"Nothing," said the old woman, still running.
But the policeman kept running after her. When they had run about five miles the old woman dropped the bag, so that she might run quicker. The policeman, however, had made up his mind to catch her, and when they had run about ten miles he caught her.
"Now," he said, "you must come back with me to your bag, and we will see if there is anything in it." The old man's wife said that she was sure there was nothing in it. "All right," said the policeman, "but if you don't mind we will go back and see." So they went back to the bag, and the policeman opened it with great care. Inside he found the roll of butter.
The old man's wife began to cry. "Oh dear, oh dear," she said, "what a pity it is that I sewed up that hole."
"Why?" asked the red policeman.
"Because if I had not sewn up the hole the butter might have got out, like my husband's hen."
"You are a very foolish old woman," said the policeman. "Do you not know that a roll of butter cannot walk like a hen?"
"Is that really so?" said the old woman. "Well, well. But I have seen butter run when it was melted."
"Never mind that," said the red policeman, "you will have to come with me to prison."