rich and happy, you have no more need of me; but,
before I go, there is one thing I must ask of you in return: when I die,
promise me that you will give me a magnificent coffin, and bury me with
due honours.'

'Oh, little, little fox, don't talk of dying,' cried the princess,
nearly weeping, for she had taken a great liking to the fox.

After some time the fox thought he would see if the Count Piro was
really grateful to him for all he had done, and went back to the castle,
where he lay down on the door-step, and pretended to be dead. The
princess was just going out for a walk, and directly she saw him lying
there, she burst into tears and fell on her knees beside him.

'My dear little fox, you are not dead,' she wailed; 'you poor, poor
little creature, you shall have the finest coffin in the world!'

'A coffin for an animal?' said Count Piro. 'What nonsense! just take him
by the leg and throw him into the ditch.'

Then the fox sprang up and cried: 'You wretched, thankless beggar; have
you forgotten that you owe all your riches to me?'

Count Piro was frightened when he heard these words, as he thought that
perhaps the fox might have power to take away the castle, and leave him
as poor as when he had nothing to eat but the pears off his tree. So he
tried to soften the fox's anger, saying that he had only spoken in joke,
as he had known quite well that he was not really dead. For the sake
of the princess, the fox let himself be softened, and he lived in the
castle for many years, and played with Count Piro's children. And when
he actually did die, his coffin was made of silver, and Count Piro and
his wife followed him to the grave.

[From Sicilianische Mahrchen.]

The Rogue And The Herdsman

In a tiny cottage near the king's palace there once lived an old man,
his wife, and his son, a very lazy fellow, who would never do a stroke
of work. He could not be got even to look after their one cow, but left
her to look after herself, while he lay on a bank and went to sleep in
the sun. For a long time his father bore with him, hoping that as he
grew older he might gain more sense; but at last the old man's patience
was worn out, and he told his son that he should not stay at house in
idleness, and must go out into the world to seek his fortune.

The young man saw that there was no help for it, and he set out with
a wallet full of food over his shoulder. At length he came to a large
house, at the door of which h