“Hallo! what have you got in your sack!” asked the farmer.“Oh, it is a conjuror,” said Little Claus; “and he says we need not eat porridge, for he has conjured the oven full of roast meat, fish, and pie.”“Wonderful!” cried the farmer, starting up and opening the oven door; and there lay all the nice things hidden by the farmer’s wife, but which he supposed had been conjured there by the wizard under the table.

Poor Little Claus’ only horse is beaten to death by his wealthier namesake, Big Claus. But with a little cunning, and trick by trick, Little Claus turns his dead horse into a fortune by exploiting the villagers’ superstitious beliefs. In this Andersen classic, fortune favours the clever.