showing and explaining the
magnificent pattern, which, however, did not exist.
I am not stupid, said the man. It is therefore my good appointment for which I am not fit.
It is very strange, but I must not let any one know it; and he praised the cloth, which he did
not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful colours and the fine pattern. It is very excellent,
he said to the emperor.
Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious cloth. At last the emperor wished to
see it himself, while it was still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, including the two who
had already been there, he went to the two clever swindlers, who now worked as hard as they
could, but without using any thread.
Is it not magnificent? said the two old statesmen who had been there before. Your Majesty
must admire the colours and the pattern. And then they pointed to the empty looms, for they
imagined the others could see the cloth.

18
 What is this? thought the emperor, I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I
stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could
happen to me.
Really, he said, turning to the weavers, your cloth has our most gracious approval; and
nodding contentedly he looked at the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing.
All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see
anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, It is very beautiful. And all advised
him to wear the new magnificent clothes at a great procession which was soon to take place. It
is magnificent, beautiful, excellent, one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted,
and the emperor appointed the two swindlers Imperial Court weavers.
The whole night previous to the day on which the procession was to take place, the swindlers
pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were
busy to finish the emperors new suit. They pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and
worked about in the air with big scissors, and sewed with needles without thread, and said at
last: The emperors new suit is ready now.
The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the swindlers held their arms up as if
they held something in their hands and said: These are the trousers! This is the coat! and
Here is the cloak! and so on. They are all as light as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one
had nothing at all upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them.
Indeed! said all the courtiers; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be
seen.
Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress, said the swindlers, that we may
assist your Majesty in putting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?
The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to put the new suit upon him, one piece
after another; and the emperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.
How well they look! How well they fit! said all. What a beautiful pattern! What fine
colours! That is a magnificent suit of clothes!
The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers of the canopy, which was to be
carried in the procession, were ready.
I am ready, said the emperor. Does not my suit fit me marvellously? Then he turned
once more to the looking-glass, that people should think he admired his garments.
The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretched their hands to the ground as if they
lifted up a train, and pretended to hold something in their hands; they did not like people to
know that they could not see anything.
The emperor marched in the procession under the beautiful canopy, and all who saw him in
the street and out of the windows exclaimed: Indeed, the emperors new suit is incomparable!
What a long train he has! How well it fits him! Nobody wished to let others know he saw

19
nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never emperors clothes
were more admired.
But he has nothing on at all, said a little child at last. Good heavens! listen to the voice
of an innocent child, said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said.
But he has nothing on at all, cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon
the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, Now I must
bear up to the end. And the chamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if they carried
the train which did not exist.

How The Beggar Boy Turned into

Count Piro

Once upon a time there lived a man who had only one son, a lazy, stupid boy, who would
never do anything he was told. When the father was dying, he sent for his son and told him that
he would soon be left alone in the world, with no possessions but the small cottage they lived
in, and a pear tree which grew behind it, and that, whether he liked it or not, he would have to
work, or else he would starve. Then the old man died.
But the boy did not work; instead, he idled about as before, contenting himself with eating
the pears off his tree, which, unlike other pear trees before or since, bore fruit the whole year
round. Indeed, the pears were so much finer than any you could get even in the autumn, that
one day, in the middle of the winter, they attracted the notice of a fox who was creeping by.
Dear me; what lovely pears! he said to the youth. Do give me a basket of them. It will
bring you luck!
Ah, little fox, but if I give you a basketful, what am I to eat? asked the boy.
Oh, trust me, and do what I tell you, said the fox; I know it will bring you luck. So the
boy got up and picked some of the ripest pears and put them into a rush basket. The fox thanked
him, and, taking the basket in hismouth, trotted off to the kings palace and made his way
straight to the king.

20
 Your Majesty, my master sends you a few of his best pears, and begs you will graciously
accept them, he said, laying the basket at the feet of the king.
Pears! at this season? cried the king, peering down to look at them; and, pray, who is your
master?
The Count Piro, answered the fox.
But how does he manage to get pears in midwinter? asked the king.
Oh, he has everything he wants, replied the fox; he is richer even than you are, your
Majesty.
Then what can I send him in return for his pears? said the king.
Nothing, your Majesty, or you would hurt his feelings, answered the fox.
Well, tell him how heartily I thank him, and how much I shall enjoy them. And the fox
went away.
He trotted back to the cottage with his empty basket and told his tale, but the youth did not
seem as pleased to hear as the fox was to tell.
But, my dear little fox, said he, you have brought me nothing in return, and I am so
hungry!
Let me alone, replied the fox; I know what I am doing. You will see, it will bring you
luck.
A few days after this the fox came back again.
I must have another basket of pears, said he.
Ah, little fox, what shall I eat if you take away all my pears? answered the youth.
Be quiet, it will be all right, said the fox; and taking a bigger basket than before, he filled
it quite full of pears. Then he picked it up in his mouth, and trotted off to the palace.
Your Majesty, as you seemed to like the first basket of pears, I have brought you some
more, said he, with my master, the Count Piros humble respects.
Now, surely it is not possible to grow such pears with deep snow on the ground? cried the
king.
Oh, that never affects them, answered the fox lightly; he is rich enough to do anything.
But to-day he sends me to ask if you will give him your daughter in marriage?
If he is so much richer than I am, said the king, I shall be obliged to refuse. My honour
would not permit me to accept his offer.
Oh, your Majesty, you must not think that, replied the fox; and do not let the question of
a dowry trouble you. The Count Piro would not dream of asking anything but the hand of the
princess.
Is he really so rich that he can do without a dowry? asked the king.
Did I not tell your Majesty that he was richer than you? answered the fox reproachfully.
Well, beg him to come here, that we may talk together, said the king.

21
 So the fox went back to the young man and said: I have told the king that you are Count
Piro, and have asked his daughter in marriage.
Oh, little fox, what have you done? cried the youth in dismay; when the king sees me he
will order my head to be cut off.
Oh, no, he wont! replied the fox; just do as I tell you. And he went off to the town, and
stopped at the house of the best tailor.
My master, the Count Piro, begs that you will send him at once the finest coat that you have
in your shop, said the fox, putting on his grandest air, and if it fits him I will call and pay for
it to-morrow! Indeed, as he is in a great hurry, perhaps it might be as well if I took it round
myself. The tailor was not accustomed to serve counts, and he at once got out all the coats he
had ready. The fox chose out a beautiful one of white and silver, bade the tailor tie it up in a
parcel, and carrying the string in his teeth, he left the shop, and went to a horse-dealers, whom
he persuaded to send his finest horse round to the cottage, saying that the king had bidden his
master to the palace.
Very unwillingly the young man put on the coat and mounted the horse, and rode up to meet
the king, with the fox running before him.
What am I to say to his Majesty, little fox? he asked anxiously; you know that I have never
spoken to a king before.
Say nothing, answered the fox, but leave the talking to me. Good morning, your
Majesty, will be all that is necessary for you.
By this time they had reached the palace, and the king came to the door to receive Count
Piro, and led him to the great hall, where a feast was spread. The princess was already seated at
the table, but was as dumb as Count Piro himself.
The Count speaks very little, the king said at last to the fox, and the fox answered: He has
so much to think about in the management of his property that he cannot afford to talk like
ordinary people. The king was quite satisfied, and they finished dinner, after which Count Piro
and the fox took leave.
The next morning the fox came round again.
Give me another basket of pears, he said.
Very well, little fox; but remember it may cost me my life, answered the youth.
Oh, leave it to me, and do as I tell you, and you will see that in the end it will bring you
luck, answered the fox; and plucking the pears he took them up to the king.
My master, Count Piro, sends you these pears, he said, and asks for an answer to his
proposal.
Tell the count that the wedding can take place whenever he pleases, answered the king,
and, filled with pride, the fox trotted back to deliver his message.
But I cant bring the princess here, little fox? cried the young man in dismay.
You leave everything to me, answered the fox; have I not managed well so far?

22
 And up at the palace preparations were made for a grand wedding, and the youth was married
to the princess.
After a week of feasting, the fox said to the king: My master wishes to take his young bride
home to his own castle.
Very well, I will accompany them, replied the king; and he ordered his courtiers and
attendants to get ready, and the best horses in his stable to be brought out for himself, Count
Piro and the princess. So they all set out, and rode across the plain, the little fox running before
them.
He stopped at the sight of a great flock of sheep, which was feeding peacefully on the rich
grass. To whom do these sheep belong? asked he of the shepherd. To an ogre, replied the
shepherd.
Hush, said the fox in a mysterious manner. Do you see that crowd of armed men riding
along? If you were to tell them that those sheep belonged to an ogre, they would kill them, and
then the ogre would kill you! If they ask, just say the sheep belong to Count Piro; it will be
better for everybody. And the fox ran hastily on, as he did not wish to be seen talking to the
shepherd.
Very soon the king came up.
What beautiful sheep! he said, drawing up his horse. I have none so fine in my pastures.
Whose are they?
Count Piros, answered the shepherd, who did not know the king.
Well, he must be a very rich man, thought the king to himself, and rejoiced that he had
such a wealthy son-in-law.
Meanwhile the fox had met with a huge herd of pigs, snuffling about the roots of some trees.
To whom do these pigs belong? he asked of the swineherd.
To an ogre, replied he.
Hush! whispered the fox, though nobody could hear him; do you see that troop of armed
men riding towards us? If you tell them that the pigs belong to the ogre they will kill them, and
then the ogre will kill you! If they ask, just say that the pigs belong to Count Piro; it will be
better for everybody. And he ran hastily on.
Soon after the king rode up.
What fine pigs! he said, reining in his horse. They are fatter than any I have got on my
farms. Whose are they?
Count Piros, answered the swineherd, who did not know the king; and again the king felt
he was lucky to have such a rich son-in-law.
This time the fox ran faster than before, and in a flowery meadow he found a troop of horses
feeding. Whose horses are these? he asked of the man who was watching them.
An ogres, replied he.

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 Hush! whispered the fox, do you see that crowd of armed men coming towards us? If you
tell them the horses belong to an ogre they will drive them off, and then the ogre will kill you!
If they ask, just say they are Count Piros; it will be better for everybody. And he ran on again.
In a few minutes the king rode up.
Oh, what lovely creatures! how I wish they were mine! he exclaimed. Whose are they?
Count Piros, answered the man, who did not know the king; and the kings heart leapt as
he thought that if they belonged to his rich son-in-law they were as good as his.
At last the fox came to the castle of the ogre himself. He ran up the steps, with tears falling
from his eyes, and crying:
Oh, you poor, poor people, what a sad fate is yours!
What has happened? asked the ogre, trembling with fright.
Do you see that troop of horsemen who are riding along the road? They are sent by the king
to kill you!
Oh, dear little fox, help us, we implore you! cried the ogre and his wife.
Well, I will do what I can, answered the fox. The best place is for you both to hide in the
big oven, and when the soldiers have gone by I will let you out.
The ogre and ogress scrambled into the oven as quick as thought, and the fox banged the
door on them; just as he did so the king came up.
Do us the honour to dismount, your Majesty, said the fox, bowing low. This is the palace
of Count Piro!
Why it is more splendid than my own! exclaimed the king, looking round on all the
beautiful things that filled the hall. But why are there no servants?
His Excellency the Count Piro wished the princess to choose them for herself, answered
the fox, and the king nodded his approval. He then rode on, leaving the bridal pair in the castle.
But when it was dark and all was still, the fox crept downstairs and lit the kitchen fire, and the
ogre and his wife were burned to death. The next morning the fox said to Count Piro:
Now that you are rich and happy, you have no more need of me; but, before I go, there is
one thing I must ask of you in return: when I die, promise me that you will give me a magnificent
coffin, and bury me with due honours.
Oh, little, little fox, dont talk of dying, cried the princess, nearly weeping, for she had
taken a great liking to the fox.
After some time the fox thought he would see if the Count Piro was really grateful to him
for all he had done, and went back to the castle, where he lay down on the door-step, and
pretended to be dead. The princess was just going out for a walk, and directly she saw him lying
there, she burst into tears and fell on her knees beside him.
My dear little fox, you are not dead, she wailed; you poor, poor little creature, you shall
have the finest coffin in the world!

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 A coffin for an animal? said Count Piro. What nonsense! just take him by the leg and
throw him into the ditch.
Then the fox sprang up and cried: You wretched, thankless beggar; have you forgotten that
you owe all your riches to me?
Count Piro was frightened when he heard these words, as he thought that perhaps the fox
might have power to take away the castle, and leave him as poor as when he had nothing to eat
but the pears off his tree. So he tried to soften the foxs anger, saying that he had only spoken
in joke, as he had known quite well that he was not really dead. For the sake of the princess, the
fox let himself be softened, and he lived in the castle for many years, and played with Count
Piros children. And when he actually did die, his coffin was made of silver, and Count Piro
and his wife followed him to the grave.

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 King Grisly-Beard

A great king of a land far away in the East had a daughter who was very beautiful, but so
proud and haughty and conceited, that none of the princes who came to ask for her hand in
marriage was good enough for her. All she ever did was make fun of them.
Once upon a time the king held a great feast and invited all her suitors. They all sat in a row,
ranged according to their rank kings and princes and dukes and earls and counts and barons
and knights. When the princess came in, as she passed by them, she had something spiteful to
say to each one.
The first was too fat: Hes as round as a tub, she said.
The next was too tall: What a maypole! she said.
The next was too short: What a dumpling! she said.
The fourth was too pale, and she called him Wallface.
The fifth was too red, so she called him Coxcomb.
The sixth was not straight enough; so she said he was like a green stick that had been laid to
dry over a bakers oven. She had some joke to crack about every one. But she laughed most of
all at a good king who was there.
Look at him, she said; his beard is like an old mop; he shall be called Grisly-beard. So
the king got the nickname of Grisly-beard.
But the old king was very angry when he saw how his daughter behaved and how badly she
treated all his guests. He vowed that, willing or unwilling, she would marry the first man that
came to the door.
Two days later a travelling fiddler came by the castle. He began to play under the window
and begged for money and when the king heard him, he said, Let him come in.
So, they brought the dirty-looking fellow in and, when he had sung before the king and the
princess, he begged for a gift.

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 The king said, You have sung so well that I will give you my daughter to take as your wife.
The princess begged and prayed; but the king said, I have sworn to give you to the first man
who came to the door, and I will keep my word.
Words and tears were to no avail; the parson was sent for, and she was married to the fiddler.
When this was over, the king said, Now get ready to leave you must not stay here you
must travel with your husband.
So the fiddler left the castle, and took the princess with him.
Soon they came to a great wood.
Pray, she said, whose is this wood?
It belongs to King Grisly-beard, he answered; hadst thou taken him, all would have been
thine.
Ah! unlucky wretch that I am! she sighed; would that I had married King Grisly-beard!
Next they came to some fine meadows.
Whose are these beautiful green meadows? she said.
They belong to King Grisly-beard, hadst thou taken him, they would all have been thine.
Ah! unlucky wretch that I am! she said; would that I had married King Grisly-beard!
Then they came to a great city. Whose is this noble city? she said.
It belongs to King Grisly-beard; hadst thou taken him, it would all have been thine.
Ah! wretch that I am! she sighed; why did I not marry King Grisly-beard?
That is no business of mine, said the fiddler, why should you wish for another husband?
Am I not good enough for you?
At last they came to a small cottage. What a paltry place! she said; to whom does that little
dirty hole belong?
The fiddler said, That is your and my house, where we are to live.
Where are your servants? she cried.
What do we want with servants? he said; you must do for yourself whatever is to be done.
Now make the fire, and put on water and cook my supper, for I am very tired.
But the princess knew nothing of making fires and cooking, and the fiddler was forced to
help her.
When they had eaten a very scanty meal they went to bed; but the fiddler called her up very
early in the morning to clean the house.
They lived like that for two days and when they had eaten up all there was in the cottage, the
man said, Wife, we cant go on thus, spending money and earning nothing. You must learn to
weave baskets.
Then the fiddler went out and cut willows, and brought them home, and she began to weave;
but it made her fingers very sore.
I see this work wont do, he said, try and spin; perhaps you will do that better.
So she sat down and tried to spin; but the threads cut her tender fingers until the blood ran.

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 See now, said the fiddler, you are good for nothing; you can do no work. What a bargain
I have got! However, Ill try and set up a trade in pots and pans, and you shall stand in the
market and sell them.
Alas! she sighed, if any of my fathers court should pass by and see me standing in the
market, how they will laugh at me!
But her husband did not care about that, and said she would have to work if she did not want
to die of hunger.
At first the trade went well because many people, seeing such a beautiful woman, went to
buy her wares and paid their money without even thinking of taking away the goods. They lived
on this as long as it lasted and then her husband bought a fresh lot of pots and pans, and she sat
herself down with it in the corner of the market.
However, soon a drunken soldier soon came by and rode his horse against her stall and broke
all her goods into a thousand pieces.
She began to cry, and did not know what to do. Ah! what will become of me? she said;
what will my husband say? So she ran home and told him everything.
Who would have thought you would have been so silly, he said, as to put an earthenware
stall in the corner of the market, where everybody passes? But let us have no more crying; I see
you are not fit for this sort of work, so I have been to the kings palace, and asked if they did
not want a kitchen-maid; and they say they will take you, and there you will have plenty to eat.
So the princess became a kitchen-maid and helped the cook to do all the dirtiest work. She
was allowed to carry home some of the meat that was left over, and they lived on that.
She had not been there long before she heard that the kings eldest son was passing by, on
his way to get married. She went to one of the windows and looked out. Everything was ready
and all the pomp and brightness of the court was there. Seeing it, she grieved bitterly for the
pride and folly that had brought her so low. The servants gave her some of the rich meats and
she put them into her basket to take home.
All of a sudden, as she was leaving, in came the kings son in his golden clothes. When he
saw such a beautiful woman at the door, he took her by the hand and said she should be his
partner in the dance. She trembled with fear because she saw that it was King Grisly-beard,
who was making fun of her. However, he kept hold of her, and led her into the hall. As she
entered, the cover of the basket came off, and the meats in it fell out. Everybody laughed and
jeered at her and she was so ashamed that she wished she were a thousand feet deep in the earth.
She sprang over to the door so that she could run away but on the steps King Grisly-beard
overtook her, brought her back and said:
Fear me not! I am the fiddler who has lived with you in the hut. I brought you there because
I truly loved you. I am also the soldier that overset your stall. I have done all this only to cure
you of your silly pride, and to show you the folly of your ill-treatment of me. Now it is all over:
you have learnt wisdom, and it is time to hold our marriage feast.

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 Then the chamberlains came and brought her the most beautiful robes. Her father and his
whole court were already there, and they welcomed her home. Joy was in every face and every
heart. The feast was grand; they danced and sang; everyone was merry; and I only wish that
you and I had been there.

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