Household Tales · Chapter
The Pack of Ragamuffins explained
A cock and hen go to a hill to eat nuts, then build a nutshell carriage.
What happens
A cock and hen go to a hill to eat nuts, then build a nutshell carriage. After a dispute, they harness a duck to pull it. They pick up a pin and needle as passengers. At an inn, they promise the host an egg and a duck in exchange for lodging, but after feasting, they flee at dawn, leaving the pin in a towel, the needle in a chair cushion, and an eggshell on the hearth. The host is injured by these items and vows never to host such ragamuffins again.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The host's greed and initial reluctance to host the ragamuffins is punished by the pranks left behind.
Characters to notice
- the cock
The cock builds a nutshell carriage, harnesses a duck, and leads the group's mischief at the inn.
- the hen
The hen accompanies the cock, lays an egg used as payment, and participates in the escape.
- the duck
The duck is forced to pull the carriage and later escapes by swimming down a stream.
- the pin
The pin is a passenger that is later stuck into the host's towel, injuring him.
- the needle
The needle is a passenger that is later stuck into the host's chair cushion, causing further injury.
Key passages
“The cock once said to the hen, 'It is now the time when our nuts are ripe, so let us go to the hill together and for once eat our fill before the squirrel takes them all away.'”
The cock suggested to the hen that they should go to the hill to eat nuts before the squirrel could take them.
Opening motivation for the journey.
“Then he made a vow to take no more ragamuffins into his house, for they consume much, pay for nothing, and play mischievous tricks into the bargain by way of gratitude.”
The host swore never to let in such disreputable guests again, as they ate a lot, paid nothing, and repaid kindness with pranks.
The moral conclusion of the story.