“Wife, here is a basket which contains everything, whatever you most want. You only have to ask for it.”
The woman took the basket, and said to it—
“Basket, give me some good flour, so that I may make bread.”
The basket gave her as much as she wished. She continued asking for very many things, and everything she named the basket gave her.
Now it chanced that one day a nobleman was passing by the peasant’s hut. When the woman saw him she said to her husband—
“Go and ask the nobleman to dine with us. If you do not bring him in I will beat you till you are half dead.”
The man was afraid of his wife carrying out her threat, so he set off and asked the stranger in to dinner.
His wife meanwhile watched him from the window, having taken out of the basket all that was required for the dinner. There she sat, with her hands in her lap, awaiting her husband’s return with the guest.
The nobleman was astonished, and laughed at the invitation. He would not accept it himself, but told his attendants they might go if they wished, and he should like to know how they dined.
So the attendants went, thinking they should fare very badly, for the appearance of the hut would not have led any one to suppose that there was much feasting to be had within it. When they entered they were vastly astonished. The dinner was such as would have done credit had it been provided by a host of some rank. The men sat down, and ate and drank and made merry; and, keeping their eyes open the while, they observed that when the woman wanted anything for the table she went to the basket and got it given to her by it. The men began to think how they could get the prize for themselves. As they feasted they sent off one of their number to look for a basket just like the one in the room. Off went the man as quickly as he could, found what he wanted, and brought it with him to the cottage. Then while the peasant and his wife were busy, the men slipped the new basket in the place of the other. When they left they carried away the treasure-basket with them, and coming to their master they told him how they had been entertained.