The story of the Three Bears

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house, in a wood. One of them was a Little Wee Bear and one was a Middle-Sized Bear and the other was a Great Big Bear. They had each a bowl for their soup: a little bowl for the Little Wee Bear and a Middle-Sized bowl for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great bowl for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in: a little chair for the Little Wee Bear and a middle-sized chair for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great chair for the Great Big Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in: a little bed for the Little Wee Bear and a middle-sized bed for the Middle-Sized Bear and a great bed for the Great Big Bear.
One day, after they had made the soup for their meal, and poured it into their bowls, they walked out into the wood while the soup was cooling. And while they were away a little girl called Goldilocks passed by the house, and looked in at the window. She saw nobody inside. The door was not fastened, because the bears were good bears, and would do nobody any harm and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So Goldilocks opened the door and went in.
How pleased she was when she saw the soup in the bowls. If she had been a well-brought-up little girl she would have waited until the bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to lunch. But she was an impudent, rude little girl, and so she set about helping herself. First she tasted the soup of the Great Big Bear, and that was too hot for her. Next she tasted the soup of the Middle-Sized bear, but that was too cold for her. And then she went to the soup of the Little Wee Bear, and tasted it, and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up!
Then Goldilocks, who was tired because had been catching butterflies, sat down in the chair of the Great Big Bear, but that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle-Sized Bear, and that was too soft for her. But when she sat down in the chair of the Little Wee Bear, that was neither too hard, nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, until the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground. And that made her very cross, because she was a bad-tempered little girl.
Now, being decided to rest, Goldilocks went upstairs into the bedroom in which the three bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great Big Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle-Sized Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little Wee Bear, and that was neither too high at the head, nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there until she fell asleep.
By this time the three bears came back home.
“Somebody has been at my soup!”, said the Great Big Bear. Then the Middle-Sized Bear looked at his soup and saw the spoon was standing in it too.
“Somebody has been at my soup!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice. Then the Little Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the soup-bowl, but the soup was all gone!
“Somebody has been at my soup, and has eaten it all up!” said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
The three bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, began to look for them.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!”, said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has sat the bottom through!”, said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
Then the three bears thought they had better make further search in case it was a burglar, so they went upstairs into their bedroom. Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the great big bear out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!”, said the Great Big Bear in his great, rough, gruff voice. And Goldilocks had pulled the bolster of the Middle-Sized Bear out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!”, said the Middle-Sized Bear in his middle-sized voice. But when the Little Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the bolster in its place! And the pillow was in its place upon the bolster! And upon the pillow? There was Goldilocks’ yellow head.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed – and here she is still!”, said the Little Wee Bear in his little wee voice.
Now Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough voice of the great big bear, but she was so fast asleep. And she had heard the middle-sized voice of the middle-sized bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little wee voice of the little wee bear, it was so harp, and so shrill, that it woke her up at once.
When she saw the three bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the bears, like good, tidy bears they were, always opened their bedroom window when they got up in the morning. So naughty, frightened little Goldilocks jumped, and Goldilocks run and run and run as far and fast as she could and the bears didn’t see her again.