human
Good evening, old woman.
gpt
Good evening, old man.
human
I've made exchange.
gpt
Yes, you understand what you're about,
human
I got a cow in exchange for the horse,
gpt
Heaven be thanked! said she.
human
What glorious milk we shall now have, and butter and cheese upon the table! That was a most capital exchange!
gpt
Yes, but I exchanged the cow for a sheep.
human
Ah, that's better still! cried the wife.
gpt
You always think of everything; we have just pasture enough for a sheep. Ewe's milk and cheese, and woolen jackets and stockings! The cow cannot give those, and her hairs will only come off. How you think of everything!
human
But I changed away the sheep for a goose.
gpt
Then this year we shall have really roast goose to eat, my dear old man. You are always thinking of something to give me pleasure. How charming that is! We can let the goose walk about with a string to her leg, and she'll grow fatter still before we roast her.
human
But I gave away the goose for a fowl,
gpt
MY DEAR GOOD HUSBAND!
human
A fowl? That WAS a good exchange! replied the woman.
gpt
The fowl will lay eggs and hatch them, and we shall soon have chickens; we shall have a whole poultry yard! Oh, that's just what I was wishing for.
human
Yes, but I exchanged the fowl for a sack of shriveled apples.
gpt
What!--I must positively kiss you for that, exclaimed the wife,
human
My dear, good husband! Now I'll tell you something. Do you know, you had hardly left me this morning, before I began thinking how I could give you something very nice this evening. I thought it should be pancakes with savory herbs. I had eggs, and bacon too; but I wanted herbs. So I went over to the schoolmaster's--they have herbs there, I know--but the schoolmistress is a mean woman, though she looks so sweet. I begged her to lend me a handful of herbs, 'Lend!' she answered me; 'nothing at all grows in our garden, not even a shriveled apple. I could not even lend you a shriveled apple, my dear woman.' But now _I_ can lend HER twenty, or a whole sackful. That I'm very glad of; that makes me laugh!
gpt
I like that! exclaimed both the Englishmen together.
human
Always going downhill, and always merry; that's worth the money.