"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.
