The Little Peasant said, ‘But I must have my little calf back.’
So they went back together to the field, but some one had stolen the calf in the meantime, and it was gone.
The Cowherd said, ‘It must have run away.’
But the Little Peasant said, ‘Nothing of the kind,’ and he took the Cowherd up before the Bailiff, who condemned him, for his carelessness, to give the Little Peasant a cow, in place of the lost calf.
So at last the Little Peasant and his Wife had the long-wished-for cow; they were delighted, but they had no fodder and could not give it anything to eat, so very soon they had to kill it.
They salted the meat, and the man went to the town to sell the hide, intending to buy another calf with the money he got for it. On the way he came to a mill, on which a raven sat with a broken wing; he took it up out of pity and wrapped it in the hide. Such a storm of wind and rain came on that he could go no further, so he went into the mill to ask for shelter.
Only the Miller’s Wife was at home, and she said to the Little Peasant, ‘You may lie down in the straw there.’ And she gave him some bread and cheese to eat.
The Little Peasant ate it, and then lay down with the hide by his side.
The Miller’s Wife thought, ‘He is tired, and won’t wake up.’
Soon after a Priest came in, and he was made very welcome by the woman, who said, ‘My husband is out, so we can have a feast.’
The Little Peasant was listening, and when he heard about the feast he was much annoyed, because bread and cheese had been considered good enough for him.
The Woman then laid the table, and brought out a roast joint, salad, cake and wine. They sat down, but just as they were beginning to eat, somebody knocked at the door.
The Woman said, ‘Good heavens, that is my Husband!’
