So, when the family
began asking where the sweetmeats were she said that the mice had
eaten them. And then every one began abusing the mice, saying what
horrid little wretches they were, and what a good thing it would be
if the cat caught and ate them up. But, when the mice heard all this,
they were very angry with the little daughter-in-law for bringing a
false charge against them, and they all met together and vowed that
they would be revenged on her. Some days later the king invited a
guest to his house, and the same night the mice went into the little
daughter-in-law's room and dragged out one of her bodices and put
it across the guest's bed. Next morning the bodice was discovered
in the stranger's bed, and the little daughter-in-law was utterly
disgraced. Her father-in-law and all her brothers-in-law scolded her
dreadfully, and at last the king drove her out of the house. Now it
so happened that it had till then always been the work of the little
daughter-in-law to look after the lamps in the king's palace. Every
morning she used to rub them well and trim the wicks.
Pages:
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103