Pagina 85 di 626

Then the fish came swimming to him, and said, 'Well, what is her

will? What does your wife want?' 'Ah!' said the fisherman, 'she

says that when I had caught you, I ought to have asked you for

something before I let you go; she does not like living any

longer in the pigsty, and wants a snug little cottage.' 'Go home,

then,' said the fish; 'she is in the cottage already!' So the man

went home, and saw his wife standing at the door of a nice trim

little cottage. 'Come in, come in!' said she; 'is not this much

better than the filthy pigsty we had?' And there was a parlour,

and a bedchamber, and a kitchen; and behind the cottage there was

a little garden, planted with all sorts of flowers and fruits;

and there was a courtyard behind, full of ducks and chickens.

'Ah!' said the fisherman, 'how happily we shall live now!' 'We

will try to do so, at least,' said his wife.