Then the Little Small Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!” said the Little Small Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Upon this, the Three Bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, and eaten up the Little Small Wee Bear’s breakfast, began to look about them.  Now Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great Huge Bear.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!” said the Great Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And Goldilocks had crushed down the soft cushion of the Middle-sized Bear.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!” said the Middle-sized Bear, in his middle-sized voice.

And you know what Goldilocks had done to the third chair.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR AND HAS SAT THE BOTTOM OUT OF IT!” said the Little Small Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Then the Three Bears thought it necessary that they should make further search; so they went upstairs into their bed-chamber.  Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the Great Huge Bear out of its place.

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!” said the Great Huge 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.

And when the Little Small Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place; and the pillow in its place upon the bolster; and upon the pillow was the shining, yellow hair of little Goldilocks!

“SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED,—­AND HERE SHE IS!” said the Little Small Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great Huge 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 someone speaking in a dream.  But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little Small 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 bed-chamber window when they got up in the morning.

Out little Goldilocks jumped, and ran away home to her mother, as fast as ever she could.

THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG[1]

[Footnote 1:  Adapted from Joseph Jacobs’s English Fairy Tales (David Nutt, 57-59 Long Acre, W.C. 6s.).]