LITTLE
THUMB
There
was, once upon a time, a man and his wife fagot-makers by trade, who had
several children, all boys. The eldest was but ten years old, and the youngest
only seven.
They
were very poor, and their seven children incommoded them greatly, because not
one of them was able to earn his bread. That which gave them yet more
uneasiness was that the youngest was of a very puny constitution, and scarce
ever spoke a word, which made them take that for stupidity which was a sign of
good sense. He was very little, and when born no bigger than one's thumb, which
made him be called Little Thumb.
The
poor child bore the blame of whatsoever was done amiss in the house, and,
guilty or not, was always in the wrong; he was, notwithstanding, more cunning
and had a far greater share of wisdom than all his brothers put together; and,
if he spake little, he heard and thought the more.
There
happened now to come a very bad year, and the famine was so great that these
poor people resolved to rid themselves of their children. One evening, when
they were all in bed and the fagot-maker was sitting with his wife at the fire,
he said to her, with his heart ready to burst with grief:
"Thou
seest plainly that we are not able to keep our children, and I cannot see them
starve to death before my face; I am resolved to lose them in the wood
to-morrow, which may very easily be done; for, while they are busy in tying up
fagots, we may run away, and leave them, without their taking any notice."
"Ah!"
cried his wife; "and canst thou thyself have the heart to take thy
children out along with thee on purpose to lose them?"
In
vain did her husband represent to her their extreme poverty: she would not
consent to it; she was indeed poor, but she was their mother. However, having
considered what a grief it would be to her to see them perish with hunger, she
at last consented, and went to bed all in tears.
Little
Thumb heard every word that had been spoken; for observing, as he lay in his
bed, that they were talking very busily, he got up softly, and hid himself
under his father's stool, that he might hear what they said without being seen.
He went to bed again, but did not sleep a wink all the rest of the night,
thinking on what he had to do. He got up early in the morning, and went to the
river-side, where he filled his pockets full of small white pebbles, and then
returned home.
They
all went abroad, but Little Thumb never told his brothers one syllable of what
he knew. They went into a very thick forest, where they could not another at
ten paces distance. The fagot-maker began to cut wood, and the children to
gather up the sticks to make fagots. Their father and mother, seeing them busy
at their work, got away from them insensibly, and ran away from them all at
once, along a by-way through the winding bushes.
When
the children saw they were left alone, they began to cry as loud as they could.
Little Thumb let them cry on, knowing very well how to get home again, for, as
he came, he took care to drop all along the way the little white pebbles he had
in his pockets. Then he said to them:
"Be
not afraid, brothers; father and mother have left us here, but I will lead you
home again, only follow me."
They
did so, and he brought them home by the very same way they came into the
forest. They dared not go in, but sat themselves down at the door, listening to
what their father and mother were saying.
The
very moment the fagot-maker and his wife reached home the lord of the manor
sent them ten crowns, which he had owed them a long while, and which they never
expected. This gave them new life, for the poor people were almost famished.
The fagot-maker sent his wife immediately to the butcher's. As it was a long
while since they had eaten a bit, she bought thrice as much meat as would sup
two people. When they had eaten, the woman said:
"Alas!
where are now our poor children? they would make a good feast of what we have
left here; but it was you, William, who had a mind to lose them: I told you we
should repent of it. What are they now doing in the forest? Alas! dear God, the
wolves have perhaps already eaten them up; thou art very inhuman thus to have
lost thy children."
The
fagot-maker grew at last quite out of patience, for she repeated it above
twenty times, that they should repent of it, and that she was in the right of
it for so saying. He threatened to beat her if she did not hold her tongue. It
was not that the fagot-maker was not, perhaps, more vexed than his wife, but
that she teased him, and that he was of the humor of a great many others, who
love wives to speak well, but think those very importunate who are continually
doing so. She was half-drowned in tears, crying out:
"Alas!
where are now my children, my poor children?"
She
spoke this so very loud that the children, who were at the gate, began to cry
out all together:
"Here
we are! Here we are!"
She
ran immediately to open the door, and said, hugging them:
"I
am glad to see you, my dear children; you are very hungry and weary; and my
poor Peter, thou art horribly bemired; come in and let me clean thee."
Now,
you must know that Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved above all the rest,
because he was somewhat carroty, as she herself was. They sat down to supper,
and ate with such a good appetite as pleased both father and mother, whom they
acquainted how frightened they were in the forest, speaking almost always all
together. The good folks were extremely glad to see their children once more at
home, and this joy continued while the ten crowns lasted; but, when the money
was all gone, they fell again into their former uneasiness, and resolved to
lose them again; and, that they might be the surer of doing it, to carry them
to a much greater distance than before.
They
could not talk of this so secretly but they were overheard by Little Thumb, who
made account to get out of this difficulty as well as the former; but, though
he got up very early in the morning to go and pick up some little pebbles, he
was disappointed, for he found the house-door double-locked, and was at a stand
what to do. When their father had given each of them a piece of bread for their
breakfast, Little Thumb fancied he might make use of this instead of the
pebbles by throwing it in little bits all along the way they should pass; and
so he put the bread in his pocket.
Their
father and mother brought them into the thickest and most obscure part of the
forest, when, stealing away into a by-path, they there left them. Little Thumb
was not very uneasy at it, for he thought he could easily find the way again by
means of his bread, which he had scattered all along as he came; but he was
very much surprised when he could not find so much as one crumb; the birds had
come and had eaten it up, every bit. They were now in great affliction, for the
farther they went the more they were out of their way, and were more and more
bewildered in the forest.
Night
now came on, and there arose a terribly high wind, which made them dreadfully
afraid. They fancied they heard on every side of them the howling of wolves
coming to eat them up. They scarce dared to speak or turn their heads. After
this, it rained very hard, which wetted them to the skin; their feet slipped at
every step they took, and they fell into the mire, whence they got up in a very
dirty pickle; their hands were quite benumbed.
Little
Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, to see if he could discover anything;
and having turned his head about on every side, he saw at last a glimmering
light, like that of a candle, but a long way from the forest. He came down,
and, when upon the ground, he could see it no more, which grieved him sadly.
However, having walked for some time with his brothers toward that side on
which he had seen the light, he perceived it again as he came out of the wood.
They
came at last to the house where this candle was, not without an abundance of fear:
for very often they lost sight of it, which happened every time they came into
a bottom. They knocked at the door, and a good woman came and opened it; she
asked them what they would have.
Little
Thumb told her they were poor children who had been lost in the forest, and
desired to lodge there for God's sake.
The
woman, seeing them so very pretty, began to weep, and said to them:
"Alas!
poor babies; whither are ye come? Do ye know that this house belongs to a cruel
ogre who eats up little children?"
"Ah!
dear madam," answered Little Thumb (who trembled every joint of him, as
well as his brothers), "what shall we do? To be sure the wolves of the
forest will devour us to-night if you refuse us to lie here; and so we would
rather the gentleman should eat us; and perhaps he may take pity upon us,
especially if you please to beg it of him."
The
Ogre's wife, who believed she could conceal them from her husband till morning,
let them come in, and brought them to warm themselves at a very good fire; for
there was a whole sheep upon the spit, roasting for the Ogre's supper.
As
they began to be a little warm they heard three or four great raps at the door;
this was the Ogre, who had come home. Upon this she hid them under the bed and
went to open the door. The Ogre presently asked if supper was ready and the
wine drawn, and then sat himself down to table. The sheep was as yet all raw
and bloody; but he liked it the better for that. He sniffed about to the right
and left, saying:
"I
smell fresh meat."
"What
you smell so," said his wife, "must be the calf which I have just now
killed and flayed."
"I
smell fresh meat, I tell thee once more," replied the Ogre, looking
crossly at his wife; "and there is something here which I do not
understand."
As
he spoke these words he got up from the table and went directly to the bed.
"Ah,
ah!" said he; "I see then how thou wouldst cheat me, thou cursed
woman; I know not why I do not eat thee up too, but it is well for thee that
thou art a tough old carrion. Here is good game, which comes very quickly to
entertain three ogres of my acquaintance who are to pay me a visit in a day or
two."
With
that he dragged them out from under the bed one by one. The poor children fell
upon their knees, and begged his pardon; but they had to do with one of the
most cruel ogres in the world, who, far from having any pity on them, had
already devoured them with his eyes, and told his wife they would be delicate
eating when tossed up with good savory sauce. He then took a great knife, and,
coming up to these poor children, whetted it upon a great whet-stone which he
held in his left hand. He had already taken hold of one of them when his wife
said to him:
"Why
need you do it now? Is it not time enough to-morrow?"
"Hold
your prating," said the Ogre; "they will eat the tenderer.
"But
you have so much meat already," replied his wife, you have no occasion;
here are a calf, two sheep, and half a hog."
"That
is true," said the Ogre; "give them their belly full that they may
not fall away, and put them to bed."
The
good woman was overjoyed at this, and gave them a good supper; but they were so
much afraid they could not eat a bit. As for the Ogre, he sat down again to
drink, being highly pleased that he had got wherewithal to treat his friends.
He drank a dozen glasses more than ordinary, which got up into his head and
obliged him to go to bed.
The
Ogre had seven daughters, all little children, and these young ogresses had all
of them very fine complexions, because they used to eat fresh meat like their
father; but they had little gray eyes, quite round, hooked noses, and very long
sharp teeth, standing at a good distance from each other. They were not as yet
over and above mischievous, but they promised very fair for it, for they had
already bitten little children, that they might suck their blood.
They
had been put to bed early, with every one a crown of gold upon her head. There
was in the same chamber a bed of the like bigness, and it was into this bed the
Ogre's wife put the seven little boys, after which she went to bed to her
husband.
Little
Thumb, who had observed that the Ogre's daughters had crowns of gold upon their
heads, and was afraid lest the Ogre should repent his not killing them, got up
about midnight, and, taking his brothers' bonnets and his own, went very softly
and put them upon the heads of the seven little ogresses, after having taken
off their crowns of gold, which he put upon his own head and his brothers',
that the Ogre might take them for his daughters, and his daughters for the
little boys whom he wanted to kill.
All
this succeeded according to his desire; for, the Ogre waking about midnight,
and sorry that he deferred to do that till morning which he might have done
over-night, threw himself hastily out of bed, and, taking his great knife,
"Let
us see," said he, "how our little rogues do, and not make two jobs of
the matter."
He
then went up, groping all the way, into his daughters' chamber, and, coming to
the bed where the little boys lay, and who were every soul of them fast asleep,
except Little Thumb, who was terribly afraid when he found the Ogre fumbling
about his head, as he had done about his brothers', the Ogre, feeling the
golden crowns, said:
"I
should have made a fine piece of work of it, truly; I find I drank too much
last night."
Then
he went to the bed where the girls lay; and, having found the boys' little
bonnets,
"Ah!"
said he, "my merry lads, are you there? Let us work as we ought."
And
saying these words, without more ado, he cut the throats of all his seven
daughters.
Well
pleased with what he had done, he went to bed again to his wife. So soon as
Little Thumb heard the Ogre snore, he waked his brothers, and bade them all put
on their clothes presently and follow him. They stole down softly into the
garden, and got over the wall. They kept running about all night, and trembled
all the while, without knowing which way they went.
The
Ogre, when he awoke, said to his wife: "Go upstairs and dress those young
rascals who came here last night."
The
wife was very much surprised at this goodness of her husband, not dreaming
after what manner she should dress them; but, thinking that he had ordered her
to go and put on their clothes, she went up, and was strangely astonished when
she perceived her seven daughters killed, and weltering in their blood.
She
fainted away, for this is the first expedient almost all women find in such
cases. The Ogre, fearing his wife would be too long in doing what he had
ordered, went up himself to help her. He was no less amazed than his wife at
this frightful spectacle.
"Ah!
what have I done?" cried he. "The wretches shall pay for it, and that
instantly."
He
threw a pitcher of water upon his wife's face, and, having brought her to
herself, said:
"Give
me quickly my boots of seven leagues, that I may go and catch them."
He
went out, and, having run over a vast deal of ground, both on this side and
that, he came at last into the very road where the poor children were, and not
above a hundred paces from their father's house. They espied the Ogre, who went
at one step from mountain to mountain, and over rivers as easily as the
narrowest kennels. Little Thumb, seeing a hollow rock near the place where they
were, made his brothers hide themselves in it, and crowded into it himself,
minding always what would become of the Ogre.
The
Ogre, who found himself much tired with his long and fruitless journey (for
these boots of seven leagues greatly fatigued the wearer), had a great mind to
rest himself, and, by chance, went to sit down upon the rock where the little
boys had hid themselves. As it was impossible he could be more weary than he
was, he fell asleep, and, after reposing himself some time, began to snore so
frightfully that the poor children were no less afraid of him than when he held
up his great knife and was going to cut their throats. Little Thumb was not so
much frightened as his brothers, and told them that they should run away
immediately toward home while the Ogre was asleep so soundly, and that they
should not be in any pain about him. They took his advice, and got home
presently. Little Thumb came up to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently and
put them on his own legs. The boots were very long and large, but, as they were
fairies, they had the gift of becoming big and little, according to the legs of
those who wore them; so that they fitted his feet and legs as well as if they
had been made on purpose for him. He went immediately to the Ogre's house,
where he saw his wife crying bitterly for the loss of the Ogre's murdered
daughters.
"Your
husband," said Little Thumb, "is in very great danger, being taken by
a gang of thieves, who have sworn to kill him if he does not give them all his
gold and silver. The very moment they held their daggers at his throat he
perceived me, and desired me to come and tell you the condition he is in, and
that you should give me whatsoever he has of value, without retaining any one
thing; for otherwise they will kill him without mercy; and, as his case is very
pressing, he desired me to make use (you see I have them on) of his boots, that
I might make the more haste and to show you that I do not impose upon
you."
The
good woman, being sadly frightened, gave him all she had: for this Ogre was a
very good husband, though he used to eat up little children. Little Thumb,
having thus got all the Ogre's money, came home to his father's house, where he
was received with abundance of joy.
There
are many people who do not agree in this circumstance, and pretend that Little
Thumb never robbed the Ogre at all, and that he only thought he might very
justly, and with a safe conscience, take off his boots of seven leagues,
because he made no other use of them but to run after little children. These
folks affirm that they are very well assured of this, and the more as having
drunk and eaten often at the fagot-maker's house. They aver that when Little
Thumb had taken off the Ogre's boots he went to Court, where he was informed that
they were very much in pain about a certain army, which was two hundred leagues
off, and the success of a battle. He went, say they, to the King, and told him
that, if he desired it, he would bring him news from the army before night.
The
King promised him a great sum of money upon that condition. Little Thumb was as
good as his word, and returned that very same night with the news; and, this
first expedition causing him to be known, he got whatever he pleased, for the
King paid him very well for carrying his orders to the army. After having for
some time carried on the business of a messenger, and gained thereby great
wealth, he went home to his father, where it was impossible to express the joy
they were all in at his return. He made the whole family very easy, bought
places for his father and brothers, and, by that means, settled them very
handsomely in the world, and, in the meantime, made his court to perfection.[1]
[1]
Charles Perrault.
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