When he had delivered his message, the master of the house was greatly pleased, and said, “Indeed, I am deeply grateful for this kindness, which will save my son’s life.”

Then the goodwife came out, and received the jar with every mark of politeness.

“We must make a present to the messenger.”

“Indeed, sir, I’ve already been paid for my trouble.”

“Well, at any rate, you must stop the night here.”

“Thank you, sir:  I’ve a relation in the next village whom I have not seen for a long while, and I will pass the night with him;” and so he took his leave, and went away.

The parents lost no time in sending to let the physician know that they had procured the fox’s liver.  The next day the doctor came and compounded a medicine for the patient, which at once produced a good effect, and there was no little joy in the household.  As luck would have it, three days after this the man whom they had commissioned to buy the fox’s liver came to the house; so the goodwife hurried out to meet him and welcome him.

“How quickly you fulfilled our wishes, and how kind of you to send at once!  The doctor prepared the medicine, and now our boy can get up and walk about the room; and it’s all owing to your goodness.”

“Wait a bit!” cried the guest, who did not know what to make of the joy of the two parents.  “The commission with which you entrusted me about the fox’s liver turned out to be a matter of impossibility, so I came to-day to make my excuses; and now I really can’t understand what you are so grateful to me for.”

“We are thanking you, sir,” replied the master of the house, bowing with his hands on the ground, “for the fox’s liver which we asked you to procure for us.”

“I really am perfectly unaware of having sent you a fox’s liver:  there must be some mistake here.  Pray inquire carefully into the matter.”

“Well, this is very strange.  Four nights ago, a man of some five or six and thirty years of age came with a verbal message from you, to the effect that you had sent him with a fox’s liver, which you had just procured, and said that he would come and tell us the price another day.  When we asked him to spend the night here, he answered that he would lodge with a relation in the next village, and went away.”

The visitor was more and more lost in amazement, and; leaning his head on one side in deep thought, confessed that he could make nothing of it.  As for the husband and wife, they felt quite out of countenance at having thanked a man so warmly for favours of which he denied all knowledge; and so the visitor took his leave, and went home.

That night there appeared at the pillow of the master of the house a woman of about one or two and thirty years of age, who said, “I am the fox that lives at such-and-such a mountain.  Last spring, when I was taking out my cub to play, it was carried off by some boys, and only saved by your goodness.  The desire to requite this kindness pierced me to the quick.  At last, when calamity attacked your house, I thought that I might be of use to you.  Your son’s illness could not be cured without a liver taken from a live fox, so to repay your kindness I killed my cub and took out its liver; then its sire, disguising himself as a messenger, brought it to your house.”