A BEAR was the next to congratulate the bride. ‘Who’s the lucky fellow?’ he growled. ‘Bring His Excellency an ox,’ teased Lisabeta, ‘and perhaps you’ll see!’

Soon sheep and ox lay ready, nicely skinned, outside Lisabeta’s earth. ‘You knock’ whispered the wolf. ‘No, you knock’ replied the bear. So they frightened a hare into knocking for them, while the bear climbed a tree, and the wolf hid beneath some leaves.

Tom ambled out, found the meat, and set to. ‘What an appetite!’ groaned the bear. ‘Such teeth and claws!’ whimpered the wolf, and the leaf-pile shivered. Tom spied it, and thinking ‘Mouse!’ he pounced joyfully. The leaves yelped, and something grey shot out. At the same instant, Tom shrieked, and raced for the treetops. ‘Alas!’ wailed the bear, ‘he has seen me!’ and crashed down through the branches, to vanish far into the wood.

Since that day, all the creatures of the wood have lived in awe of old Tom, their Head Forester, and they leave fresh meat at Lisabeta’s door each morning. But they still make the quivering little hare knock.