Once upon a time three bears lived in a nice little house in a great
forest.

There was the Father Bear, the Mother Bear, and the Baby Bear.

They had each a bed to sleep in, a chair to sit on, and a basin and
spoon for eating milk or honey, which was their favourite food.

One morning the three bears resolved on taking a walk before breakfast;
but before they went out, they poured their warm milk into their basins,
that it might get cool by the time they came back.



When the milk was poured out, the three bears set out for a walk.

Mr. and Mrs. Bear walked arm-in-arm, and Baby ran by their side.



"WHAT A FINE DAY IT IS!" growled Mr. Bear.

"WHAT A FINE DAY IT IS!" said Mrs. Bear.

"What a fine day!" squeaked little Bear.

And so it was.

The sun shone brightly though it was low in the sky, and its rays
glittered on the fine webs on the grass. The leaves shivered in the soft
breeze; the wood-pigeon cooed; the lark sang loud enough to make himself
hoarse; the sparrows chirped; the bee buzzed, and a yellow butterfly
perched on great Bear's nose.

"What a squeaky noise these creatures make!" said big Bear, as he
brushed off the butterfly. "What a pity it is they have not _our_ deep
voices."

"Yes," said Mrs. Bear; "you have a much finer voice than the lark. I
should like to hear him growl as you do."

"Oh, my dear, you are too kind; my growl is nothing to the lion's."

And thus conversing, the bears walked on.

Now there lived in the same forest a sweet little girl, who was called
Golden Hair. She was the Woodman's daughter, and her hair looked just
like sunbeams. She knew every tree in the greenwood, and every flower in
it. She loved the birds, and liked to listen to their song; and
everything in the wood loved Golden Hair. The trees bent down their
lower branches to touch her glittering head as she passed; the birds
sang sweeter as she glided by. The lark's song in the sky was--



"Come up, come up, Golden Hair; here is your happy home."

"Coo, I love you; coo, I love you!" cooed the wood-pigeon, as she
passed.

"Twit, twit, pretty child," said the sparrow.

"Oh, you darling," sang the blackbird; and Golden Hair laughed with
glee, for she liked to be loved.

As to the butterflies, they flew after her, and rested on her hair, and
tickled her cheeks; but she never tried to catch them.

She would not frighten or vex them for anything. She loved all the creatures, and
that is why they loved her.

Love makes love.

Dear little Golden Hair, she went on singing merrily through the
greenwood, saying sometimes to herself--

"I wish I could sing as well as the lark!"

By-and-by Little Golden Hair reached the Bears' house. She had never
seen it before, and she wondered who lived there. A window was open, and
Golden Hair peeped in.



"Dear me," thought the child, "whose house can it be! There is a table
and three chairs, and three basins of hot milk, all steaming, and nobody
to drink it. But I don't see any work or books, or anything else. I
think I will go in and see who lives here."

So she tapped at the door, and cried, "Is any one at home?"

But there was no answer. Then Golden Hair stepped in very carefully,
and looked about her.

She could not see any one, nor hear anybody snoring, so she walked into
the Bears' parlour.

There was a fire, which made the room cheerful, and the hot milk looked
very inviting; it quite seemed to say, "Come and have some breakfast;"
and the early spring air had made Golden Hair rather cold, and very
hungry; so she sat down by the fire in the little Bear's chair. It was
too small for her, but she did not quite sit down at first. In a moment
she got up again, and went round the table and tasted the milk in all
the basins. Little Bear's was the nicest, because it had sugar in it,
and Golden Hair thought it was good. So she took the basin and sat down
again in Little Bear's chair, took his spoon, and ate up _all_ his milk.
Now this was very wrong. A tiny bear is only a tiny bear; still, he has
a right to keep his own things. But Golden Hair did not know any better.
Unluckily, Baby Bear's chair was, as we have said, too small for her;
she broke the seat and fell through, basin and all.



Then Golden Hair went upstairs, and there she saw three beds all in a
row. Golden Hair lay down on Father Bear's bed first, but that was too
long for her; then she lay down on Mother Bear's bed, and that was too
wide for her; last of all she lay down on Baby Bear's bed, and there she
fell asleep, for she was tired.

By-and-by the bears came home. Baby Bear saw that his chair was broken
and thrown down, and he cried in a very squeaky voice,

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN HERE;" and Father Bear growled,

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN HERE;"

And Mother Bear growled, more softly,

"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN HERE."

Then they went to the table and looked at their breakfasts, and Father
Bear growled, "WHO HAS TOUCHED MY BASIN?"

And Mother Bear growled, "WHO HAS TOUCHED MY BASIN?"

And Tiny Bear squeaked, "SOMEBODY HAS BROKEN MINE!"



And then Tiny Bear began to cry, for he was very fond of his own basin
and his own chair; and, besides, he was very hungry after his long walk
in the forest.

It really did seem a shame. Then the three bears thought they would go
over their house, to see who had been in it, and to try if they could
find the thief.

They went upstairs to their bedroom, which was over their other room,
and as soon as they saw the tumbled beds Father Bear growled,

"WHO HAS BEEN LYING ON MY BED?"

And Mother Bear growled

"WHO HAS BEEN LYING ON MY BED?"

And Tiny Bear squeaked out,

"Oh! here is a little girl in my bed; and it must be she who has eaten
my breakfast and broken my chair."



Then Father Bear growled,

"LET US EAT HER UP;"

And Mother Bear growled, "LET US EAT HER UP;"

And Tiny Bear squeaked,

"LET US EAT HER UP."

The noise they made woke Golden Hair, and you may imagine how frightened
she was when she saw the three bears. She started out of bed, and jumped
at once out of the window. The bears rushed after her, and Father Bear
caught her golden hair in his teeth, but she left a lock behind, and
still ran on. Then the three bears all jumped out after her, but they
fell one on the top of the other and rolled over and over, and while
they were picking themselves up, little Golden Hair ran home, and they
were not able to catch her.



But I do not think she acted right (though she did not deserve to
be eaten up); it was very wrong to break little Bear's chair and eat his
milk, and I think Golden Hair will have to take great care to keep out
of the reach of the THREE BEARS.