LITMIR.BIZ

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“I very well know. You went into the closet, did you not? Very well, madam; you’ll go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there”.

      Upon this she begged his pardon with all the signs of a true repentance. She promised him to be obedient. She was beautiful and sorrowful; but Blue Beard had a heart harder than any rock!

      “You must die, madam”, said he, “at once”.

      “Since I must die”, answered she, “give me some time to say my prayers”.

      “I give you”, replied Blue Beard, “seven minutes, but not one moment more”.

      When she was alone she called out to her sister, and said to her,

      “Sister Anne, go up, I beg you, to the top of the tower, and tell me: are there my brothers on the way? They promised me to come today, and if you see them, give them a sign to make haste”.

      Her sister Anne went up to the top of the tower, and the poor wife cried out from time to time,

      “Anne, sister Anne, do you see anyone?”

      And sister Anne said,

      “I see nothing but a cloud of dust in the sun, and the green grass”.

      In the meanwhile Blue Beard took a great saber, and cried out,

      “Come down instantly, or I shall come up to you”.

      “One moment longer, if you please”, said his wife; and then she cried out very softly, “Anne, sister Anne, do you see anybody on the road?”

      And sister Anne answered,

      “I see nothing but a cloud of dust in the sun, and the green grass”.

      “Come down quickly!” cried Blue Beard, “or I shall come up to you!”

      “One moment”, answered his wife; and then she cried, “Anne, sister Anne, do you not see anybody on the road?”

      “I see”, replied sister Anne, “a great cloud of dust”.

      “Are they my brothers?”

      “Alas, no my dear sister, I see a flock of sheep”.

      “Will you not come down?” cried Blue Beard.

      “One moment longer”, said his wife, and then she cried out, “Anne, sister Anne, do you see anybody on the road?”

      “I see”, said she, “two horsemen, but they are still far away”.

      “God be praised![15]” replied the poor wife joyfully. “They are my brothers. I will make them a sign to make haste”.

      Then Blue Beard bawled out so loud that he the whole house trembled. The distressed wife came down, and threw herself at his feet, all in tears, with her hair about her shoulders.

      “This means nothing”, said Blue Beard. “You must die!”

      Then he took her hair with one hand, and lifted up the sword with the other. He prepared to strike off her head. The poor lady turned about to him, and looked at him sorrowfully.

      At this instant there was such a loud knocking at the gate that Blue Beard made a sudden stop. The gate was opened, and two horsemen entered. They drew their swords, and ran directly to Blue Beard. He knew them: they were his wife’s brothers, one a dragoon, the other a musketeer. Blue Beard he ran away immediately to save himself; but the two brothers pursued and overtook him. Then they ran their swords through his body and killed him. The poor wife was almost as dead as her husband, and had not strength enough to rise and welcome her brothers.

      Blue Beard had no heirs, and so his wife became mistress of all his estate. She gave one part of it to her sister Anne; another part to buy captains’ commissions[16] for her brothers, and the rest to marry herself to a very worthy gentleman. She wanted to forget the ill time with Blue Beard.

      The Death of the Little Hen

      Brothers Grimm

      Once upon a time the little hen went with the little cock to the nut-hill[17]. They made an agreement. Which of them finds a kernel of a nut will share it with the other.

      Then the hen found a large, large nut, but said nothing about it. She intended to eat the kernel herself. The kernel, however, was so large that she could not swallow it. So it remained sticking[18] in her throat. The hen was alarmed. Then she cried,

      “Cock, please run fast and fetch me some water, or I shall choke!”

      The little cock ran as fast as he could to the spring, and said,

      “Stream, give me some water; the little hen is on the nut-hill. She will choke!”

      The well answered,

      “First run to the bride, and ask her to give you some red silk”.

      The little cock ran to the bride and said,

      “Bride, give me some red silk! I want to give red silk to the well, the well will give me some water. I’ll take the water to the little hen who is on the nut-hill. She will choke!”

      The bride answered,

      “First run and bring me my little wreath which hangs on a willow”.

      So the little cock ran to the willow, and drew the wreath from the branch and took it to the bride. The bride gave him some water for it. Then the little cock took the water to the hen. But the hen choked in the meantime, and lay there dead and motionless. Then the cock was so distressed that he cried aloud. Every animal came to lament the little hen. Six mice built a little carriage to carry her to her grave. When the carriage was ready they harnessed themselves to it, and the cock drove. On the way, however, they met the fox, who said,

      “Where do you go, little cock?”

      “I go to bury my little hen”.

      “May I drive with you?”

      “Yes, but seat thyself at the back of the carriage, for in the front my little horses could not drag you”.

      Then the fox seated himself at the back, and after that the wolf, the bear, the stag, the lion, and all the beasts of the forest did the same. Then the procession went onwards, and they reached the stream.

      “How will we get over?” said the little cock.

      A straw was by the stream, and it said,

      “I will lay myself across, and you will drive over me”.

      But when the six mice came to the bridge, the straw slipped and fell into the water. The six mice all fell in and were drowned.

      Then they were again in difficulty, and a coal came and said,

      “I am large enough. I will lay myself across and you will drive over me”.

      So the coal also laid itself across the water, but unhappily just touched it, on which the coal hissed, was extinguished and died.

      When a stone saw that, it took pity on the little cock, wished to help him, and laid itself over the water. Then the cock drew the carriage himself, but when he got it over and reached the other shore with the dead hen, and was about to draw over the others, there were too many of them. The carriage ran back, and they all fell into the water together, and were drowned.

      Then the little cock was left alone with the dead hen, and dug a grave for her and laid her in it. He made a mound above it, on which he sat down and fretted until he died too, and then every one was dead.

      The Red Shoes

      Hans Christian Andersen

      There was once a little girl, very nice and very pretty, but so poor that she went barefooted all summer. And in winter she wore thick wooden shoes that chafed her ankles until they were red.

      In the middle of

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