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发表于 2016-7-10 18:35:43
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The goat answered, I have eaten so much, Not a leaf more I'll touch; Meh, meh!
"Come home then," said the youth, and led her into the stable, and tied her up.
"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her full share of food?"
"She has eaten so much, not a leaf more she'll touch."
The tailor was distrustful, went down, and asked, "Goat, have you had enough?"
The wicked beast answered, How should I be satisfied? Among the ditches I leapt about, Found no leaf, so went without; Meh, meh!
"Oh, the brood of liars!" cried the tailor, "Each as wicked and forgetful of his duty as the other. You shall no longer make a fool of me!" And quite beside himself with anger, he ran upstairs and tanned the poor young fellow's back so vigorously with the yardstick that he leaped out of the house.
The old tailor was now alone with his goat. Next morning he went down into the stable, stroked the goat and said, "Come, my dear little animal, I myself will take you to feed." He took her by the rope and led her to green hedges, and amongst yarrow and whatever else goats like to eat. "Here you may for once eat to your heart's content," he said to her, and let her browse till evening. Then he asked, "Goat, are you satisfied?"
She answered, I have eaten so much, Not a leaf more I'll touch; Meh, meh!
"Come home then," said the tailor, and led her into the stable, and tied her fast. When he was going away, he turned around again and said, "Well, are you satisfied for once?"
But the goat behaved no better for him, and cried, How should I be satisfied? Among the ditches I leapt about, Found no leaf, so went without; Meh, meh!
When the tailor heard that, he was shocked, and saw clearly that he had driven away his three sons without cause. "Wait, you ungrateful creature," he cried, "it is not enough to drive you away, I will brand you s
o that you will no more dare to show yourself amongst honest tailors." He quickly ran upstairs, fetched his razor, lathered the goat's head, and shaved her as clean as the palm of his hand. And as the yardstick would have been too honorable for her, he grabbed a whip, and gave her such blows with it that she bounded away with tremendous leaps.
When the tailor was thus left quite alone in his house he fell into great grief, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no one knew where they were gone.
The eldest had apprenticed himself to a joiner, and learned industriously and tirelessly, and when the time came for him to be on his way, his master presented him with a little table which was not particularly beautiful, and was made of common wood, but which had one good property. If anyone set it out, and said, "table be set," the good little table was at once covered with a clean little cloth, and a plate was there, and a knife and fork beside it, and dishes with boiled meats and roasted meats, as many as there was room for, and a great glass of red wine shone, so that it made the heart glad.
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