more hay, and put plenty of litter under them." As he
spoke, he seized an armful himself from the pile where the Stag lay
concealed, and at once detected him. Calling his men, he had him
seized at once and killed for the table.

THE MILKMAID AND HER PAIL

A farmer's daughter had been out to milk the cows, and was returning
to the dairy carrying her pail of milk upon her head. As she walked
along, she fell a-musing after this fashion: "The milk in this pail
will provide me with cream, which I will make into butter and take to
market to sell. With the money I will buy a number of eggs, and these,
when hatched, will produce chickens, and by and by I shall have quite
a large poultry-yard. Then I shall sell some of my fowls, and with the
money which they will bring in I will buy myself a new gown, which
I shall wear when I go to the fair; and all the young fellows will
admire it, and come and make love to me, but I shall toss my head
and have nothing to say to them." Forgetting all about the pail, and
suiting the action to the word, she tossed her head. Down went the
pail, all the milk was spilled, and all her fine castles in the air
vanished in a moment!

Do not count your chickens before they are hatched.

THE DOLPHINS, THE WHALES, AND THE SPRAT

The Dolphins quarrelled with the Whales, and before very long they
began fighting with one another. The battle was very fierce, and had
lasted some time without any sign of coming to an end, when a Sprat
thought that perhaps he could stop it; so he stepped in and tried to
persuade them to give up fighting and make friends. But one of the
Dolphins said to him contemptuously, "We would rather go on fighting
till we're all killed than be reconciled by a Sprat like you!"

THE FOX AND THE MONKEY

A Fox and a Monkey were on the road together, and fell into a dispute
as to which of the two was the better born. They kept it up for some
time, till they came to a place where the road passed through a
cemetery full of monuments, when the Monkey stopped and looked about
him and gave a great sigh. "Why do you sigh?" said the Fox. The Monkey
pointed to the tombs and replied, "All the monuments that you see here
were put up in honour of my forefathers, who in their day were eminent
men." The Fox was speechless for a moment, but quickly recovering he
said, "Oh! don't stop at any lie, sir; you're quite safe: I'm sure
none of your ancestors will rise up and expos