e on the table. If she
had been a good little girl, she would have waited till the Bears came
home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for
they were good Bears,--a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is,
but for all that very good-natured and hospitable.

So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was
too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear,
and that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the
Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot
nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well, that she ate it
all up.

Then little Silver-hair sate down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear,
and that was too hard for her. And then she sate down in the chair of
the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sate down
in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too
hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and
there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and down came
her's, plump upon the ground.

[Illustration]

Then little Silver-hair went up stairs into the bed-chamber in which the
Three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great,
Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay
down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and that was too high at the foot
for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee
Bear; and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but
just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till
she fell fast asleep.

By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool
enough; so they came home to breakfast. Now little Silver-hair had left
the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear standing in his porridge.

"Somebody has been at my porridge!"

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And when
the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in it
too.

"Somebody has been at my porridge!"

said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.

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.

[Illustration]

Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that some one had enter