"Listen to me, master of the house."

"What is it, Misery?" says the peasant, who was master of nothing in
the world.

"Go you to a neighbour and beg the loan of a cart and a pair of good
oxen."

The poor peasant had no will of his own left. He did exactly as he
was told. He went to his neighbour and begged the loan of the oxen and
cart.

"But how will you repay me?" says the neighbour.

"I will do a week's work for you for nothing."

"Very well," says the neighbour; "take the oxen and cart, but be
careful not to give them too heavy a load."

"Indeed I won't," says the peasant, thinking to himself that he had
nothing to load them with. "And thank you very much," says he; and he
goes back to Misery, taking with him the oxen and cart.

Misery looked at him and grumbled in his wretched little voice, "They
are hardly strong enough,"

"They are the best I could borrow," says the peasant; "and you and I
have starved too long to be heavy."