"Is there any supper, grandmother?" asked Tommy.
"No, my child, only some bread for breakfast to-morrow."
"Oh, grandmother, we are so hungry!" and the boy's eyes filled with
tears.
"What can I do for you, my poor children?" said the good woman.
"Tell us a story, please, so that we can forget we are hungry. Tell us
about the brownie that used to live in your grandfather's house. What
was he like?"
"Like a little man, they say."
"What did he do?"
"He came early in the morning before any one in the house was awake,
and lighted the fire and swept the room and set out the breakfast. He
never would be seen and was off before they could catch him. But they
often heard him laughing and playing about the house."
"Did they give him any wages, grandmother?"
"No, my dear, he did the work for love. They always set a pan of clear
water for him, and now and then a bowl of bread and milk."
"Oh, grandmother, where did he go?"
"The Old Owl in the woods knows; I do not. When I was young many
people used to go to see the Old Owl at moon-rise, and ask her what
they wanted to know."
"How I wish a brownie would come and live with us!" cried Tommy.
"So do I," said Johnny.
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