"Children's Books - Wise Little Girl" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

debt be wiped out in exchange for the answers.
"The fastest thing in the world is my husband's bay horse," she said.
"Nothing can beat it! The fattest is our pig! Such a huge beast has never
been seen! The softest is the quilt I made for the bed, using my own goose's
feathers. It's the envy of all my friends. The most precious thing in the
world is my three-month old nephew. There isn't a more handsome child. I
wouldn't exchange him for all the gold on earth, and that makes him the most
precious thing on earth!"
Dimitri was rather doubtful about the woman's answers being correct. On the
other hand, he had to take some kind of solution back to the Emperor. And he
guessed, quite rightly, that if he didn't, he would be punished.
In the meantime, Ivan, who was a widower, had gone back to the humble
cottage where he lived with his small daughter. Only seven years old, the
little girl was often left alone, and as a result, was thoughtful and very
clever for her age. The poor man took the little girl into his confidence, for
like his brother, he knew he would never be able to find the answers by
himself. The child sat in silence for a moment, then firmly said:
"Tell the Emperor that the fastest thing in the world is the cold north
wind in winter. The fattest is the soil in our fields whose crops give life to
men and animals alike, the softest thing is a child's caress and the most
precious is honesty."
The day came when the two brothers were to return before the Emperor. They
were led into his presence. The Emperor was curious to hear what they had to
say, but he roared with laughter at Dimitri's foolish answers. However, when
it was Ivan's turn to speak, a frown spread over the Emperor's face. The poor
brother's wise replies made him squirm, especially the last one, about
honesty, the most precious thing of all. The Emperor knew perfectly well that
he had been dishonest in his dealings with the poor brother, for he had denied
him justice. But he could not bear to admit it in front of his own
counsellors, so he angrily demanded:
"Who gave you these answers?" Ivan told the Emperor that it was his small
daughter. Still annoyed, the great man said: -~
"You shall be rewarded for having such a wise and clever daughter. You
shall be awarded the foal that your brother claimed, together with a hundred
silver ducats . . . But . . . but . . ." and the Emperor winked at his
counsellors:
"You will come before me in seven days' time, bringing your daughter. And
since she's so clever, she must appear before me neither naked nor dressed,
neither on foot nor on horseback, neither bearing gifts nor empty-handed. And
if she does this, you will have your reward. If not, you'll have your head
chopped off for your impudence!"
The onlookers began to laugh, knowing that the poor man would never to able
to fulfill the Emperor's conditions. Ivan went home in despair, his eyes
brimming with tears. But when he had told his daughter what had happened, she
calmly said:
"Tomorrow, go and catch a hare and a partridge. Both must be alive! You'll
have the foal and the hundred silver ducats! Leave it to me!" Ivan _did as his
daughter said. He had no idea what the two creatures were for, but he trusted
in his daughter's wisdom.
On the day of the audience with the Emperor, the palace was thronged with