Little Thumb

7/28/2019 Little Thumb

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/little-thumb 1/24

Little Thumb

Charles Perrault

W o r k r e r o d

u c e d w i t h n o

e d i t o r i a l r e s

o n s i b i l i t



Notice by Luarna Ediciones

This book is in the public domain becaus

the copyrights have expired under Spanish law

Luarna presents it here as a gift to its cutomers, while clarifying the following:

1) Because this edition has not been supevised by our editorial deparment, wdisclaim responsibility for the fidelity oits content.

2) Luarna has only adapted the work tmake it easily viewable on common sixinch readers.

3) To all effects, this book must not be considered to have been published bLuarna.

www.luarna.com

http://www.luarna.com/

http://www.luarna.com/

http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_2/HYPERLINK



Once upon a time there was a fagot-maker anhis wife, who had seven children, all boys. Theldest was but ten years old, and the younge

only seven.

They were very poor, and their seven childrewere a great source of trouble to them becausnot one of them was able to earn his bread

What gave them yet more uneasiness was thathe youngest was very delicate, and scarce evespoke a word, which made people take for stupidity that which was a sign of good sense. Hwas very little, and when born he was no bigger than one's thumb; hence he was called LittlThumb.

The poor child was the drudge of the house

hold, and was always in the wrong. He wahowever, the most bright and discreet of all thbrothers; and if he spoke little, he heard anthought the more.



There came a very bad year, and the faminwas so great that these poor people resolved trid themselves of their children. One evenin

when they were in bed, and the fagot-makewas [Pg 30]sitting with his wife at the fire, hsaid to her, with his heart ready to burst witgrief:—

"You see plainly that we no longer can give ouchildren food, and I cannot bear to see them dof hunger before my eyes; I am resolved to losthem in the wood to-morrow, which may vereasily be done, for, while they amuse themselves in tying up fagots, we have only to ruaway and leave them without their seeing us."

"Ah!" cried out his wife, "could you really tak

the children and lose them?"In vain did her husband represent to her thegreat poverty; she would not consent to it. Shwas poor, but she was their mother.



However, having considered what a grief would be to her to see them die of hunger, shconsented, and went weeping to bed.

Little Thumb heard all they had said; for, heaing that they were talking business, he got usoftly and slipped under his father's seat, so ato hear without being seen. He went to be

again, but did not sleep a wink all the rest othe night, thinking of what he had to do. He goup early in the morning, and went to thbrookside, where he filled his pockets full osmall white pebbles, and then returned homThey all went out, but Little Thumb never tolhis brothers a word of what he knew.

They went into a very thick forest, where the

could not see one another at ten paces aparThe fagot-maker began to cut wood, and thchildren to gather up sticks to make fagotTheir father and mother, seeing them busy atheir work, got away from them unbeknow



and then all at once ran as fast as they coulthrough a winding by-path.

When the children found they were alone, thebegan to cry with all their might. Little Thumlet them cry on, knowing very well how to gehome again; for, as he came, he had droppethe little white pebbles he had in his pockets a

along the way. Then he said to them, "Do nobe afraid, my brothers,—father and mothehave left us here, but I will lead you homagain; only follow me."

They followed, and he brought them home bthe very same way they had come into the foest. They dared not go in at first, but stood ouside the door to listen to what their father an

mother were saying.The very moment the fagot-maker and his wifreached home the lord of the manor sent themten crowns, which he had long owed them, an

which they never hoped to see. This gave them



new life, for the poor people were dying ohunger. The fagot-maker sent his wife to thbutcher's at once. As it was a long while sinc

they had eaten, she bought thrice as much mea[Pg 33]as was needed for supper for two people. When they had eaten, the woman said:—

"Alas! where are our poor children now? The

would make a good feast of what we have lehere; it was you, William, who wished to losthem. I told you we should repent of it. Whare they now doing in the forest? Alas! perhapthe wolves have already eaten them up; you arvery inhuman thus to have lost your children.

The fagot-maker grew at last quite out of patience, for she repeated twenty times that h

would repent of it, and that she was in thright. He threatened to beat her if she did nohold her tongue. The fagot-maker was, pehaps, more sorry than his wife, but she teasehim so he could not endure it. She wept bi

terly, saying:—



"Alas! where are my children now, my poochildren?"

She said this once so very loud that the chidren, who were at the door, heard her ancried out all together:—

"Here we are! Here we are!"

She ran immediately to let them in, and said ashe embraced them:—

"How happy I am to see you again, my dea

children; you are very tired and very hungryand, my poor Peter, you are covered with mudCome in and let me clean you."

Peter was her eldest son, whom she loved mor

than all the rest, because he was red haired, ashe was herself.

They sat down to table, and ate with an appetite which pleased both father and mother, t

whom they told how frightened they were i



the forest, nearly all speaking at once. The goofolk were delighted to see their children oncmore, and this joy continued while the te

crowns lasted. But when the money was aspent, they fell again into their former uneasness, and resolved to lose their children againAnd, that they might be the surer of doing ithey determined to take them much farthe

than before.

They could not talk of this so secretly but thewere overheard by Little Thumb, who laid hplans to get out of the difficulty as he had donbefore; but, though he got up very early to gand pick up some little pebbles, he could nofor he found the house-door double-locked. Hdid not know what to do. Their father ha

given each of them a piece of bread for thebreakfast. He reflected that he might make usof the bread instead of the pebbles, by throwincrumbs all along the way they should pass, anso he stuffed it in his pocket. Their father an



mother led them into the thickest and moobscure part of the forest, and then, stealinaway into a by-path, left them there. Litt

Thumb was not very [Pg 35]much worrieabout it, for he thought he could easily find thway again by means of his bread, which he hascattered all along as he came; but he was vermuch surprised when he could not find a sing

crumb: the birds had come and eaten them all.

They were now in great trouble; for the morthey wandered, the deeper they went into thforest. Night now fell, and there arose a higwind, which filled them with fear. They fanciethey heard on every side the howling of wolvecoming to devour them. They scarce dared tspeak or turn their heads. Then it rained ver

hard, which wetted them to the skin. Their feeslipped at every step, and they fell into thmud, covering their hands with it so that theknew not what to do with them.



Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree, tsee if he could discover anything. Looking oevery side, he saw at last a glimmering ligh

like that of a candle, but a long way beyond thforest. He came down, and, when upon thground, he could see it no more, which grievehim sadly. However, having walked for somtime with his brothers toward that side o

which he had seen the light, he discovered again as he came out of the wood.

They arrived at last at the house where thcandle was, not without many frights; for veroften they lost sight of it, which happeneevery time they came into a hollow. Theknocked at the door, and a good woman camand opened it.

She asked them what they wanted. LittThumb told her they were poor children whwere lost in the forest, and desired to lodgthere for charity's sake. The woman, seein

them all so very pretty, began to weep and sai



to them: "Alas! poor babies, where do you comfrom? Do you know that this house belongs ta cruel Ogre who eats little children?"

"Alas! dear madam," answered Little Thum(who, with his brothers, was trembling in everlimb), "what shall we do? The wolves of thforest surely will devour us to-night if you r

fuse us shelter in your house; and so we woulrather the gentleman should eat us. Perhaps hmay take pity upon us if you will be pleased task him to do so."

The Ogre's wife, who believed she could hidthem from her husband till morning, let themcome in, and took them to warm themselves aa very good fire; for there was a whole shee

roasting for the Ogre's supper.As they began to warm themselves they hearthree or four great raps at the door; this was thOgre, who was come home. His wife quickl

hid them under the bed and went to open th



door. The Ogre at once asked if supper waready and he wine drawn, and then sat himsedown to table. The sheep was as yet all raw, bu

he liked it the better for that. He sniffed abouto the right and left, saying:—

"I smell fresh meat."

"What you smell," said his wife, "must be thcalf which I have just now killed and flayed."

"I smell fresh meat, I tell you once more," replied the Ogre, looking crossly at his wife, "an

there is something here which I do not undestand."

As he spoke these words he got up from thtable and went straight to the bed.

"Ah!" said he, "that is how you would cheat mI know not why I do not eat you, too; it is wefor you that you are tough. Here is gamwhich comes very luckily to entertain thre



Ogres of my acquaintance who are to pay me visit in a day or two."

He dragged them out from under the bed, onby one. The poor children fell upon their kneeand begged his pardon, but they had to do witone of the most cruel of Ogres, who, far fromhaving any pity on them, was already devou

ing them in his mind, and told his wife thewould be delicate eating when she had made good sauce.

He then took a great knife, and, coming up t

these poor children, sharpened it upon a greawhetstone which he held in his left hand. H[Pg 38]had already taken hold of one of themwhen his wife said to him:—

"What need you do it now? Will you not havtime enough to-morrow?"

"Hold your prating," said the Ogre; "they wieat the tenderer."



"But you have so much meat already," repliehis wife; "here are a calf, two sheep, and half pig."

"That is true," said the Ogre; "give them a goosupper that they may not grow thin, and puthem to bed."

The good woman was overjoyed at this, angave them a good supper; but they were smuch afraid that they could not eat. As for thOgre, he sat down again to drink, being highlpleased that he had the wherewithal to treat h

friends. He drank a dozen glasses more thaordinary, which got up into his head anobliged him to go to bed.

The Ogre had seven daughters, who were sti

little children. These young Ogresses had all othem very fine complexions; but they all halittle gray eyes, quite round, hooked noses, very large mouth, and very long, sharp teeth

set far apart. They were not as yet wicked, bu



they promised well to be, for they had alreadbitten little children.

They had been put to bed early, all seven in [P39]one bed, with every one a crown of golupon her head. There was in the same chambea bed of the like size, and the Ogre's wife puthe seven little boys into this bed, after whic

she went to bed herself.

Little Thumb, who had observed that thOgre's daughters had crowns of gold upotheir heads, and was afraid lest the Ogre shoul

repent his not killing them that evening, got uabout midnight, and, taking his brothers' bonnets and his own, went very softly and puthem upon the heads of the seven litt

Ogresses, after having taken off their crowns ogold, which he put upon his own head and hbrothers', so that the Ogre might take them fohis daughters, and his daughters for the littboys whom he wanted to kill.



Things turned out just as he had thought; fothe Ogre, waking about midnight, regrettethat he had deferred till morning to do tha

which he might have done overnight, anjumped quickly out of bed, taking his greknife.

"Let us see," said he, "how our little rogues d

and not make two jobs of the matter."

He then went up, groping all the way, into hdaughters' chamber; and, coming to the bewhere the little boys lay, and who were all fa

asleep, except Little Thumb, who was terriblafraid when he found the Ogre fumbling abou[Pg 40]his head, as he had done about his brohers', he felt the golden crowns, and said:—

"I should have made a fine piece of work of itruly; it is clear I drank too much last night."

Then he went to the bed where the girls layand, having found the boys' little bonnets:—



"Ah!" said he, "my merry lads, are you thereLet us work boldly."

And saying these words, without more ado, hcruelly murdered all his seven daughters. Wepleased with what he had done, he went to beagain.

So soon as Little Thumb heard the Ogre snorhe waked his brothers, and bade them put otheir clothes quickly and follow him. They stosoftly into the garden and got over the walThey ran about, all night, trembling all the wh

le, without knowing which way they went.

The Ogre, when he woke, said to his wife: "Gupstairs and dress those young rascals whcame here last night." The Ogress was ver

much surprised at this goodness of her huband, not dreaming after what manner shshould dress them; but, thinking that he haordered her to go up and put on their clothe



she went, and was horrified when she peceived her seven daughters all dead.

She began by fainting away, as was only natural in such a case. The Ogre, fearing his wifwas [Pg 41]too long in doing what he had odered, went up himself to help her. He was nless amazed than his wife at this frightful spe

tacle.

"Ah! what have I done?" cried he. "The wreches shall pay for it, and that instantly."

He threw a pitcher of water upon his wifeface, and having brought her to herself, "Givme quickly," cried he, "my seven-leagued bootthat I may go and catch them."

He went out into the country, and, after running in all directions, he came at last into thvery road where the poor children were, annot above a hundred paces from their fatherhouse. They espied the Ogre, who went at on



step from mountain to mountain, and over rivers as easily as the narrowest brooks. LittThumb, seeing a hollow rock near the plac

where they were, hid his brothers in it, ancrowded into it himself, watching always whawould become of the Ogre.

The Ogre, who found himself tired with h

long and fruitless journey (for these boots oseven leagues greatly taxed the wearer), had great mind to rest himself, and, by chancwent to sit down upon the rock in which thlittle boys had hidden themselves. As he waworn out with fatigue, he fell asleep, and, aftereposing himself some time, began to snore sfrightfully that the poor children were no lesafraid of him [Pg 42]than when he held up h

great knife and was going to take their liveLittle Thumb was not so much frightened as hbrothers, and told them that they should ruaway at once toward home while the Ogre waasleep so soundly, and that they need not be i



any trouble about him. They took his advicand got home quickly.

Little Thumb then went close to the Ogre, pulled off his boots gently, and put them on hown legs. The boots were very long and largbut as they were fairy boots, they had the gift obecoming big or little, according to the legs o

those who wore them; so that they fitted hfeet and legs as well as if they had been madfor him. He went straight to the Ogre's houswhere he saw his wife crying bitterly for thloss of her murdered daughters.

"Your husband," said Little Thumb, "is in vergreat danger, for he has been taken by a ganof thieves, who have sworn to kill him if h

does not give them all his gold and silver. Athe very moment they held their daggers at hthroat he perceived me and begged me to comand tell you the condition he was in, and to sathat you should give me all he has of valu

without retaining any one thing; for otherwis



they will kill him without mercy. As his case very pressing, he desired me to make use of hseven-leagued boots, which you see I have on

so that I [Pg 43]might make the more haste anthat I might show you that I do not imposupon you."

The good woman, being greatly frightened

gave him all she had; for this Ogre was a vergood husband, though he ate up little childrenLittle Thumb, having thus got all the Ogremoney, came home to his father's house, wherhe was received with abundance of joy.

There are many people who do not agree iregard to this act of Little Thumb's, and pretenthat he never robbed the Ogre at all, and that h

only thought he might very justly take off hseven-leagued boots because he made no otheuse of them but to run after little childrenThese folks affirm that they are very well asured of this, because they have drunk an

eaten often at the fagot-maker's house. The



declare that when Little Thumb had taken othe Ogre's boots he went to Court, where hwas informed that they were very much i

trouble about a certain army, which was twhundred leagues off, and anxious as to the sucess of a battle. He went, they say, to the Kinand told him that if he desired it, he woulbring him news from the army before night.

The King promised him a great sum of moneif he succeeded. Little Thumb returned thavery same night with the news; and, this firexpedition causing him to be known, he earneas much [Pg 44]as he wished, for the King paihim very well for carrying his orders to tharmy. Many ladies employed him also to carrmessages, from which he made much money

After having for some time carried on the busness of a messenger and gained thereby greawealth, he went home to his father, and it impossible to express the joy of his family. Hplaced them all in comfortable circumstance



bought places for his father and brothers, anby that means settled them very handsomely ithe world, while he successfully continued t

make his own way.

Little Thumb

Documents

Transcript of Little Thumb