Then Mrs. Vinegar woke, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and said, "Where am I?"
"On the ground, lovey," answered Mr. Vinegar, scrambling down.
And when they lifted up the door, what do you think they found?
One robber squashed flat as a pancake, and forty golden guineas all scattered about!
My goodness! How Mr. and Mrs. Vinegar jumped for joy!
"Now, Vinegar!" said his wife when they had gathered up all the gold pieces, "I will tell you what we must do. You must go to the next market-town and buy a cow; for, see you, money makes the mare to go, truly; but it also goes itself. Now a cow won't run away, but will give us milk and butter, which we can sell. So we shall live in comfort for the rest of our days."
"What a head you have, lovey!" said Mr. Vinegar admiringly, and started off on his errand.
"Mind you make a good bargain," bawled his wife after him.
"I always do," bawled back Mr. Vinegar. "I made a good bargain when I married such a clever wife, and I made a better one when I shook her down from the tree. I am the happiest man alive!"
So he trudged on, laughing and jingling the forty gold pieces in his pocket.