“It is pure water,” he said, but when he went to pour from the pitcher, lo! and behold! out came vinegar!
Then the third little dwarf said, “Let me try,” and the next said, “Let me try,” but each time there came out of the pitcher something quite unfit to drink.
Then the dwarfs said, “This pitcher is of no account after all; we will throw it into the brook.”
They said, “If the little dwarf finds it again, he is welcome to drink all the mud and vinegar he wants.”
Then they threw the pitcher back into the brook, and the brook carried it safely back to the place in the woods where the little dwarf passed every day. Pretty soon the little dwarf came along. He sang,
“Ha! ha! Ho! ho! What do I see?
A beautiful pitcher floats in to me!”
He filled the pitcher with water and soon poured out a fine drink of buttermilk.
He ran home as fast as his legs could carry him, and he hid his pitcher safely away.
He worked at home very busily all that day. He made shades for his window, so no one could look in. He put a lock on his door, and he made a little key to fit the lock.