She told them that, since they had supped so well, they should
have none of the scones and eggs which she had prepared for the
evening meal in the kitchen.
When the farmer's wife had entered she had left the door open, so
while she was busily scolding the lassies the Brownie slipped out
from under the bench and made his escape. As he ran chuckling down
the road, he could still hear her angry voice drowning the attempted
explanations of the bewildered lassies. When the little fellow curled
himself up some time later in the tree trunk he was still laughing.
* * * * *
THE FAIRIES' PASSAGE
BY JAMES CLARENCE MANGAN
Tap, tap, tap, rap! "Get up, gaffer Ferryman,"
"Eh! Who is there?" The clock strikes three.
"Get up, do, gaffer! You are the very man
We have been long, long, longing to see."
The ferryman rises, growling and grumbling,
And goes fum-fumbling, and stumbling, and tumbling
Over the wares on his way to the door.
But he sees no more
Than he saw before;
Till a voice is heard: "O Ferryman dear!
Here we are waiting, all of us, here.
We are a wee, wee colony, we;
Some two hundred in all, or three,
Ferry us over the river Lee,
Ere dawn of day,
And we will pay
The most we may
In our own wee way!"
"Who are you? Whence came you?
What place are you going to?"
"Oh, we have dwelt over-long in this land;
The people get cross, and are growing so knowing, too!
Nothing at all but they now understand.
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