One day, her Mother said to her, “Come, Little Red-Cap, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your Grandmother. She is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot. Walk nicely and quietly. Do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle; then your Grandmother will get nothing! When you go into her room, don’t forget to say ‘Good morning,’ and don’t stop to peep into every corner, before you do it.” “I’ll take great care,” said Little Red-Cap to her Mother, and gave her hand on it. The Grandmother lived in the wood, half an hour’s distance from the village, and just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a Wolf met her. Red-Cap did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. “Good-day, Little Red-Cap,” said he. “Thank you kindly, Wolf.” “Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?” “To my Grandmother’s.” “What have you got in your apron?” “Cake and wine. Yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick Grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger.” “Where does your Grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?” “A good quarter of an hour farther on in the wood. Her house stands under the three large oak-trees; the nut-trees are just below. You surely must know it,” replied Little Red-Cap. The Wolf thought to himself, “What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful--she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.” He walked for a short time by the side of Little Red-Cap, and then he said, “See, Little Red-Cap, how pretty the flowers are about here--why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing. You walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else in the wood is merry.” Little Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought, “Suppose I take Grandmother a fresh nosegay. That would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time.” And so she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and thus got deeper and deeper into the wood. Meanwhile, the Wolf ran straight to the Grandmother’s house and knocked at the door. “Who is there?” “Little Red-Cap,” replied the Wolf. “She is bringing cake and wine. Open the door.” “Lift the latch,” called out the Grandmother, “I am too weak, and cannot get up.” The Wolf lifted the latch, the door flew open, and without saying a word he went straight to the Grandmother’s bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed, and drew the curtains.