Страница 360 из 626

Then he came back, knocked at the door of the house, and called:

'Open the door, dear children, your mother is here and has

brought something back with her for each of you.' But the wolf

had laid his black paws against the window, and the children saw

them and cried: 'We will not open the door, our mother has not

black feet like you: you are the wolf!' Then the wolf ran to a

baker and said: 'I have hurt my feet, rub some dough over them

for me.' And when the baker had rubbed his feet over, he ran to

the miller and said: 'Strew some white meal over my feet for me.'

The miller thought to himself: 'The wolf wants to deceive

someone,' and refused; but the wolf said: 'If you will not do it,

I will devour you.' Then the miller was afraid, and made his paws

white for him. Truly, this is the way of mankind.