r
grew very sad when he heard of the shameful conduct of his elder sons,
and had them called before him. They turned as white as death when they
saw their brother, whom they thought they had murdered, standing beside
them alive and well, and so startled were they that when the King asked
them why they had behaved so wickedly to their brother they could think
of no lie, but confessed at once that they had slain the young Prince in
order to obtain possession of the golden horse and the golden bird.
Their father's wrath knew no bounds, and he ordered them both to be
banished, but he could not do enough to honour his youngest son and his
marriage with the beautiful mermaid was celebrated with much pomp and
magnificence. When the festivities were over, the wolf bade them all
farewell, and returned once more to his life in the woods, much to the
regret of the old King and the young Prince and his bride.

[Illustration]

And so ended the adventures of the Prince with his friend the wolf.

Grimm.

_THE WAR OF THE WOLF AND THE FOX_

There was once upon a time a man and his wife who had an old cat and an
old dog. One day the man, whose name was Simon, said to his wife, whose
name was Susan, 'Why should we keep our old cat any longer? She never
catches any mice nowadays, and is so useless that I have made up my
mind to drown her.'

But his wife replied, 'Don't do that, for I'm sure she could still catch
mice.'

'Rubbish,' said Simon. 'The mice might dance on her and she would never
catch one. I've quite made up my mind that the next time I see her, I
shall put her in the water.'

Susan was very unhappy when she heard this, and so was the cat, who had
been listening to the conversation behind the stove. When Simon went off
to his work, the poor cat miawed so pitifully, and looked up so
pathetically into Susan's face, that the woman quickly opened the door
and said, 'Fly for your life, my poor little beast, and get well away
from here before your master returns.'

The cat took her advice, and ran as quickly as her poor old legs would
carry her into the wood, and when Simon came home, his wife told him
that the cat had vanished.

'So much the better for her,' said Simon. 'And now we have got rid of
her, we must consider what we are to do with the old dog. He is quite
deaf and blind, and invariably barks when there is no need, and makes no
sound when there is. I think the best thing I can do with him is to han