Volume I Part 46 (1/2)
Then the little old woman sat down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Little Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and there she sat till the bottom of the chair came out, and down came she, plump upon the ground. And the naughty old woman said wicked words about that, too.
Then the little old woman went upstairs into the bedchamber in which the three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell asleep. By this time the three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough, so they came home to breakfast. Now the little old woman had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear standing in his porridge.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!”
said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great gruff voice. And when the Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in it, too. They were wooden spoons; if they had been silver ones the naughty old woman would have put them in her pocket.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!”
said the middle Bear, in his middle voice.
Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge pot, but the porridge was all gone.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!”
said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Upon this the three Bears, seeing that some one had entered their house and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look about them. Now the little old woman had not put the hard cus.h.i.+on straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!”
said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And the little old woman had squatted down the soft cus.h.i.+on of the Middle Bear.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!”
said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.
And you know what the little old woman had done to the third chair.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS SAT THE BOTTOM OUT OF IT!”
said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Then the three bears thought it necessary that they should make further search; so they went upstairs into their bedchamber. Now the little old woman had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of its place.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!”
said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And the little old woman had pulled the bolster of the Middle Bear out of its place.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!”
said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.
And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place, and upon the pillow was the little old woman's ugly, dirty head-which was not in its place, for she had no business there.
”SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED-AND HERE SHE IS!”
said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.