A long time ago there lived a tailor who had three sons but only one goat. As the goat supplied the whole family with milk, she had to be well fed and taken daily to pasture. This the sons did in turn. One day the eldest son led her into the churchyard, where he knew there was fine herbage to be found, and there let her browse and skip about till evening. It being then time to return home, he said to her, " Goat, have you had enough to eat ?" and the goat answered,—

"I have eaten so much Not a leaf can I touch, Nan, Nan"

" Come along home then," said the boy, and he led her by the cord round her neck back to the stable and tied her up.

"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her proper amount of food ? "

" Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she touch," answered the son.

The father, however, thinking he should like to assure himself of this, went down to the stable, patted the animal and said caressingly, " Goat, have you really had enough to eat ?" The goat answered,—

"How can my hunger be allayed about the little graves I played

And could not find a single blade. Nan, Nan."

"What is this I hear!" cried the tailor, and running upstairs to his son, " You young liar! " he exclaimed, "to tell me the goat had had enough to eat, and all the while she is starving." And overcome with anger, he took his yard-measure down from the wall, and beat his son out of doors.

The next day it was the second son's turn, and he found a place near a garden hedge, where there were the juiciest plants for the goat to feed upon, and she enjoyed them so much that she ate them all up. Before taking her home in the evening, he said to her, " Goat, have you had enough to eat ? " and the goat answered,—

"I have eaten so much Not a leaf can I touch, Nan, Nan"

" Come along home then," said the boy, and he led her away to the stable and tied her up.

" Well," said the old tailor, " has the goat had her proper amount of food ? "

" Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she touch," answered the boy.

But the tailor was not satisfied with this, and went down to the stable. " Goat, have you really had enough to eat ? " he asked ; and the goat answered,—

"How can my hunger be allayed about the little graves I played

And could not find a single blade. Nan, Nan."

"The shameless young rascal! " cried the tailor, "to let an innocent animal like this starve !" and he ran upstairs, and drove the boy from the house with the yard-measure.

It was now the third son's turn, who, hoping to make things better for himself, let the goat feed on the leaves of all the shrubs he could pick out that were covered with the richest foliage. " Goat, have you had enough to eat?" he said, as the evening fell, and the goat answered,—

"I have eaten so much Not a leaf can I touch, Nan, Nan"

" Come along home then," said the boy, and he took her back and tied her up.

"Well," said the old tailor, "has the goat had her proper amount of food ? "

"Why, she has eaten so much, not a leaf can she touch," answered the boy.

But the tailor felt mistrustful, and went down and asked, " Goat, have you really had enough to eat ?" and the mischievous animal answered,—

"How can my hunger be allayed about the little graves I played

And could not find a single blade. Nan, Nan."

"Oh ! what a pack of liars! " cried the tailor. "One as wicked and deceitful as the other, but they shall not make a fool of me any longer." And beside himself with anger, he rushed upstairs, and so belaboured his son with the yard-measure, that the boy fled from the house.

The old tailor was now left alone with his goat. The following morning he went down to the stable and stroked and caressed her. "Come along, my pet," he said, "I will take you out myself to-day," and he led her by the' green hedgerows and weed-grown banks, and wherever he knew that goats love to feed. "You shall eat to your heart's content for once," he said to her, and so let her browse till evening. " Goat, have you had enough to eat ?" he asked her at the close of the day, and she answered,—

"I have eaten so much Not a leaf can I touch, Nan, Nan"

" Come along home then," said the tailor, and he led her to the stable and tied her up. He turned round, however, before leaving her, and said once more, "You have really had enough to eat for once ? " But the goat gave him no better answer than her usual one, and replied,—

"How can my hunger be allayed about the little graves I played

And could not find a single blade. Nan, Nan."

On hearing this, the tailor stood, struck dumb with astonishment. He saw now how unjust he had been in driving away his sons. When he found his voice, he cried: " Wait, you ungrateful creature ! it is not enough to drive you away, but I will put such a mark upon you, that you will not dare to shew your face again among honest tailors." And so saying, he sprang upstairs, brought down his razor, lathered the goat's head all over, and shaved it till it was as smooth as the back of his hand. Then he fetched the whip,—his yard-measure he considered was too good for such work,—and dealt the animal such blows, that she leapt into the air and away.

Sitting now quite alone in his house, the tailor fell into great melancholy, and would gladly have had his sons back again, but no one knew what had become of them.

The eldest had apprenticed himself to a joiner, and had set himself cheerfully and diligently to learn his trade. When the time came for him to start as a journeyman, his master made him a present of a table, which was of ordinary wood, and to all outward appearance exactly like any other table. It had, however, one good quality, for if anyone set it down, and said, "Table, serve up a meal," it was immediately covered with a nice fresh cloth, laid with a plate, knife and fork, and dishes of boiled and baked meats, as many as there was room for, and a glass of red wine, which only to look at made the heart rejoice.