` Well , I must lie down outside , ' said Little Klaus ; and the farmer 's wife shut the door in his face . Close by stood a large haystack , and between it and the house a little out-house , covered with a flat thatched roof . ' I can lie down there , ' thought Little Klaus , looking at the roof ; ` it will make a splendid bed , if only the stork wo n't fly down and bite my legs . ' For a live stork was standing on the roof , where it had its nest . So Little Klaus crept up into the out-house , where he lay down , and made himself comfortable for the night . The wooden shutters over the windows were not shut at the top , and he could just see into the room . There stood a large table , spread with wine and roast meat and a beautiful fish . The farmer 's wife and the sexton sat at the table , but there was no one else . She was filling up his glass , while he stuck his fork into the fish which was his favourite dish . ` If one could only get some of that ! ' thought Little Klaus , stretching his head towards the window . Ah , what delicious cakes he saw standing there ! It WAS a feast ! Then he heard someone riding along the road towards the house . It was the farmer coming home . He was a very worthy man ; but he had one great peculiarity -- namely , that he could not bear to see a sexton . If he saw one he was made quite mad . That was why the sexton had gone to say good-day to the farmer 's wife when he knew that her husband was not at home , and the good woman therefore put in front of him the best food she had . But when they heard the farmer coming they were frightened , and the farmer 's wife begged the sexton to creep into a great empty chest . He did so , as he knew the poor man could not bear to see a sexton .
The wife hastily hid all the beautiful food and the wine XXXXX her oven ; for if her husband had seen it , he would have been sure to ask what it all meant .
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