ore the
open door of a nice little house. They went in. A clear fire was burning
on the hearth, an arm chair was before it, and a bed was made at the
other side of the fire. "This is good," said Gilly, "and now I wish that
we had something to eat." No sooner did he say the words than a table
appeared with bread and meat, fruit and wine on it. "Where do these
fine things come from, I wonder," said Gilly of the Goatskin. "It's my
belief," said the Weasel, "that all these things come to us on account
of the egg you have in your hand. It's a magic egg." Gilly of the
Goatskin put the egg on the table and wished that he might see himself
as he had seen himself in the river. Nothing appeared. Then he took the
egg in his hand and wished again. And then there was a looking glass on
the wall before him, and he saw himself in it better than he had seen
himself in the river. Gilly of the Goatskin knew that he had only to
hold the Crystal Egg in his hand and wish, to get all he could think of.

VIII

Gilly of the Goatskin wished for wide windows in his house and he got
them. He wished for a light within when there was darkness without, and
he got a silver lamp that burned until he wished to sleep. He wished for
the songs of birds and he had a blackbird singing upon his half-door, a
lark over his chimney, a goldfinch and a green linnet within his window,
and a shy wren in the evening singing from the top of his dresser. Then
he wished to hear the conversation of the beasts and all the creatures
of the fields and the wood and the mountain top came into his house.

The hare used to come in early in the morning. He was always the first
visitor and he never remained long, and always while he was there he
kept running up and down the house, and he generally ended his visit by
jumping through the open window. The martens, the beautiful wild cats of
the wood, came in to see Gilly once; they were very proud and told
him nothing. The little black rabbits were very much impressed by the
martens, and all the time the martens were there they stayed under the
bed and the chairs. Two or three times the King of the Wood himself--the
Boar of the Bristles and the Long Tusks--came to see Gilly; he used to
push open the door and then stand in the middle of the floor grunting
and grunting. Once he brought his wife with him, and six or seven of
their little pigs that went running over the floor, with their ears
hanging over their eyes, came with