“You’ll know that best, old man,” said the wife.  “It is fair day to-day, so ride into town, and get rid of the horse for money, or make a good exchange; whichever you do will be right to me.  Ride off to the fair.”

And she fastened his neckerchief for him, for she could do that better than he could; and she tied it in a double bow, for she could do that very prettily.  Then she brushed his hat round and round with the palm of her hand, and gave him a kiss.  So he rode away upon the horse that was to be sold or to be bartered for something else.  Yes, the old man knew what he was about.

The sun shone hotly down, and not a cloud was to be seen in the sky.  The road was very dusty, for many people, who were all bound for the fair, were driving, or riding, or walking upon it.  There was no shelter anywhere from the sunbeams.

Among the rest, a man was trudging along, driving a cow to the fair.  The cow was as beautiful a creature as any cow can be.

“She gives good milk, I’m sure,” said the peasant.  “That would be a very good exchange—­the cow for the horse.”

“Hallo, you there with the cow!” he said; “I tell you what—­I fancy a horse costs more than a cow, but I don’t care for that; a cow would be more useful to me.  If you like, we’ll exchange.”

“To be sure I will,” returned the man; and they exchanged accordingly.

So that was settled, and the peasant might have turned back, for he had done the business he came to do; but as he had once made up his mind to go to the fair, he determined to proceed, merely to have a look at it; and so he went on to the town with his cow.

Leading the animal, he strode sturdily on; and after a short time he overtook a man who was driving a sheep.  It was a good fat sheep, with a fine fleece on its back.

“I should like to have that fellow,” said our peasant to himself.  “He would find plenty of grass by our palings, and in the winter we could keep him in the room with us.  Perhaps it would be more practical to have a sheep instead of a cow.  Shall we exchange?”

The man with the sheep was quite ready, and the bargain was struck.  So our peasant went on in the highroad with his sheep.

Soon he overtook another man, who came into the road from a field, carrying a great goose under his arm.

“That’s a heavy thing you have there.  It has plenty of feathers and plenty of fat, and would look well tied to a string, and paddling in the water at our place.  That would be something for my old woman; she could make much profit out of it.  How often she has said, ’If we only had a goose!’ Now, perhaps, she can have one.  Shall we exchange?  I’ll give you my sheep for your goose, and thank you into the bargain.”

The other man had not the least objection; and accordingly they exchanged, and our peasant became the owner of the goose.