"Little foxes," said the old man, "have nice skins that do capitally for collars and trimmings, and I want to skin you!"
"Oh! Don't take my skin away, daddy dear, and I will bring you hens and geese."
"Very well, see that you do it!" and he let the fox go.
The hare now alone remained, and the old man began sharpening his knife on the hare's account.
"Why do you do that?" asked Puss, and he replied:
"Little hares have nice little, soft, warm skins, which will make me nice gloves and mittens against the winter!"
"Oh! daddy dear! Don't flay me, and I'll bring you kale and good cauliflower if only you let me go!"
Then he let the hare go also.
Then they went to bed: but very early in the morning, when it was neither dusk nor dawn, there was a noise in the doorway like Durrrrrr!
"Daddy!" cried the old woman, "there's someone scratching at the door: go and see who it is!"