heads are not so light, not so light."

"But, madame, what strange things you say!" cried the boy. "I am really
tired; but then I carried cabbage-heads that you bought of my mother."

"Eh! you are mistaken," laughed the old woman, as she lifted the cover
of the basket and took out a human head by the hair. The child was
frightened nearly out of his wits. He could not imagine how this had
occurred; but he thought at once of his mother, and that if any one
were to hear of this she would certainly be arrested.

"I must now give you a reward for being so polite," muttered the old
woman. "Have patience for a little while, and I will make you a soup
that you will never forget as long as you live." With this she whistled
once more. Thereupon many Guinea-pigs, all in clothes, came in; they
had kitchen aprons tied around them, and in their waistbands were
ladles and carving-knives. After these, a lot of squirrels came leaping
in, dressed in wide Turkish trousers, standing upright, and wearing
little velvet caps on their heads. They seemed to be the scullions, as
they raced up and down the walls and brought pans and dishes, eggs and
butter, herbs and meal, which they placed on the hearth. Then the old
woman glided across the floor in her cocoanut shoes, bustled about now
here and now there, and the boy saw she was about to cook him
something. Now the fire crackled and blazed up; then the kettle began
to smoke and steam; an agreeable odor was spread through the room:
while the old woman ran back and forth, followed by the squirrels and
Guinea-pigs, and whenever she came to the fire she stopped to stick her
long nose into the pot. Finally the soup began to bubble and boil,
clouds of steam shot up into the air, and the froth ran over into the
fire. Thereupon the old woman took the kettle off, poured some of its
contents into a silver bowl, and placed the same before little Jacob,
saying:

"There, sonny, there, eat some of this soup, and you shall have those
things that so pleased you about me. You will also become a clever
cook; but herbs--no, you will never find such herbs; why didn't your
mother have them in her basket."

The boy did not understand very well what she said, but he gave his
whole attention to the soup, which was very much to his taste. His
mother had often prepared him nice food, but never any thing that could
equal this. The fragrance of choice herbs and spices rose from his
soup, which was neither too sweet