e to hear his own words,

"O man, O man!--if man you be,
Or flounder, flounder, in the sea--
Such a tiresome wife I've got,
For she wants what I do not."

"Well, what now?" said the flounder.

"Oh dear!" said the man, "she wants to order about the sun and moon."

"Go home with you!" said the flounder, "you will find her in the old
hovel."

And there they are sitting to this very day.

THE GALLANT TAILOR

ONE summer morning a little tailor was sitting on his board near the
window, and working cheerfully with all his might, when an old woman
came down the street crying,

"Good jelly to sell! good jelly to sell!"

The cry sounded pleasant in the little tailor's ears, so he put his head
out of the window, and called out,

"Here, my good woman--come here, if you want a customer."

So the poor woman climbed the steps with her heavy basket, and was
obliged to unpack and display all her pots to the tailor. He looked at
every one of them, and lifting all the lids, applied his nose to each,
and said at last,

"The jelly seems pretty good; you may weigh me out four half ounces, or
I don't mind having a quarter of a pound."

The woman, who had expected to find a good customer, gave him what he
asked for, but went off angry and grumbling.

"This jelly is the very thing for me," cried the little tailor; "it will
give me strength and cunning;" and he took down the bread from the
cupboard, cut a whole round of the loaf, and spread the jelly on it,
laid it near him, and went on stitching more gallantly than ever. All
the while the scent of the sweet jelly was spreading throughout the
room, where there were quantities of flies, who were attracted by it and
flew to partake.

"Now then, who asked you to come?" said the tailor, and drove the
unbidden guests away. But the flies, not understanding his language,
were not to be got rid of like that, and returned in larger numbers than
before. Then the tailor, not being able to stand it any longer, took
from his chimney-corner a ragged cloth, and saying,

"Now, I'll let you have it!" beat it among them unmercifully. When he
ceased, and counted the slain, he found seven lying dead before him.

"This is indeed somewhat," he said, wondering at his own gallantry; "the
whole town shall know this."

So he hastened to cut out a belt, and he stitched it, and put on it in
large capitals "Seven at one blow!"

"--The town, did I say!" said the little tailor