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In this room, too, a picture she found, I declare,

Of a large, and a little, and middling bear.

Then she ran up the stairs, as there’s no one about

(The family must for the day have gone out),

When she came to a room with three beds in a row:

‘Ah, the smallest is softest and snuggest, I know!

And as I am tired now, and hot, I just choose

To rest a few moments and have a sweet snooze.

Oh, how funny ! they’ve got, too, a picture up there,

Of a large, and a small, and a middling bear.’

In a very few minutes she fell fast asleep.

Had she been but awake it had made her heart leap

To hear the gate open, for who should be there

But a large, and a small, and a middling bear!

‘There has some one been here!’ cried a voice loud and gruff.

‘There has some one been here!’ said his wife, ‘sure enough.’

‘And they’ve left the door open, I really declare!’

Said their daughter, the youngest and littlest bear.

‘Oh, I hope, if they’re robbers, that they’ve taken nought,

But are still in the house, and may thus soon be caught.’

‘Let us go to the parlour, and see if they’re there.’

They enter, and Bruin walks up to his chair :

‘There has some one been here, and has stood on my seat !’

‘There has some one been here, too, with sad muddy feet !’

Dame Bruin exclaimed. ‘If I knew who they were,

They should rue it for wiping their feet on my chair.’

Then Miss Bruin, in tears, cried, ‘Oh, dear! I’ve just found

That they've broken my new chair right down to the ground !*

‘Let us look to our porridge—it now must be cool ;’

And the dame leads the way. ‘Who has knocked down the stool ?

Who has been at my bason ?’ the old father cried.

‘And has cleaned out my porridge ?’ his daughter replied.

Then they went to the bed-room, to change their attire -——

‘ There has some one been here, too, and stirred up the fire!’
D