“What I promised was that I would leave when I had eaten enough. I did not——”
The bold man interrupted then, saying, “Well, you have eaten enough.”
“Ah yes, for one meal,” answered the cruel Enano. “But I meant that I would leave when I have eaten enough for always. There is to-morrow and to-morrow night. There is the day after that and the next day and the next day. There are to be weeks of eating and months of eating and years of eating. You are stupid people if you think that I shall ever have eaten enough. So I shall not leave. No. No. NO!”
Having said that, the creature laughed in great glee and began to throw such things as he could reach against the walls, and so, many good things were shattered.
Now for three days that kind of thing went on, at the end of which time the men of the place were at their wits’ ends to know what to do, for almost everything eatable in the village had gone down the creature’s throat. Sad at heart, seeing what had come to pass, the good old woman went out and sat down to weep by the side of a quiet pool, for it seemed to her to be a hard thing that what she had done in kindness had ended thus, and that the house she had built and loved and kept clean and sweet should be so sadly wrecked and ruined. Her thoughts were broken by the sound of a voice, and turning she saw a silver-gray fox sitting on a rock and looking at her.
“It is well enough to have a good cry,” he said, “but it is better to be gay and have a good laugh.”
“Ah! Good evening, Señor Zorro,” answered the dame, drying her tears. “But who can be gay when a horrible creature is eating everything? Who can be otherwise than sad, seeing the trouble brought on friends?” The last she added, being one of those who are always saddened by the cheerlessness of others.
“You need not tell me,” said the fox. “I know everything that has passed,” and he put his head a little sideways like a wise young dog and seemed to smile.
“But what is there to do?” asked the dame. “I am in serious case indeed. This alocado says that he will make no stir until he has had enough to eat for all his life, and certainly he makes no stir to go away.”
“The trouble is that you give him enough and not too much,” said the fox.