"Well; but how could I tell that there was going to be a fire?" asked the other, surprised. "Well, perhaps not exactly; yet--never mind, shoemaker, that can be made up again, and the six cents can't cling to your heart now; so come along--we must have a look at this wonderful creature." With these words he stepped forward, and immediately afterwards, accompanied by his companions, walked through a small glass door covered with a green curtain, into the house. The interior of the narrow and low room which they now stepped into, by no means resembled a menagerie in other respects, for on the right hand stood a small table, like a bar-counter, covered with bottles and glasses, and several persons were seated, or lounged about the room, while, on the left-hand was fixed a square box with wire trellis-work, something like a rather massive bird-cage, and therein sat a little innocent pig, on which one might faintly recognise the wonderful stripes which passed across his body. The four Germans paid their six cents and a quarter and viewed the pig. The shoemaker, however, shaking his head, thought it very hard that one should pay so much money to see a creature like that. "And it has no stripes!" cried the tailor. "Wait awhile," said a man standing behind the table, in German, but with a strange sounding foreign accent, "it will soon have some." "Stripes!" said the brewer, surprised. "Ahem!" nodded the stranger; "but wont you have something to drink?" he continued, getting out some glasses. "What do you take, brandy, whisky, cider, wine, beer." "Beer! by all means," said the brewer. "No," declared the shoemaker, "I won't have anything to drink--six cents for such a sight as that, and six more cents for a drink! No; to stand that I must have stolen my money, and found my box again!" "The drinking costs thee no more," the barman declared. "Why do you 'thee' and 'thou'[3] me, then?" asked the shoemaker, somewhat nettled. "Thou speakest so prettily, how else shall I call thee?" The shoemaker was about to make some angry reply, but the little tailor poked him in the ribs, and said, "Don't be a fool, but let him talk in his own fashion--he says the drinking is to cost nothing." "Well, I don't care," said the shoemaker; "he might as well be a little more civil."