Page:Hansel and Gretel and other stories.djvu/236

THE THREE MAGIC GIFTS

"Oh, you scamp!" exclaimed the tailor, "as bad and undutiful as your brothers. You shan't make a fool of me any longer"; and quite beside himself with anger, he thrashed the poor boy with the yard measure so terribly that he ran away.

The old tailor was now left alone with the goat. The next morning he went to the stable, caressed the goat, and said, "Now, my pretty animal, I will myself take you out to graze." He put the cord round its neck, and led it to a hedge where there were nettles and other things goats like. "Eat to your heart's content," he said, and he let her graze till evening. Then he asked, "Goat, are you full?"

And she answered:

"Then come home," said the tailor, and led her into the stable and tied her up. As he was going away he turned round and said, "For once you are full."

But the goat called out as usual:

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