English Fairy Tales | Page 8

BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"
said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And Goldilocks had pulled the bolster of the Middle-sized Bear out of its place.
"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"
said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.
But when the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place!
And the pillow was in its place upon the bolster!
And upon the pillow----?
There was Goldilocks's yellow head--which was not in its place, for she had no business there.
"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED,--AND HERE SHE IS STILL!"
said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
[Illustration: "Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is!"]
Now Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great Big Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind, or the rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle-sized voice of the Middle-sized Bear, but it was only as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little wee voice of the Little Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. Up she started, and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the Bears, like good, tidy Bears, as they were, always opened their bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. So naughty, frightened little Goldilocks jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall, or ran into the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of the wood and got whipped for being a bad girl and playing truant, no one can say. But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.
[Illustration: "Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!"]

TOM-TIT-TOT
Once upon a time there was a woman and she baked five pies. But when they came out of the oven they were over-baked, and the crust was far too hard to eat. So she said to her daughter:
"Daughter," says she, "put them pies on to the shelf and leave 'em there awhile. Surely they'll come again in time."
By that, you know, she meant that they would become softer; but her daughter said to herself, "If Mother says the pies will come again, why shouldn't I eat these now?" So, having good, young teeth, she set to work and ate the lot, first and last.
Now when supper-time came the woman said to her daughter, "Go you and get one of the pies. They are sure to have come again by now."
Then the girl went and looked, but of course there was nothing but the empty dishes.
So back she came and said, "No, Mother, they ain't come again."
"Not one o' them?" asked the mother, taken aback like.
"Not one o' them," says the daughter, quite confident.
"Well," says the mother, "come again, or not come again, I will have one of them pies for my supper."
"But you can't," says the daughter. "How can you if they ain't come? And they ain't, as sure's sure."
"But I can," says the mother, getting angry. "Go you at once, child, and bring me the best on them. My teeth must just tackle it."
"Best or worst is all one," answered the daughter, quite sulky, "for I've ate the lot, so you can't have one till it comes again--so there!"
Well, the mother she bounced up to see; but half an eye told her there was nothing save the empty dishes; so she was dished up herself and done for.
So, having no supper, she sate her down on the doorstep, and, bringing out her distaff, began to spin. And as she span she sang:
"My daughter ha' ate five pies to-day, My daughter ha' ate five pies to-day, My daughter ha' ate five pies to-day,"
for, see you, she was quite flabbergasted and fair astonished.
Now the King of that country happened to be coming down the street, and he heard the song going on and on, but could not quite make out the words. So he stopped his horse, and asked:
"What is that you are singing, my good woman?"
[Illustration: "What is that you are singing, my good woman?"]
Now the mother, though horrified at her daughter's appetite, did not want other folk, leastwise the King, to know about it, so she sang instead:
"My daughter ha' spun five skeins to-day, My daughter ha' spun five skeins to-day, My daughter ha' spun five skeins to-day."
"Five skeins!" cried the King. "By my garter and my crown, I never heard tell of any one who could do that! Look you here, I have been searching for a maiden