pass through a wood, and there
she met that sly old fellow, Mr Wolf, who felt that he should very much
like to eat her up on the spot, but was afraid to do so, as there were
woodcutters at hand in the forest. He asked her which way she was going,
and the poor child, not knowing how dangerous it is to stop and listen
to a wolf, answered, "I am going to see my grandmother, and am taking a
cake and a little jar of butter, which my mother has sent her."

"Does she live far from here?" asked the Wolf.

"Oh, yes!" replied Little Red Riding-Hood, "on the further side of the
mill that you see down there; hers is the first house in the village."

"Well, I was thinking of going to visit her myself," rejoined the Wolf,
"so I will take this path, and you take the other, and we will see which
of us gets there first."

The Wolf then began running off as fast as he could along the shorter
way, which he had chosen, while the little girl went by the longer way,
and amused herself with stopping to gather nuts, or run after
butterflies, and with making little nosegays of all the flowers she
could find.

It did not take the Wolf long to reach the grandmother's house; he
knocked: tap, tap.

"Who is there?"

"It is your grand-daughter, Little Red Riding-Hood," answered the Wolf,
imitating the child's voice. "I have brought a cake and a little jar of
butter, which my mother has sent you." The good grandmother, who was ill
in bed, called out, "Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up." The
Wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened. He leaped on to the poor
old woman, and ate her up in less than no time, for he had been three
days without food. He then shut the door again, and laid himself down in
the grandmother's bed, to wait for Little Red Riding-Hood. Presently she
came and knocked at the door: tap, tap.

[Illustration: '_Grandma, what great ears you have!_'

_Little Red Riding-Hood_]

"Who is there?" Little Red Riding-Hood was frightened at first, on
hearing the Wolf's gruff voice, but thinking that her grandmother had a
cold, she answered,--

"It is your grand-daughter, Little Red Riding-Hood. I have brought a
cake and a little jar of butter, which my mother has sent you."

The Wolf called out, this time in rather a softer voice, "Pull the
bobbin, and the latch will go up." Little Red Riding-Hood pulled the
bobbin, and the door opened.

When the Wolf saw her come in, he hid himself under the bedclothes, and
said to he