morning, and all the council was called together. Everyone agreed that
it was worth more than all the wealth of the kingdom: but the king
said, 'One feather is of no use to me, I must have the whole bird.'

Then the gardener's eldest son set out and thought to find the golden
bird very easily; and when he had gone but a little way, he came to a
wood, and by the side of the wood he saw a fox sitting; so he took his
bow and made ready to shoot at it. Then the fox said, 'Do not shoot
me, for I will give you good counsel; I know what your business is,
and that you want to find the golden bird. You will reach a village in
the evening; and when you get there, you will see two inns opposite to
each other, one of which is very pleasant and beautiful to look at: go
not in there, but rest for the night in the other, though it may
appear to you to be very poor and mean.' But the son thought to
himself, 'What can such a beast as this know about the matter?' So he
shot his arrow at the fox; but he missed it, and it set up its tail
above its back and ran into the wood. Then he went his way, and in the
evening came to the village where the two inns were; and in one of
these were people singing, and dancing, and feasting; but the other
looked very dirty, and poor. 'I should be very silly,' said he, 'if I
went to that shabby house, and left this charming place'; so he went
into the smart house, and ate and drank at his ease, and forgot the
bird, and his country too.

Time passed on; and as the eldest son did not come back, and no
tidings were heard of him, the second son set out, and the same thing
happened to him. He met the fox, who gave him the good advice: but
when he came to the two inns, his eldest brother was standing at the
window where the merrymaking was, and called to him to come in; and he
could not withstand the temptation, but went in, and forgot the golden