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So the old woman went away to the cow.
But the cow said to her, “If you go to that haystack and fetch me some hay, I’ll give you the milk.”
So the old woman went away to the haystack, and she brought the hay to the cow.
When the cow ate the hay, it gave the old woman the milk, and she went with it in a saucer to the cat.
When the cat lapped up[62 - lapped up – вылакала] the milk, the cat began to kill the rat, the rat began to gnaw the rope, the rope began to hang the butcher, the butcher began to kill the ox, the ox began to drink the water, the water began to quench the fire, the fire began to burn the stick, the stick began to beat the dog, the dog began to bite the pig, the little pig in a fright jumped over the stile, and so the old woman got home that night.
Jack and the Beanstalk
There was once upon a time a poor widow who had a son named Jack and a cow named Milky-white. Every morning the cow gave the milk which they carried to the market and sold. But one morning Milky-white gave no milk, and they didn’t know what to do.
“What shall we do, what shall we do?” said the widow.
“Oh, mother, I’ll go and get work somewhere,” said Jack.
“We tried that before, and nobody took you,” said his mother. “We must sell Milky-white.”
“All right, mother,” says Jack. “I’ll sell Milky-white, and then we’ll see what we can do.”
So he took the cow’s halter in his hand and went to the market. While he was going, he met an old man who said to him: “Good morning, Jack.”
“Good morning to you,” said Jack and wondered how he knew his name.
“Jack, where are you going?” said the man.
“I’m going to the market to sell our cow there.”
“Oh, I have five beans,” said the man, “and let’s change[63 - let’s change – давай меняться]: your cow for these beans.”
“You swindler,” says Jack, “it won’t go![64 - it won’t go! – так не пойдёт!]“
“Ah! you don’t know what these beans are,” said the man. “If you plant them over-night, by morning they grow right up to the sky[65 - grow right up to the sky – вырастут прямо до неба].”
“Really?” says Jack. “I don’t believe you.”
“Yes, that is so, and if this is not true, you can have your cow back.”
“Good,” says Jack and gives him over Milky-white’s and takes the beans.
Jack came home happily.
“So what[66 - So what? – Ну что?], Jack?” said his mother. “I see you don’t have Milky-white, so you sold her. How much did you get for her?”
“You’ll never guess, mother,” says Jack.
“Oh no! Good boy! Five pounds, ten, fifteen… Or twenty?”
“No, just look: five magical beans.”
“What!” says Jack’s mother. “My son is a fool, such a dolt! Oh my dear Milky-white! Take that![67 - Take that! – Вот тебе!] Take that! Take that! And your precious beans will go out of the window.”
So Jack went upstairs to his little room in the attic, and he was very sad. At last he began to sleep.
When he woke up, the room looked so funny. The sun was shining into part of it, and all the rest[68 - all the rest – остальная часть] was quite dark and shady. So Jack jumped up and dressed himself and went to the window. And what do you think he saw? The beans that his mother threw out of the window into the garden sprang up into a big beanstalk[69 - sprang up into a big beanstalk – проросли в большой бобовый стебель] which went up and up and up till it reached the sky. So the man spoke truth!
The beanstalk grew up quite close past Jack’s window, so Jack opened it and jumped on the beanstalk which was like a big ladder. So Jack climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed till at last he reached the sky. And when he got there, he found a long broad road. So he walked along and he walked along and he walked along till he came to a great big tall house, and on the doorstep there was a great big tall woman.
“Good morning,” says Jack politely. “Could you give me some breakfast?” He was as hungry as a hunter[70 - as hungry as a hunter – голоден, как охотник].
“You want breakfast, don’t you?” says the great big tall woman. “It’s breakfast you’ll be if you don’t go away.[71 - It’s breakfast you’ll be if you don’t go away. – Ты cам станешь завтраком, если не уйдёшь отсюда.] My husband is an ogre, and he likes to eat boys broiled on toast.”
“Oh! please give me something to eat. I’m very hungry, really and truly,” says Jack.
The ogre’s wife was a kind woman. So she took Jack into the kitchen and gave him some bread and some cheese and a jug of milk. Suddenly, Jack heard a terrible noise: someone was coming.
“Oh, it’s my husband,” said the ogre’s wife, “what shall I do? Here, come quick and jump in here[72 - jump in here – прыгай сюда].” And she put Jack into the oven just as the ogre came in.
The ogre was really big. At his belt he had three pigs, and he threw them down on the table and said, “Here, wife, broil me a couple of these for breakfast. Ah! What’s this I smell?[73 - What’s this I smell? – Чем это пахнет?]”
“Nothing, dear,” said his wife. “Here, go and have a wash, and by the time you come back[74 - by the time you come back – к тому времени, как ты вернёшься], your breakfast will be ready for you.”
So the ogre went off, and the woman told Jack, “Wait till he’s asleep; he always sleeps after breakfast.”
Well, the ogre had his breakfast, and after that he was asleep. Then Jack crept out from his oven, and while he was passing the ogre, he took one of the bags of gold under his arm and ran to the beanstalk. And then he threw down the bag of gold, which of course fell in to his mother’s garden. And then he climbed down and climbed down till at last he got home and told his mother and showed her the gold and said, “Well, mother, I was right about the beans. They are really magical, you see.”
So they lived on the bag of gold for some time. But at last the gold came to an end, so Jack decided to use the beanstalk again. So one fine morning he got up early and went to the beanstalk, and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed till at last he got on the road again and came to the great big tall house. There was the great big tall woman.
“Good morning,” says Jack, “could you give me something to eat?”
“Go away, my boy,” said the big tall woman, “or my husband will eat you for breakfast. But aren’t you the boy who came here before? My husband lost one of his bags of gold that day.”
“That’s strange,” says Jack, “I can tell you something about that, but I’m so hungry I can’t speak.”
The big tall woman was very curious, and she gave him something to eat. But soon he heard thump! thump! thump![75 - thump! thump! thump! – топ! топ! топ!] and the ogre’s wife hid Jack in the oven.
All happened as it did before.[76 - All happened as it did before. – Всё случилось так, как и раньше.] The ogre said, “Wife, bring me the hen that lays the golden eggs.” So she brought it, and the ogre said, “Lay,” and it laid an egg of gold. And then the ogre began to sleep.
Then Jack crept out of the oven and caught the golden hen and went away. But this time he made some noise which woke the ogre. So the ogre woke up and howled, “Wife, wife, where is my golden hen?”
But Jack was running very fast to the beanstalk and climbed down quickly. And when he got home, he showed his mother the wonderful hen and said “Lay,” and it laid a golden egg every time he said “Lay.”
So they lived happily. But Jack was not content, and one fine morning, he got up early and went on to the beanstalk, and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed and he climbed till he got to the top. But this time he did not go to the ogre’s house. When he came near it, he waited behind a bush till he saw the ogre’s wife. She came out with a pail to get some water, and then he crept into the house and hid himself. Soon he heard thump! thump! thump! as before and saw the ogre and his wife.
“I smell the boy!” cried out the ogre. “I smell him, wife, I smell him!”
“Do you, my dear?” says the ogre’s wife. “It must be that little rogue that stole your gold and the hen that laid the golden eggs. He must be in the oven.” And they both rushed to the oven. But Jack wasn’t there, and they found nobody.
So the ogre sat down to the breakfast and ate it. After breakfast, the ogre called out, “Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp.” So she brought it and put it on the table before him. Then he said, “Sing!” and the golden harp sang most beautifully till the ogre fell asleep.
Then Jack crawled out and took the golden harp. But the harp called out, “Master! Master!” and the ogre woke up. Jack began to run very fast with his harp.
Jack ran as fast as he could, but the ogre followed him. When Jack got to the beanstalk, the ogre was not more than twenty yards away. The beanstalk shook with his weight[77 - shook with his weight – закачался под его весом]. Down climbs Jack, and after him climbed the ogre. By this time Jack climbed down and climbed down and climbed down till he was home. So he called out, “Mother! mother! bring me an axe, bring me an axe.” And his mother appeared with an axe in her hand.
Jack jumped down and took the axe and cut the beanstalk. The ogre fell down and died.
Then Jack showed his mother his golden harp, and it began to sing beautiful songs. Jack and his mother became very rich, and he married a princess, and they lived happily.
The Three Little Pigs
Once upon a time, there were three little pigs, and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes.
Before they left, their mother told them, “Whatever you do, do the best that you can because that’s the way to get along in the world[78 - that’s the way to get along in the world – так вы сможете выжить в этом мире].”
So three little pigs left their mother to find homes for themselves.
The first pig met a man with a bundle of straw. “Please, man,” said the pig, “will you let me have that bundle of straw to build my house?” “Yes, here, take it,” said the kind man. The little pig was very pleased and at once built his house out of straw[79 - built his house out of straw – построил свой дом из соломы] because it was the easiest thing to do.
The second little pig said goodbye to his mother and set out[80 - set out – отправился в путь]. Before long[81 - before long – вскоре] he met a man with a bundle of sticks. “Please, man,” he said, “will you let me have that bundle of sticks to build my house?” “Yes, you can have it, here it is,” said the kind man. So the second little pig was very pleased and built his house out of sticks[82 - built his house out of sticks – построил свой дом из ветвей]. This was a little bit stronger[83 - a little bit stronger – немного прочнее] than a straw house. Then last of all, the third little pig set out and met a man with a load of bricks. “Please, man,” he said, “will you let me have that load of bricks to build my house?”
“Yes, here they are, all for you,” said the kind man. The third little pig was very pleased and built his house out of bricks[84 - built his house out of bricks – построил свой дом из камней].
One night, the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his new house of straw. The wolf knocked on the door and said, “Let me in, let me in, little pig, or I’ll huff and I’ll puff[85 - I’ll huff and I’ll puff – я возьму и дуну] and I’ll blow your house in![86 - I’ll blow your house in! – Я сдую твой дом!]”
“No, not by the hair of my chinny chin chin,[87 - not by the hair of my chinny chin chin – не получится, клянусь своей бородой] I’ll not let you in!” said the little pig.
“Now I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down,” cried the wolf.
And of course[88 - of course – конечно] the wolf did blow the house in and ate the first little pig.
The wolf then came to the house of ticks and knocked at the door. “Little pig, little pig,” he said, “open up your door and let me in!”
Now the second little pig remembered what his mother had told him, so he too said, “No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin, I’ll not let you in.”
“Now I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!” cried the wolf. But the little pig went on saying, “No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin, I’ll not let you in.” So again the old wolf huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed, this time it was much harder work, but finally down came the house. The wolf blew that house in too and ate the second little pig.
The wolf then came to the house of bricks, and again he said. “Little pig, little pig, open your door and let me in!”
But like his brothers the third little pig said, “No, not by the hair on my chinny chin chin, I’ll not let you in.”
“Now I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down!” cried the wolf. And when the third little pig wouldn’t open the door he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed an he tried again, but the brick house was so strong that he could not blow it down.
Well, the wolf huffed and puffed again and again, but he could not blow down that brick house.
This made the wolf very angry.
When he found that he could not, with all his huffing and puffing, blow the house down, he said, “Little pig, I know where there is a nice field of turnips.”
“Where?” said the little pig.
“Oh, in Mr. Smith’s home field, and if you are ready tomorrow morning, I will call for you, and we will go together and get some for dinner.”
“Very well,” said the little pig, “I will be ready. What time do you mean to go?”
“Oh, at six o’clock.”
Well, the little pig got up[89 - got up – встал, проснулся] at five and got the turnips before the wolf came (which he did about six), and who said, “Little pig, are you ready?”
The little pig said, “Ready! I have been and come back again, and got nice turnips for dinner.”
The wolf felt very angry at this, but thought that he would be up to the little pig somehow or other, so he said, “Little pig, I know where there is a nice apple tree.”
“Where?” said the pig.
“Down at Merry Garden,” replied the wolf, “and if you will not deceive me, I will come for you at five o’clock tomorrow and get some apples.”
Well, the little pig bustled up the next morning at four o’clock and went off for the apples, hoping to get back before the wolf came, but he had further to go and had to climb the tree, so that just as he was coming down from it, he saw the wolf coming, which, as you may suppose, frightened him very much.
When the wolf came up, he said, “Little pig, what! Are you here before me? Are they nice apples?”
“Yes, very,” said the little pig. “I will throw you down one.” And he threw it so far that, while the wolf was gone to pick it up, the little pig jumped down and ran home.
The next day the wolf came again and said to the little pig, “Little pig, there is a fair this afternoon. Will you go?”
“Oh yes,” said the pig, “I will go. What time shall you be ready?”
“At three,” said the wolf. So the little pig went off before the time as usual and got to the fair and bought a butter churn, which he was going home with, when he saw the wolf coming. Then he could not tell what to do. So he got into the churn to hide, and by so doing turned it around, and it rolled down the hill with the pig in it, which frightened the wolf so much, that he ran home without going to the fair. He went to the pig’s house and told him how frightened he had been by a great round thing which came down the hill past him.
Then the little pig said, “Ha, I frightened you, then. I had been to the fair and bought a butter churn, and when I saw you, I got into it and rolled down the hill.”
Then the wolf was very angry indeed, and declared he would eat up the little pig! The wolf was a sly old wolf, and he climbed up on the roof of the little brick house to look for a way into the brick house.
He roared down the chimney, “I’m coming down to eat you up!” The little pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof, so the pig had put a pot of boiling water on the fire and now he took off the lid.
When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney, he crawled down the chimney and – splash![90 - splash! – плюх!] right into the pot. Quickly, the little pig put down the cover and boiled up the old wolf for his dinner. That was the end of his troubles with the big bad wolf.
The next day the little pig invited his mother to visit him. She said, “You see it is just as I told you[91 - it is just as I told you – всё, как я тебе и говорила]. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can.” Fortunately for that little pig, he learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after![92 - And he just lived happily ever after! – И жил потом ещё счастливее!]
The Fish and the Ring
Once upon a time, there was a mighty Baron in the North Country who was a great magician and knew everything that would come to pass[93 - knew everything that would come to pass – знал всё, что произойдёт]. So one day, when his little boy was four years old, he looked into the Book of Fate[94 - the Book of Fate – Книга Судеб] to see what would happen to him. And to his dismay, he found that his son would wed a lowly maid[95 - a lowly maid – девушка из низшего сословия] that had just been born in a small house. Now the Baron knew the father of the little girl was very, very poor, and he had five children already. So he called for his horse and rode to the father’s house and saw him sitting by the door, sad and doleful. So he dismounted and went up to him and said, “What is the matter, my good man?” And the man said, “Well, your honour[96 - your honour – ваша часть], the fact is, I have five children already, and now the sixth one comes, a little girl, and where to get the bread from to fill their mouths, that’s more than I can say.”
“Don’t cry, my dear man,” said the Baron. “If that’s your trouble, I can help you. I’ll take away the last little one, and you won’t have to bother about her.”
“Thank you kindly, sir,” said the man, and he went in and brought out the little girl and gave her to the Baron, who mounted his horse and rode away with her. And when he got by the bank of the river, he threw the little girl into the river and rode off to his castle.
But the little girl didn’t sink; her clothes kept her up for a time[97 - kept her up for a time – держали её некоторое время на плаву], and she floated, and she floated, till she was cast ashore just in front of a fisherman’s hut. There the fisherman found her, and took pity on the poor little girl and took her into his house, and she lived there till she was fifteen years old. So she became a fine handsome girl.
