The Story Of The Three Bears

: English Fairy Tales

Once upon a time there were three Bears, who lived together in a house

of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear, and one was

a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a

bowl for their porridge; a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear; and a

middle-sized bowl for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bowl for the

Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for
< r /> the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-sized Bear;

and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to

sleep in; a little bed for the Little Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed

for the Middle-sized Bear; and a great bed for the Great Big Bear.



One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and

poured it into their porridge-bowls, they walked out into the wood while

the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by

beginning too soon, for they were polite, well-brought-up Bears. And

while they were away a little girl called Goldilocks, who lived at the

other side of the wood and had been sent on an errand by her mother,

passed by the house, and looked in at the window. And then she peeped in

at the keyhole, for she was not at all a well-brought-up little girl.

Then seeing nobody in the house she lifted the latch. The door was not

fastened, because the Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm,

and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So Goldilocks opened

the door and went in; and well pleased was she when she saw the porridge

on the table. If she had been a well-brought-up little girl she would

have waited till the Bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have

asked her to breakfast; for they were good Bears--a little rough or so,

as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-natured and

hospitable. But she was an impudent, rude little girl, and so she set

about helping herself.



First she tasted the porridge of the Great Big Bear, and that was too

hot for her. Next she tasted the porridge of the Middle-sized Bear, but

that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the

Little Wee Bear, and tasted it, and that was neither too hot nor too

cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up,

every bit!



Then Goldilocks, who was tired, for she had been catching butterflies

instead of running on her errand, sate down in the chair of the Great

Big Bear, but that was too hard for her. And then she sate down in the

chair of the Middle-sized Bear, and that was too soft for her. But when

she sat down in the chair of the Little Wee Bear, that was neither too

hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and

there she sate till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came,

plump upon the ground; and that made her very cross, for she was a

bad-tempered little girl.



Now, being determined to rest, Goldilocks went upstairs into the

bedchamber in which the Three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon

the bed of the Great Big Bear, but that was too high at the head for

her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle-sized Bear, and

that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the

bed of the Little 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 fast asleep.



By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough

for them to eat it properly; so they came home to breakfast. Now

careless Goldilocks had left the spoon of the Great Big Bear standing in

his porridge.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!"



said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.



Then the Middle-sized Bear looked at his porridge and saw the spoon was

standing in it too.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!"



said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.



Then the Little Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the

porridge-bowl, but the porridge was all gone!



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!"



said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.



Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that some one had entered their house,

and eaten up the Little Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look about them.

Now the careless Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when

she rose from the chair of the Great Big Bear.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"



said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.



And the careless Goldilocks had squatted down the soft cushion of the

Middle-sized Bear.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!"



said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS SATE THE BOTTOM

THROUGH!"



said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.



Then the Three Bears thought they had better make further search in case

it was a burglar, so they went upstairs into their bedchamber. Now

Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the Great Big Bear out of its place.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"



said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.



And Goldilocks had pulled the bolster of the Middle-sized Bear out of

its place.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!"



said the Middle-sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.



But when the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the

bolster in its place!



And the pillow was in its place upon the bolster!



And upon the pillow----?



There was Goldilocks's yellow head--which was not in its place, for she

had no business there.



"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED,--AND HERE SHE IS STILL!"



said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.



[Illustration: "Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is!"]



Now Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of

the Great Big Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to

her than the roaring of wind, or the rumbling of thunder. And she had

heard the middle-sized voice of the Middle-sized Bear, but it was only

as if she had heard some one speaking in a dream. But when she heard the

little wee voice of the Little Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill,

that it awakened her at once. Up she started, and when she saw the Three

Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and

ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the Bears, like

good, tidy Bears, as they were, always opened their bedchamber window

when they got up in the morning. So naughty, frightened little

Goldilocks jumped; and whether she broke her neck in the fall, or ran

into the wood and was lost there, or found her way out of the wood and

got whipped for being a bad girl and playing truant, no one can say. But

the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.



[Illustration: "Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all

up!"]