THE GOLDEN CRAB
Once upon a time there was a fisherman who had a wife and three children. Every morning he used to go out fishing, and whatever fish he caught he sold to the King. One day, among the other fishes, he caught a golden crab. When he came home he put all the fishes together into a great dish, but he kept the Crab separate because it shone so beautifully, and placed it upon a high shelf in the cupboard. Now while the old woman, his wife, was cleaning the fish, and had tucked up her gown so that her feet were visible, she suddenly heard a voice, which said:
‘Let down, let down thy petticoat
That lets thy feet be seen.’
She turned round in surprise, and then she saw the little creature, the Golden Crab.
‘What! You can speak, can you, you ridiculous crab?’ she said, for she wa
