Everything was first rate. Mouldy bread,tallow candle, and sausage. And then, when we had finished thatcourse, the same came on all over again; it was as good as two feasts.We were very sociable, and there was as much joking and fun as if wehad been all of one family circle. Nothing was left but the sausageskewers, and this formed a subject of conversation, till at last itturned to the proverb, 'Soup from sausage skins;' or, as the people inthe neighboring country call it, 'Soup from a sausage skewer.' Everyone had heard the proverb, but no one had ever tasted the soup, muchless prepared it. A capital toast was drunk to the inventor of thesoup, and some one said he ought to be made a relieving officer to thepoor. Was not that witty? Then the old mouse-king rose and promisedthat the young lady-mouse who should learn how best to prepare thismuch-admired and savory soup should be his queen, and a year and a dayshould be allowed for the purpose."
  "That was not at all a bad proposal," said the other mouse; "buthow is the soup made?"
  "Ah, that is more than I can tell you. All the young lady micewere asking the same question. They wished very much to be queen,but they did not want to take the trouble of going out into theworld to learn how to make soup, which was absolutely necessary tobe done first. But it is not every one who would care to leave herfamily, or her happy corner by the fire-side at home, even to bemade queen. It is not always easy to find bacon and cheese-rind inforeign lands every day, and it is not pleasant to have to endurehunger, and be perhaps, after all, eaten up alive by the cat."
  "Most probably some such thoughts as these discouraged themajority from going out into the world to collect the requiredinformation. Only four mice gave notice that they were ready to setout on the journey. They were young and lively, but poor. Each of themwished to visit one of the four divisions of the world, so that itmight be seen which was the most favored by fortune. Every one tooka sausage skewer as a traveller's staff, and to remind them of theobject of their journey. They left home early in May, and none of themreturned till the first of May in the following year, and then onlythree of them. Nothing was seen or heard of the fourth, although theday of decision was close at hand. "Ah, yes, there is always sometrouble mixed up with the greatest pleasure," said the mouse-king; buthe gave orders that all the mice within a circle of many milesshould be invited at once. They were to assemble in the kitchen, andthe three travelled mice were to stand in a row before them, while asausage skewer, covered with crape, was to be stuck up instead ofthe missing mouse. No one dared to express an opinion until the kingspoke, and desired one of them to go on with her story. And now weshall hear what she said.
  WHAT THE FIRST LITTLE MOUSE
  SAW AND HEARD ON HER TRAVELS
  "When I first went out into the world," said the little mouse,"I fancied, as so many of my age do, that I already knew everything,but it was not so. It takes years to acquire great knowledge. I wentat once to sea in a ship bound for the north. I had been told that theship's cook must know how to prepare every dish at sea, and it is easyenough to do that with plenty of sides of bacon, and large tubs ofsalt meat and mouldy flour. There I found plenty of delicate food, butno opportunity for learning how to make soup from a sausage skewer. Wesailed on for many days and nights; the ship rocked fearfully, andwe did not escape without a wetting. As soon as we arrived at the portto which the ship was bound, I left it, and went on shore at a placefar towards the north. It is a wonderful thing to leave your ownlittle corner at home, to hide yourself in a ship where there are sureto be some nice snug corners for shelter, then suddenly to findyourself thousands of miles away in a foreign land. I saw largepathless forests of pine and birch trees, which smelt so strong that Isneezed and thought of sausage. There were great lakes also whichlooked as black as ink at a distance, but were quite clear when I cameclose to them. Large swans were floating upon them, and I thought atfirst they were only foam, they lay so still; but when I saw them walkand fly, I knew what they were directly. They belong to the goosespecies, one can see that by their walk. No one can attempt todisguise family descent. I kept with my own kind, and associatedwith the forest and field mice, who, however, knew very little,especially about what I wanted to know, and which had actually made metravel abroad. The idea that soup could be made from a sausageskewer was to them such an out-of-the-way, unlikely thought, that itwas repeated from one to another through the whole forest. Theydeclared that the problem would never be solved, that the thing was animpossibility. How little I thought that in this place, on the veryfirst night, I should be initiated into the manner of its preparation.
  "It was the height of summer, which the mice told me was thereason that the forest smelt so strong, and that the herbs were sofragrant, and the lakes with the white swimming swans so dark, and yetso clear. On the margin of the wood, near to three or four houses, apole, as large as the mainmast of a ship, had been erected, and fromthe summit hung wreaths of flowers and fluttering ribbons; it wasthe Maypole. Lads and lasses danced round the pole, and tried to outdothe violins of the musicians with their singing. They were as merry asever at sunset and in the moonlight, but I took no part in themerry-making. What has a little mouse to do with a Maypole dance?