Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyonewho looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there wasnothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her alittle cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would neverwear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red-Cap.'

One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red-Cap, here is a pieceof cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is illand weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, andwhen you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path,or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother willget nothing; and when you go into her room, don't forget to say, "Goodmorning", and don't peep into every corner before you do it.'

'I will take great care,' said Little Red-Cap to her mother, and gaveher hand on it.

The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village,and just as Little Red-Cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red-Capdid not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid ofhim.

'Good day, Little Red-Cap,' said he.

'Thank you kindly, wolf.'

'Whither away so early, Little Red-Cap?'

'To my grandmother's.'

'What have you got in your apron?'

'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is tohave something good, to make her stronger.'

'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red-Cap?'

'A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house standsunder the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; yousurely must know it,' replied Little Red-Cap.

The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a niceplump mouthful--she will be better to eat than the old woman. I mustact craftily, so as to catch both.' So he walked for a short time bythe side of Little Red-Cap, and then he said: 'See, Little Red-Cap, howpretty the flowers are about here--why do you not look round? I believe,too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; youwalk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything elseout here in the wood is merry.'

Little Red-Cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancinghere and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere,she thought: 'Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that wouldplease her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get therein good time'; and so she ran from the path into the wood to look forflowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw astill prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper anddeeper into the wood.

Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knockedat the door.

'Who is there?'

'Little Red-Cap,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; openthe door.'

'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannotget up.'

The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying aword he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Thenhe put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap laid himself in bedand drew the curtains.

Little Red-Cap, however, had been running about picking flowers,and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, sheremembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.

She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when shewent into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said toherself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I likebeing with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' butreceived no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains.There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, andlooking very strange.

'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!'

'The better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply.

'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said.

'The better to see you with, my dear.'

'But, grandmother, what large hands you have!'

'The better to hug you with.'

'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!'

'The better to eat you with!'

And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out ofbed and swallowed up Red-Cap.

When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed,fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passingthe house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is snoring! I mustjust see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when hecame to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. 'Do I find youhere, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' Then just ashe was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might havedevoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he didnot fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomachof the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the littleRed-Cap shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girlsprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it wasinside the wolf'; and after that the aged grandmother came out alivealso, but scarcely able to breathe. Red-Cap, however, quickly fetchedgreat stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke,he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed atonce, and fell dead.

Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin andwent home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine whichRed-Cap had brought, and revived, but Red-Cap thought to herself: 'Aslong as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into thewood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.'

It also related that once when Red-Cap was again taking cakes to the oldgrandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from thepath. Red-Cap, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward onher way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that hehad said 'good morning' to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes,that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he wouldhave eaten her up. 'Well,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door,that he may not come in.' Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried:'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red-Cap, and am bringing yousome cakes.' But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beardstole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof,intending to wait until Red-Cap went home in the evening, and then tosteal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmothersaw what was in his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stonetrough, so she said to the child: 'Take the pail, Red-Cap; I made somesausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to thetrough.' Red-Cap carried until the great trough was quite full. Then thesmell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down,and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keephis footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straightinto the great trough, and was drowned. But Red-Cap went joyously home,and no one ever did anything to harm her again.