"'Next came a man with a drove of goats, and he gave me a little billy-goat, and that I trod down into the bucket.'
"'Dear me!' said his mother, 'that was silly, and sillier than silly, my son; you should have twisted a withy round its neck, and led the billy-goat home by it.'
"'Well! be still, mother, and see if I don't do as you say next time.'
"Next day he set off for the bridge again to take toll, and so a man came with a load of butter, and wanted to cross. But the lad said 'he couldn't cross unless he paid toll.'
"'I've nothing to pay it with,' said the man.
"'Well! then you can't cross,' said the lad; 'but you have goods, and I'll take them instead of money.'
"So the man gave him a pat of butter, and then he had leave to cross the bridge, and the lad strode off to a grove of willows and twisted a withy, and twined it round the butter, and dragged it home along the road; but so long as he went he left some of the butter behind him, and when he got home there was none left.
"'And what did you take to-day?' asked his mother.
"'There came a man with a load of butter, and he gave a pat.'
"'Butter!' said the goody, 'where is it?'