Little Red Riding-Hood immediately set out, with a basket filled with the cakes and the pot of butter, for her grandmother's house, which was in a village a little distant from her mother's.
Little Red Riding-Hood meets the Wolf.
As she was crossing a wood, which lay in her road, she met a Gaffer Wolf, who had a great mind to eat her up, but dared not indulge his wicked wish, because of some woodcutters who were at work near them in the forest. He ventured, however, to ask her whither she was going. The little girl, not knowing how dangerous it was to talk to a wolf, replied: “I am going to see my grandmamma, and carry her these cakes and a pot of butter.”
Little Red Riding-Hood loiters by the way.
“Does she live far off?” said the Wolf. “Oh, yes,” answered Little Red Riding-Hood, “beyond the mill you see yonder, at the first house in the village.”
The Wolf arrives at the Grandmother's house before Little Red Riding-Hood.
“Well,” said the Wolf, “I will go and see her too; I will take this way, and you take that, and let us see which will be there the sooner.” The Wolf set out, running as fast as he could, and taking the nearest way; while the little girl took the longest, and amused herself as she went along with gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and making nosegays of such flowers as she found within her reach. The Wolf soon arrived at the dwelling of the grandmother, and knocked at the door. “Who is there?” said the old woman. “It is your grandchild, Little Red Riding-Hood,” replied the Wolf, in the voice of the little girl; “I have brought you some cheesecakes, and a little pot of butter, that mamma has sent you.”