e
Red Riding Hood, who now began to be frightened.

"The better to eat you up," exclaimed the wolf, who was just about to
make a spring at the poor little girl, when a wasp, who had followed her
into the cottage, stung the wolf in his nostril, and made him sneeze
aloud, which gave the signal to a tom-tit perched on a branch near the
open casement, who called out "Tweat--tweat," which warned the green
huntsman, who accordingly let fly his arrow, that struck the wolf right
through the ear and killed him on the spot.

Little Red Riding Hood was too frightened, even after the wolf had
fallen back dead, that she bounced out of the cottage, and, shutting the
door, darted into the forest like a frightened hare, and ran till she
was out of breath, when she dropped down quite exhausted under a tree.
Here she discovered that she had mistaken the road, when, to her great
relief, she espied her old friend the water-cress woman, at some
distance; and, feeling sure she could soon overtake the aged dame, she
again set off, calling out to her every now and then to stop. The old
crone, however, seemed too deaf to hear; and it was not till they had
reached the skirts of the forest that she turned round, when, to Little
Red Riding Hood's surprise, she perceived a young and beautiful being in
place of the decrepit creature she thought she was following. "Little
Red Riding Hood," said the fairy, for such she was, "your goodness of
heart has saved you from a great danger. Had you not helped the poor old
water-cress woman, she would not have sent word to the green huntsman,
who is generally invisible to mortal eyes, to save you. Had you killed
the wasp, or driven away the tom-tit, the former could not have stung
the wolf's nostril and made him sneeze, nor the latter have given the
huntsman the signal to fly his shaft. In future, no wild beast shall
ever harm you, and the fairy folks will always be your friends." So
saying, the fairy vanished, and Little Red Riding Hood hastened home to
tell her mother all that had befallen her; nor did she forget that night
to thank Heaven fervently for having delivered her from the jaws of the
wolf.

[Illustration]

THE STORY

OF THE

=Sleeping Beauty in the Wood=.

[Illustration]

=Edited by Madame de Chatelain.=

=The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood.=

There once lived a king and queen, who had been married many years
without having any children, which was a subject of great sorrow