Section 26
The Mistress and Her Servants explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
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A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she kept pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in the mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as the cock crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such an hour, especially in winter-time: and they thought...
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Public-domain original
A Widow, thrifty and industrious, had two servants, whom she kept
pretty hard at work. They were not allowed to lie long abed in the
mornings, but the old lady had them up and doing as soon as the cock
crew. They disliked intensely having to get up at such an hour,
especially in winter-time: and they thought that if it were not for
the cock waking up their Mistress so horribly early, they could
sleep longer. So they caught it and wrung its neck. But they weren't
prepared for the consequences. For what happened was that their
Mistress, not hearing the cock crow as usual, waked them up earlier
than ever, and set them to work in the middle of the night.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
Servants kill the rooster that wakes them early, but their work becomes even harder.
Why this scene matters
This fable shows that removing an annoyance can make the real problem worse.
Characters in this scene
- Mistress: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- Servants: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The servants blame the rooster for early work. After they kill it, their mistress wakes them even earlier.