“Well, my lord father, I’ll lead thee out; only follow.”
“Where art thou, dear son?”
“Here, under thy feet; only look this way, my lord father.”
The poor man looked near his feet, and saw a little hedgehog stretched out.
“Well, my dear son, lead me out and I’ll keep my promise.”
The hedgehog went ahead, the poor man followed, and soon they came out of the great wild wood. The hedgehog then went back to his own place, and the poor man strolled home.
Well, things remained thus till once after bedtime there was a knocking at the poor man’s door. “My lord father, rise up, open the door.” The poor man, who was lying on the stove, heard only that some one was knocking at the door.
“My lord father, rise up, open the door.”
The poor man heard, and heard that some one was knocking and as he thought calling out: “My lord father, rise up, open the door;” but in his world life he had never had a son. The third time he heard clearly, “My lord father, rise up, open the door.”
The poor man did not take this as a joke. He rose up and opened the door. My lord’s son, who came in to him? No one else than the little hedgehog.