Children -- Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction; Fairy tales
How, now, was she to set to work? She was determined to rescue her
brothers, but had no key to open the glass mountain.
The good little sister took a knife and cut off her own tiny finger,
fitted it into the keyhole, and succeeded in opening the lock.
When she had entered, she met a Dwarf, who said: 'My child, what are
you looking for?'
'I am looking for my brothers, the Seven Ravens,' she answered.
The Dwarf said: 'My masters, the Ravens, are not at home; but if you
like to wait until they come, please to walk in.'
Thereupon the Dwarf brought in the Ravens' supper, on seven little
plates, and in seven little cups, and the little sister ate a crumb or
two from each of the little plates, and took a sip from each of the
little cups, but she let the ring she had brought with her fall into
the last little cup.
All at once a whirring and crying were heard in the air; then the
Dwarf said: 'Now my masters the Ravens are coming home.'
Then they came in, and wanted to eat and drink, and began to look
about for their little plates and cups.
But they said one after another: 'Halloa! who has been eating off my
plate? Who has been drinking out of my cup? There has been some human
mouth here.'
[Illustration: When she entered she met a Dwarf.]
And when the seventh drank to the bottom of his cup, the ring rolled
up against his lips.
He looked at it, and recognised it as a ring belonging to his father
and mother, and said: 'God grant that our sister may be here, and that
we may be delivered.'
[Illustration: {But they said one after another: 'Halloa! who has
been eating off my plate? Who has been drinking out of my cup?'}]
As the maiden was standing behind the door listening, she heard the
wish and came forward, and then all the Ravens got back their human
form again.
And they embraced and kissed one another, and went joyfully home.
[Illustration: The Ravens coming home.]
The Marriage of Mrs. Reynard
There was once an old Fox who thought that his wife was not true to
him, and determined to put her to the test. He stretched himself under
the bank, lay motionless, and pretended to be as dead as a door nail.
Mrs. Reynard went to her chamber, and shut herself in; and her
servant, Mistress Cat, sat by the fire, and cooked the dinner.
Now, when it became known that the old Fox was dead, suitors began to
announce themselves. Soon afterwards, the servant heard some one
knocking at the front door. She went and opened the door, and there
stood a young Fox, who said--
'What are ye doing, pray, Mistress Cat?
Sleeping or waking? or what are ye at?'
She answered--
'I'm not asleep; I'm wide awake.
D'ye want to know what now I make?
I'm warming beer, with butter in it;
I beg ye'll taste it in a minute.'
'I'm much obliged, Mistress,' said the Fox. 'What is Mrs. Reynard
doing?'
The Maid answered--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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