That morning, when the king looked out of his bedroom window, there stood the splendid castle of silver and gold. Then he called all of his people together, and they rode over to see what it meant. On the way they met such herds of fat sheep and cattle that the king had never seen the like in all of his life before; and when he came to the fine castle, there were two rows of servants dressed in clothes of silver and gold, ready to meet him. But when he came to the door of the castle, there stood the prince himself. Then there was joy and rejoicing, you may be sure! only the two elder brothers looked down in the mouth, for since the young prince had found the thief who stole the golden pears, their father’s kingdom was not for them. But the prince soon set their minds at rest on that score, for he had enough and more than enough of his own. After that the prince and the Swan Maiden were married, and a grand wedding they had of it, with music of fiddles and kettle-drums, and plenty to eat and to drink. I, too, was there; but all of the good red wine ran down over my tucker, so that not a drop of it passed my lips, and I had to come away empty. And that is all. [Illustration] [Illustration] Seven O’clock· The _Work_ is over for the _Day_; [Sidenote: K.P. del. ⌣ _Grows cool._] The _Sky_ is pale, and far away The _Village Children_ shout at _Play_. Now from his _Hole_ the _Toad_ comes out, And blinks his _Eyes_, and hops about, And likes the pleasant _Air_, no doubt. [Illustration: The Three Little Pigs _and the_ OGRE.] XIX. There were three nice, fat little pigs. The first was small, the second was smaller, and the third was the smallest of all. And these three little pigs thought of going out into the woods to gather acorns, for there were better acorns there than here. “There’s a great ogre who lives over yonder in the woods,” says the barn-yard cock. “And he will eat you up, body and bones,” says the speckled hen. “And there will be an end of you,” says the black drake. “If folks only knew what was good for them, they would stay at home and make the best of what they had there,” said the old grey goose who laid eggs under the barn, and who had never gone out into the world or had had a peep of it beyond the garden-gate. But no; the little pigs would go out into the world, whether or no; “for,” said they, “if we stay at home because folks shake their heads, we will never get the best acorns that are to be had;” and there was more than one barley-corn of truth in that chaff, I can tell you. So out into the woods they went. They hunted for acorns here and they hunted for acorns there, and by and by whom should the smallest of all the little pigs meet but the great, wicked ogre himself. “Aha!” says the great, wicked ogre, “it is a nice, plump little pig that I have been wanting for my supper this many a day past. So you may just come along with me now.”