"Hold your tongue," he said, "and don't talk till you have something to talk about. You need none of you believe a word of the bear's nonsense. I am much taller than you, and I can see far out over the wood. But so far as ever I can see, there is nothing but oak trees."
The little oak was shamefaced, and held his tongue; and the other big trees spoke to one another in low whispers, for they had great respect for the old one.
But the bear got up and rubbed his eyes. "Now you have disturbed my midday nap," he growled angrily, "and I declare that I will have my revenge. When I come back I will bring some beech nuts with me, and I vow you will all turn yellow with jealousy when you see how pretty the new trees are."
Then he made off. But the oaks talked the whole day long one to another about the funny trees he had told them about.
"If they come, I will kill them," said the little oak tree, but directly afterwards he got one on the head from the old oak.
"If they come, you shall treat them politely, you young dog," said he. "But they will not come."