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 OTHER STORIES.
 
 BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 UNCLE JOE'S STORIES. With Six Illus- 
 trations by ERNEST GRISET. 
 
 RIVER LEGENDS ; or, Father Thames 
 and Father Rhine. With 41 Illustrations 
 by GUSTAVE DORE.
 
 THE BILBERRY MEN. p. 39
 
 OTHER STORIES 
 
 BY THE RIGHT HOX. 
 
 E. H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN, M.P. 
 
 AUTHOR OF "UNCLE JOE'S STORIES," "RIVER LEGENDS," &c. 
 
 WITh ILLUSTRATIONS BY ERNEST GRISET 
 
 LONDON 
 GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS 
 
 BROADWAY, LUDGATE HILL 
 
 NEW YORK : 446, BROOME STREET 
 
 l88o
 
 LONDON 
 BRADBURY ACXEW, & CO., PRINTERS WHITEl'KlAKS.
 
 TZ8 
 
 TO MY FAVOURITE ARM-CHAIR. 
 RESPECTED AND VALUED FRIEND, 
 
 To you I wish to dedicate this little volume, the contents 
 of which are in no small degree the outcome of pleasant dreams 
 and strange thoughts which have come to me whilst drowsily re- 
 clining in your arms. It is true that a jealous and censorious world 
 may raise the objection that you cannot read my book; but, granting 
 the correctness of the remark, I can see therein no reason why I 
 should change my intention. If you cannot read you cannot find 
 fault, and if you cannot find fault, that is the next best thing to 
 praise. And although you may, from special circumstances, be 
 unable to praise my book, you have at least done much in assisting 
 the inspiration from which it has sprung. You are so soothing, so 
 soft, so remarkably comfortable, that it is impossible not to think of 
 amusing things when one is with you, and you never annoy or worry 
 him who seeks you in his hour of leisure. From you proceeds no 
 unkind word or hasty rebuke : no fault of temper on your part dis- 
 turbs his tranquillity ; but, preserving ever the calm and unruffled 
 demeanour of your race, you receive a happy occupant only to lull 
 him to repose, to give him rest alike in body and in spirit, and to 
 make him, for the time at least, forget the troubles and anxieties of 
 this restless world. 
 
 To you, therefore, I respectfully and lovingly dedicate this off- 
 spring of the idle moments which you have so often made happy, 
 and though, as a member of Parliament, I enjoy "freedom from 
 arrest," I hope still frequently to obtain a rest from you, and again 
 to be honoured with the soothing inspiration which you are so well 
 able to bestow. 
 
 "With the most profound esteem, I subscribe myself your constant 
 and contented occupant, 
 
 E. H. KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN. 
 
 7516*3
 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 \ PRINCE MARAFLETE. PART 1 1 
 
 PAHT II 62 
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL 121 
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF 167 
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT 216 
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN . . 282
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTBATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE CAB OF MUKLIXGFORD . 19 
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE THE BILBERRY MEX 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE 
 
 LEGEND OF DDERFEL . . 139 
 
 TUE HISTORY OF A CAT 243 
 
 THE GRANNIE* OF GiDimioKS . . . , . . . 320
 
 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE; 
 
 OE, THE TWO-NOSED PEINCE. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 THERE was once a Prince who differed in one respect 
 from all other Princes of his time, and, for that matter, 
 from all other Princes that I ever heard of, at whatever 
 time they happen to have existed. He had a most 
 peculiar defect, for which no one could account, and which 
 no one who had not actually seen him would ever have 
 believed him to possess. The generality of men, having 
 two eyes, a nose and a mouth, are satisfied with the 
 arrangement which nature has made for them. This 
 Prince, however, had not only two eyes but two noses, 
 each placed above his mouth, at an equal distance from 
 that organ, and each perfectly competent to have dis- 
 charged the functions of an ordinary nose without the 
 assistance of a partner or the example of a rival. To be 
 sure, one of the two noses was a trifle better-shaped than 
 the other, at least in the judgment of those who prefer an 
 aquiline nose to one which is vulgarly called "snub." But 
 both were gifted with a keen sense of smell, both were 
 equally susceptible of the unpleasant consequences of the
 
 2 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 catching by their owner of a cold in the head, and both 
 were alike sensible of the startling effects of being roughly 
 pulled by alien fingers, although the rank and dignity of 
 their master naturally protected them from the probability 
 of any such disaster. 
 
 It is not, however, to be disputed, that no man, whether 
 prince or peasant, could be expected to consider such a 
 condition of face to be entirely satisfactory. A prince, 
 indeed, might be safe from insult : every alleviation of bis 
 misfortune might be afforded by medical skill ; nay, the 
 courtiers and nobles in attendance upon his person might 
 endeavour to persuade him that the singularity of his 
 appearance was by no means unbecoming, and that, to the 
 unprejudiced eye, it was positively beautiful. But the 
 fact would still remain, whatever might be said to the 
 contrary, that he had one more nose than he required, and 
 that the inconvenience of this arrangement greatly out- 
 weighed any possible advantage which might be derived 
 from it. The Prince in question, being emphatically 
 practical in all his views, could not regard the matter 
 in any other light, and was excessively annoyed at his con- 
 dition, the more especially as he was utterly unable to devise 
 or imagine any expedient by which it could be improved. 
 The removal of one nose would entirely spoil the symmetry 
 of his face; the removal of both would leave him in a 
 position positively worse than before ; while the suggestion 
 made by one eminent physician, that an artificial nose 
 should be manufactured and placed between the two exist- 
 ing appendages in order to render the whole appearance 
 of the face more symmetrical, was not only indignantly 
 rejected, but went near to obtain condign and fearful 
 punishment for the author of an idea so revolting to
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 3 
 
 common sense and ordinary good feeling. There seemed 
 nothing for it but to endure the misfortune with patience 
 and resignation, and to submit to be known through life 
 (and that, perhaps, a long life, for the Royal Family in 
 that country were proverbial for their longevity) as the 
 Two-nosed Prince. Fancy the jokes which would be made 
 upon him, and, worse than these, the jokes which his 
 sensitive imagination would always suspect to be in the 
 hearts and upon the lips of those around him. To be 
 accused of being double-faced would be bad enough, but 
 even such an imputation of moral obliquity would be less 
 painful to bear than the taunt of being double-nosed, which 
 would carry with it the sting of truth to the inmost recesses 
 of his soul. If told to " follow his nose," the question 
 " which nose ? " would be so obvious as to make the first 
 remark clearly offensive ; and if he ever should be inclined 
 to " turn up his nose " at anybody or anything, he could 
 scarcely venture to express his intention in those terms, 
 lest a similar inquiry should at once be made to his 
 discomfiture. 
 
 One man indeed there was who suggested a cure, and went 
 so far as to invent a machine which he called the "Royal 
 nose-compressor," which, duly fixed upon both the nasal 
 organs of the Prince's face at the same moment, would, so 
 the inventor declared, gradually bring both together until 
 they should blend in one harmonious whole. As, however, 
 he was obliged to confess that the process could not be 
 otherwise than painful, and as the Prince had a great 
 dislike to that kind of thing, the project came to nothing, 
 and the inventor was sent away in disgrace ; after which 
 no one tried to invent anything, and the Prince's two noses 
 went on flourishing after the usual fashion of noses, and
 
 4 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 causing him an uneasiness \vhich time seemed unable to 
 remove. 
 
 As the Prince's father and mother (who, as is not 
 unfrequently the case with the parents of princes, were a 
 King and Queen) had died very shortly after his birth, it 
 will be seen that although I have called him a Prince, he 
 was in reality a King to all intents and purposes, and I 
 have only used the term prince on account of his youth at 
 the time our story begins. He was just seventeen, the 
 happy age at which, whilst the pleasures of childhood have 
 scarce begun to be distasteful, those of manhood begin to 
 dawn upon the youth, and, under ordinary circumstances, 
 our Prince would have had before him a prospect of as 
 much uninterrupted happiness as can well fall to the lot 
 of mortal man. But, like a cloud which darkens the 
 glorious sun, so the fell shadow of his nasal construction 
 brooded over his young life, and turned to gall the honey of 
 existence. As the months passed by, and his mind became 
 more and more developed, Prince Maraflete (for such was 
 his name among mortals) began to wonder whether there had 
 been any special cause for the deformity which so greatly 
 troubled him. Had his parents been particularly wicked, 
 that they should have been thus punished in their off- 
 spring ? Had any of his relatives, either on the father's 
 or the mother's side, been similarly afflicted ? Was there 
 any special occurrence to which the misfortune might be 
 attributed ? What steps had his parents taken when they 
 first became aware of it ? 
 
 These and similar questions constantly arose in Prince 
 Maraflete's mind, and to none of them could he obtain a 
 satisfactory reply from any of his courtiers or attendants. 
 His father had been a very powerful monarch, and his
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 5 
 
 mother's beauty had been proverbial in the country, and 
 had been only equalled by her wit and virtue. Yet the 
 two seemed to have departed without leaving any record 
 behind them, or anything which could testify to the fact of 
 their having lived and reigned, save a well-governed 
 country and a two-nosed son. 
 
 "Surely," thought the Prince, "there must be some 
 strange story connected with such a state of things;" and 
 accordingly, as he approached the age of manhood, he 
 determined to try and discover whether or no his conjecture 
 was correct. He renewed his inquiries among the courtiers 
 and attendants by whom he was surrounded, but with a 
 result in no degree more satisfactory than before. The 
 younger people knew nothing of matters Avhich had occurred, 
 if at all, before they were born, and the elder ones seemed 
 to have very little more to say. The memory of the late 
 king and queen appeared to have passed away from the 
 minds of their subjects as completely as if they had never 
 existed ; and the Prince sighed to himself as he thought of 
 the brevity and vanity of all earthly greatness, and even of 
 royal glory. 
 
 One day, whilst his mind was occupied by thoughts of 
 this description, he wandered forth into the palace gardens, 
 and betook himself to a summer-house which had been the 
 favourite haunt of his boyish days. It was a remarkably 
 pretty summer-house outside, and a remarkably comfortable 
 one inside, as indeed one might have expected in the case 
 of a summer-house especially built for royal personages. It 
 stood upon a green lawn, and at the distance of only a few 
 feet from it, the ground in front sloped gentty down to a 
 babbling brook, which, when it had babbled up to a spot 
 nearly opposite to the summer-house, had been made to
 
 6 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 supply with its cool fresh water a small pond at the foot of 
 the slope, in which gold and silver fish displayed their 
 glittering heauty in the rays of the sun, being protected at 
 the same time hy ample shade, when they might need it, 
 from the leaves of the water-lilies, which grew there to 
 great size and perfection. Immediately behind the summer- 
 house was a wood, and a wood of no ordinary character. 
 The trees at the side nearest the summer-house had been 
 suffered to grow to a great height, but had been so carefully 
 thinned when young, that they were not near enough to 
 interfere with each other's growth and strength, but yet 
 towered up sufficiently close to afford an uninterrupted 
 covering of shade to anyone who sought their shelter. It 
 was indeed most enjoyable to walk beneath them ; and it 
 was easy to do so, inasmuch as their height had stopped the 
 growth of the underwood below, so that there were neither 
 bushes nor brambles to hinder anyone who wished to stroll 
 through the wood. This was the condition of the place for 
 some distance behind the summer-house, right and left; 
 but if you went into the wood and turned to the right, a 
 few minutes' walk brought you out on to an open down, 
 covered with heather, gorse, and grass, and studded with 
 trees and thickets, which formed the most beautiful glades 
 imaginable, and tempted you to wander along the paths by 
 which they were penetrated in every direction, and which, 
 every now and then, as you gradually ascended the slope of 
 the downs, brought you into an open space from which the 
 most magnificent view could be seen. The down was very 
 large and beautiful, and was a favourite resort of the people 
 of that country, and it was only separated from the wood 
 adjoining the royal pleasure-grounds by a high park fence, 
 through which one passed by a wicket gate, if one had the
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. ^ 
 
 good luck to possess a key, although this was only the case 
 with a few privileged persons, as the wood and gardens 
 were of course sacred to royalty. The Prince was very fond 
 hoth of the wood and the downs ; and whenever he felt 
 tired of the privacy of the former, he was wont to betake 
 himself to the latter, and wander about just like the 
 meanest of his subjects might have done, shaking off the 
 dignity of his royal position and the restraints of his court. 
 Upon the present occasion he had betaken himself to his 
 favourite summer-house, as I have already mentioned, and, 
 throwing himself upon the cushions of a sofa which stood 
 therein, abandoned himself to his reflections, and thought 
 over those matters which so constantly occupied his atten- 
 tion, and disturbed his mind. He felt very unhappy, not 
 only on account of the actual affliction (if so it might be 
 called) under which he laboured, but because of the 
 mystery with which it, and all appertaining to it, was sur- 
 rounded, and which greatly added to its intensity. Educated 
 in the school of monarchy, he could not understand how it 
 could be right that anything should be impossible to kings, 
 or that any secret should be beyond their powers of dis- 
 covery. According to his theories of right and wrong, a 
 king's country and people should be entirely at the 
 sovereign's disposal, all should yield to his sway, and his 
 royal will should prevail in every matter, from the highest 
 to the lowest. There was to him something incomprehen- 
 sible in the circumstance that a king should not even have 
 the absolute control over his own face ; that such face, in 
 spite of the royal will and pleasure, should be in the condi- 
 tion in which he found his own ; and that not only should 
 no one be found to obey the royal behest by setting matters 
 right, but that the facts connected with his birth, and the
 
 8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 probable cause of his nasal peculiarity, should be enveloped 
 in an obscurity so contrary to his express desire. All this 
 seemed to hirn very wrong, and he could not comprehend 
 how such a state of things could be permitted by the 
 Powers which regulate the universe. 
 
 So he lay upon his cushions and thought and pondered 
 over these things, until a pleasant, drowsy feeling came 
 creeping over him, such as not unfrequently comes, even to 
 ordinary mortals as well as princes, if they recline in a 
 comfortable position upon a warm summer's afternoon, and 
 give themselves up to meditation. He listened for some 
 time to the sounds that filled the air : the soft, homely, 
 comfortable cooing of the wood-pigeons in the high trees 
 behind the summer-house; the unwearying hum of the 
 gnats which were rejoicing in the sun just outside the 
 window near which his sofa stood, varied occasionally by 
 the deep buzz of a humble-bee who was rushing hither and 
 thither with apparently no other object in life but buzzing ; 
 the short, sharp, but pleasant twitter of the swallow as he 
 darted by the summer-house door every other minute, to 
 the great discomfort of the insects in search of whom he 
 skimmed the brook ; and, above all, the continual rippling, 
 gurgling, friendly babble of the brook itself; all these were 
 sounds soothing and composing enough to make anyone in 
 the Prince's position forget all thoughts and cares of any 
 kind whatever, and sink gradually into the sweetest of 
 slumbers. This is precisely what Prince Maraflete pro- 
 ceeded to do, thereby proving beyond a doubt that asser- 
 tion which has been so often disputed by historians and 
 philosophers, that princes, however superior to other men in 
 most respects, are yet subject to the influences of those 
 causes which, in the case of the common herd of mankind,
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 9 
 
 produce fatigue, drowsiness, and a desire to sleep. Yes : 
 the Prince slept, or at least dozed in such a manner as to 
 present every appearance of doing so. One of his royal 
 arms was bent beneath his head, which rested upon it, the 
 other lay listlessly by his side ; his legs were outstretched 
 upon the sofa ; his soft and regular breathing became from 
 time to time deeper drawn ; his royal noses kept each other 
 company in a low duet of musical respiration ; and his whole 
 frame appeared to be completely under the magic influence 
 of the hour and the place. 
 
 The Prince undoubtedly slept, and his mind wandered 
 away into the strange and unaccountable land of dreams. 
 He thought he saw two shadowy forms enter the summer- 
 house and approach the sofa; they were of stately and 
 majestic appearance, such as betokened royal personages, 
 and an expression of mingled dignity and sadness was dis- 
 played upon the countenance of each. The figures were 
 those of a man and woman ; the former presenting a model 
 of manly strength and lofty bearing, the latter the perfection 
 of female loveliness. They bent over the prostrate form of the 
 sleeping Prince, who, by some inscrutable means, recognized 
 beyond doubt that they were his parents, and felt, even in 
 his slumbers, a thrill of affection, not unmixed with awe, 
 which agitated his whole frame, and filled his soul with a 
 strange excitement. This was increased and intensified by 
 that which followed, and the Prince felt as if he was awake 
 and yet not awake ; as if he was trying to shake off some 
 mysterious power which enchained and. enthralled his 
 senses, and kept on saying to himself, " It is only a 
 dream ! " when in his inner consciousness he seemed to 
 know that it was no dream at all, but a marvellous reality 
 which was passing before his eyes.
 
 io OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Presently he heard the figures speaking to each other in 
 soft low tones that seemed very far off, like the echo of 
 distant voices wafted by the gentle hreeze to the listener's 
 ear on some summer's evening, when the air is clear and 
 every sound distinct. 
 
 "This is our dear son," said the father. "See how 
 soundly he sleeps in spite of all the past sorrow." 
 
 " Yes," replied his mother, sighing deeply as she spoke ; 
 " he sleeps indeed, darling boy ! But he cannot be happy 
 while cursed with this horrible spell. Oh, why is it so ? 
 Are such things to be permitted for ever ? Is there no 
 hope and no help ? " 
 
 " Hush ! " returned her companion. " Do not repine, 
 sweet one, nor complain of the decrees of Providence. 
 Should Evil have power for the present, Good shall prevail 
 in the end, and all will be well with our boy." 
 
 " But how is he to be saved from this sad affliction, and 
 when shall the evil be overcome ? " plaintively asked the 
 lady. 
 
 " In the appointed way and at the appointed time," 
 returned the other gravely. 
 
 " But how," she rejoined, " will he ever discover 
 these?" 
 
 " Only on the downs," was the reply. 
 
 " And how there ? " asked the mother anxiously. 
 
 " If he can only catch the Bilberry men off their guard 
 he will know all fast enough," answered the other ; "and 
 he might easily do that if he went the right way about 
 it." 
 
 "What is the right way ?" inquired his questioner. 
 
 "Oh, the Nibblers are the people to tell him that" 
 responded the kingly figure.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. u 
 
 " But he cannot get them to do so," mournfully muttered 
 the lady. 
 
 " Perhaps not if he tried by himself," replied her com- 
 panion ; " but then the haggister would help him without 
 doubt." 
 
 "And pray how can he get speech of the haggister ?" 
 sighed the poor lady. 
 
 " For the matter of that," rejoined the other, " he has 
 got only to go and ask Murlingford, the cabdriver." 
 
 At this instant the Prince suddenly awoke with a start 
 and sat upright. There was no one near him. The wood- 
 pigeons were still cooing at brief intervals ; the shrill 
 trumpet of the gnats was sounding its continual note, and 
 the brook was brawling and babbling on as usual, talking 
 to itself of all the curious things it had seen in its twistings 
 and windings through the country. But no living thing 
 was present, and no human voice was to be heard the 
 figures had departed ; and yet it seemed to the Prince that 
 they had certainly been there the minute before, and could 
 not really be gone. Moreover, their last words were still 
 ringing in his ears as if they had only just been spoken : 
 
 " Go and ask Murlingford, the cab-driver." 
 
 Ask him what ? The Prince rubbed his eyes again and 
 again, and endeavoured to collect his thoughts. What was 
 he to ask Murlingford ? After a few minutes he recollected 
 that there were several things which he was to do by means 
 of several different sets of beings, of none of whom he had 
 ever yet heard. "Murlingford, the cab-driver/' was to 
 introduce him to the haggister, whoever or whatever that 
 interesting creature might be ; the haggister was to make 
 him acquainted with the Nibblers, and through the agency 
 of the latter he was to catch the Bilberry men off their
 
 12 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 guard, and by their help find out something which was 
 most necessary for him to know, and would doubtless lead 
 to some great benefit. Yes, he recollected the dream now, 
 if dream it was ; and it was all so vividly impressed upon 
 his imagination that he was not at all likely to forget it. 
 Everything seemed to hinge upon his speedy discovery of 
 " Murlingford, the cab-driver," of whose existence he had 
 not previously been aware. If, however, such a person 
 dwelt within the Prince's dominions, there could be no 
 doubt of his being found without difficulty. This must 
 obviously be his first care, and accordingly he determined 
 to lose no time in setting about it. 
 
 Returning to his palace, he desired the immediate attend- 
 ance of his First Minister of Police, and informed him of 
 his wish to discover the person whom he named. The 
 high official to whom he spoke answered, with a low 
 obeisance, that the name was not known to him at the 
 moment, but that, supposing such an individual to exist in 
 the kingdom, he would undertake to produce him in two 
 days at furthest. With this reply the Prince was forced to 
 be content, although he would have been very glad of an 
 immediate interview with the individual upon whom so 
 much depended. However, he waited with as much patience 
 as he could muster, until the two days had passed, at the 
 expiration of which time the Police Minister presented 
 himself again, and was obliged to confess that his inquiries 
 had been unsuccessful. Although his whole force had been 
 employed in the search, no such person as " Murlingford " 
 could be discovered among the cab- drivers, which body, 
 he was bound to say, had received the inquiries of the 
 Police with scant respect, and accused them in impolite 
 language of " chaffing " them by asking after a man
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 13 
 
 with such a name as a decent cabman would be ashamed 
 to own. 
 
 At this news, or rather at the want of any news of him 
 he sought, Prince Maraflete was vastly disappointed. He 
 felt perfectly certain of the name, and equally so of the 
 truth of the information given him in his dream in the 
 summer-house. Nothing should persuade him but that 
 " Murlingford, the cab-driver," was a real living personage, 
 and one that could and should be found. Accordingly, he 
 gave renewed instructions to the police, and ordered adver- 
 tisements to be inserted in all the newspapers, and notices 
 to be stuck up on all the church and chapel doors, offering 
 a reward for the discovery of the individual whom he 
 desired to meet. 
 
 But no Murlingford turned up : every effort to find him 
 proved ineffectual ; and when ten days of fruitless search 
 had gone by, the Prince began to despair of success. 
 Several times he sought the summer-house again, hoping 
 that he might be aided by another dream ; but somehow or 
 other, nothing came of it. Either he could not sleep, or, if 
 he did, it was a deep and dreamless slumber that fell upon 
 him, and he awoke no wiser than before. 
 
 Another thing irritated him not a little, namely, the 
 appearance of several people who claimed to be Murling- 
 ford, but turned out on investigation to be rank impostors. 
 One came clothed in rags, with a long white beard, looking 
 like a venerable hermit, which, in fact, he declared himself 
 to be, having, he said, been a cab-driver in the city some 
 fifty years before, and only recently heard of the Prince's 
 advertisement from a traveller who had passed the cave to 
 which he had retired, in order to carry on the hermit 
 business in a proper manner. But when Prince Maraflete
 
 H OTHER STORIES. 
 
 eagerly questioned him about the haggister, he stared in 
 his face with blank astonishment, and was no better 
 acquainted with either the Nibblers or the Bilberry men. 
 As, moreover, the records of the police proved that he 
 was a very different person from that which he repre- 
 sented himself to be, having been several times convicted 
 as a rogue and a vagabond, and rejoicing in the name of 
 Nibbs, and not Murlingford at all, he was promptly and 
 severely whipped out of the city, for the warning and 
 discouragement of other persons who might be similarly 
 disposed to try and deceive the Prince. 
 
 Another person, tall, thin, bony, and angular in shape, 
 loudly declared himself to be Murlingford, and as such 
 claimed the reward offered for the discovery of that per- 
 sonage. Not being previously known to the police, he was 
 presumed to be respectable, and accordingly conducted to 
 the Prince. He stipulated for a considerable sum before 
 he would disclose what he knew, and such was the anxiety 
 of the Royal questioner, that he actually complied with the 
 request. Then the person who called himself Murlingford 
 explained that the haggister meant a person who ate 
 "haggis," a kind of broth made with sheeps' heads, and that 
 this particular food inspired people with a species of second 
 sight, and enabled them to discover secrets and mysteries 
 which were unknown to others. 
 
 As soon as this opinion had been given, everybody took 
 directly to eating haggis, the demand for sheeps' heads was 
 extraordinary, the price of the article went-up greatly in the 
 market, and one w r ould have thought that no secret or mys- 
 tery would have been left undiscovered. But, strange to say, 
 from the Prince downwards, no one was a bit the wiser for 
 this change of diet, and the pretended Murlingford soon lost
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 15 
 
 favour. He utterly failed, too, to give any reasonable solu- 
 tion to the "Nibbler" question ; and as no practical good 
 had resulted from his first explanation, he was roughly 
 treated by some of those who had at first believed him. 
 Then, under the influence of terror, he confessed that his 
 name also was not Murliugford, but Muggins the tinker, 
 and that he had been tempted to play the part of the former 
 personage by the offered reward. He received a severe 
 punishment for his misdeeds, having his money taken from 
 him, and being nailed by the ears to the pillory for two 
 hours, during which time the mob pelted him with every- 
 thing they could lay their hands upon, until he was half 
 dead, and at the expiration of the appointed time, he also 
 was whipped out of the city, his bleeding ears having pre- 
 viously been removed from his head, lest, in their wounded 
 condition, they should prove inconvenient. 
 
 These two were the more prominent examples of persons 
 who were foolish enough to attempt to deceive Royalty, a 
 thing not only wicked in itself, but almost certain to lead 
 to exposure and shame, wherever and whenever it may be 
 practised. It will be easily understood that the course 
 which things had taken was a great disappointment to 
 Prince Maraflete, who, after his dream, had made sure that 
 his path would be made easy for him, and that he should 
 readily discover all that had previously been hidden from 
 him. "When princes are disappointed, there is only a 
 choice of evils before them. Either they turn cruel, per- 
 secute their subjects, and make themselves generally dis- 
 agreeable, or they pine away, become melancholy, and not 
 unfrequently die. As the former alternative was impossible 
 to a good and kind-hearted Prince like Maraflete, he not 
 unnaturally took to the latter. He lost his appetite, grew
 
 1 6 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 pale and thin, ceased to be interested or amused by any- 
 thing, gave up riding, scarcely looked at the morning papers, 
 and was utterly careless in his apparel, frequently wear- 
 ing a round hat and shooting-coat on Sundays, and at 
 other times keeping his slippers on all the morning, and 
 constantly forgetting to dress for dinner. All this was 
 observed by the courtiers with regret, and everyone feared 
 that the Prince was in a bad way altogether. 
 
 He was induced by his ministers to consult several doc- 
 tors, each famous for his skill in curing people of some 
 particular disease. As, however, it happened, fortunately 
 or unfortunately, that the Prince had no disease at all save 
 that which was mental, the doctors did him no good, and 
 only damaged their owii reputations by conspicuous failures. 
 Nobody could do anything for the poor young man, and he 
 grew daily thinner and more miserable. One day he had 
 gone as usual to the summer-house, listened to the birds 
 and the stream, vainly sought such a sleep as might take 
 him once more to dreamland, and groaned in spirit at the 
 continued disappointment of his hopes. 
 
 Suddenly he arose, impelled by an uncontrollable desire 
 to go forth from the palace gardens on to the open downs 
 behind the shrubbery. As it is part of the undoubted 
 prerogative of royalty to gratify its desires, whenever they 
 cannot be conveniently controlled, Prince Maraflete forth- 
 with proceeded to follow his inclination, passed through 
 the gate in the park fence which bounded the royal shrub- 
 beries, and stood at the bottom of the downs, up to which 
 an old winding road led through an avenue of oak and 
 yew trees intermixed. Slowly the Prince ascended, and 
 presently the place grew still wilder. Thickets covered 
 the ground, and amid the thickets were continually to be
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 17 
 
 seen open spaces of green grass, in the middle of which 
 cither an oak or a yew reared its noble form. Then came 
 large patches of gorse, which covered the upper side of the 
 hill, and through which the path twisted and turned in 
 several directions. 
 
 The Prince did not care to ascend as high as the gorse, 
 but turned aside to the left, and presently sat down on 
 the grass upon a spot whereon stood together half-a-dozen 
 gigantic yew-trees, casting their shade for some distance 
 around. 
 
 It was a lovely place the rays of the sun flickered 
 through the trees and bushes which fringed the hillside, 
 and lightened the sombre shadows made by the dense 
 branches of the yew-trees without being able to pierce 
 through them. There was scarcely a breath of air stirring ; 
 the little linnets sat on the top of the gorse and on the 
 neighbouring boughs, uttering their sleepy, contented 
 sounds, the sparrows lazily twittered about, and from the 
 wood below came the soft, homely, comfortable cooing of 
 the wood-pigeons. It was the very hour and the veiy 
 place for dreams ; and Prince Maraflete felt that if he was 
 ever to dream again it must be now. Accordingly, he closed 
 his eyes with a resolute determination to sleep, if he could, 
 but had hardly done so when he opened them again in 
 great surprise. Some one was speaking, and speaking very 
 near him, too ; so that when I said he opened his eyes, it 
 was in order to assist his ears, which he had immediate 
 occasion to use. Yes ! there were certainly voices which 
 appeared to come from within or close by the largest of the 
 yew-trees ; and what the voices said was so interesting and 
 astonishing to the Prince that he listened with wrapt 
 attention.
 
 1 8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 " Confound those fellows ! why don't they come ? " 
 said one voice. 
 
 " I can't imagine," replied another. " They never can 
 have forgotten the day, can they ?" 
 
 "No, surely not," said the first voice; "and old Mur- 
 lingford is never late ! " 
 
 At this word the Prince nearly jumped out of his skin, 
 which would have been a pity, since he would never have 
 got another to fit him so well. However, by a violent 
 effort he restrained himself, kept both his skin and his seat, 
 and continued to listen to the conversation which had 
 arrested and rivetted his attention. 
 
 "No," said the other voice, musingly ; " old Murlingford 
 is sure to be true to time. Oh ! here they are." 
 
 And even as he spoke the Prince heard the sound of 
 wheels coming apparently down one of the grassy tracks 
 which traversed the thickets by which the yew-trees were 
 surrounded, and rapidly approaching the latter. At the 
 same time he heard that which was still more important to 
 him, seeing that all this time, whilst he plainly heard the 
 voices, no living thing had been visible to his eyes. One 
 of the voices exclaimed hastily to the other : 
 
 " Now, then, here is a branch of yew let us rub our 
 eyes quickly, that we may see well." 
 
 As soon as the Prince heard these words, it struck 
 him that what made one person see might probably have 
 the same effect upon another ; and he accordingly looked 
 round for a yew-branch, which he had no difficulty in 
 finding, and immediately rubbed it carefully over both his 
 eyes. The effect was instantaneous; the atmosphere 
 appeared to be doubly clear, and he could see doubly well. 
 The first thing he saw was, that the speakers to whom he
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 19 
 
 had been listening were seated upon the other side of the 
 nearest yew tree, and that they were neither more nor less 
 than a hare and a hedgehog. The hare had one fore-leg 
 bandaged up, and was evidently hardly able to walk. She 
 was, however, dressed in holiday costume ; a vest of the 
 finest white cambric surrounded her body, red ribands were 
 tied round each of her legs save that which was bandaged, 
 and a smart little cap with stripes of various colours was 
 jauntily set upon her head. The hedgehog, for his part, was 
 painted entirely of a vivid green, that being the custom of 
 his race when making holiday. 
 
 The two friends were anxiously looking up the hill when 
 the Prince saw them, evidently expecting the arrival of 
 some one or another of their acquaintance, and at this 
 moment an exclamation of " Here he comes ! " burst simul- 
 taneously from the lips of both. Earnestly gazing in the 
 same direction as the two creatures, Prince Maraflete now 
 saw a small carriage rapidly descending one of the tracks 
 on the other side of the yew-trees. It was a low, strong- 
 built little open car, drawn by a couple of black rabbits, 
 evidently well trained to obey whip and rein. In the 
 carriage, however, was seated an individual upon whom the 
 Prince's attention was at once earnestly fixed. It was a 
 little stout man" with a wide-brimmed, low-crowned, glazed 
 black hat upon his head, with a broad yellow riband round 
 the hat. Beneath his hat, as is constantly the case with 
 such people, was his face, which was a red and rosy- 
 cheeked, though somewhat wrinkled, face, wherein two eyes, 
 one on each side of a full-coloured nose, shone and sparkled 
 with a cheerful expression, and underneath a mouth, which 
 seemed always about to laugh, his chin came out into 
 rather a peak, something like Punch, only not so long as 
 
 c 2
 
 20 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the chin which distinguishes that remarkable personage. 
 A blue-spotted handkerchief, wrapped in several folds round 
 his neck, and ornamented by a gigantic gold pin with a 
 fox's head on it, served to set off an ample waistcoat of un- 
 definable colour, which reached very low down over the 
 person of the wearer. A venerable pair of corduroys and 
 top-boots, which had also seen their best days, completed 
 his costume, whilst his name and condition were displayed 
 in gold letters on the side of his cart " Murlingford, 
 cab-driver. Licensed to carry four inside." There were 
 four inside, too, and they were comical passengers enough, 
 for the matter of that. The front seats were occupied by a 
 jay, with its wing in a sling, as if it had been recently 
 broken, and an elderly rabbit, one of whose feet had been 
 cut off by a trap, whilst opposite to these sat a venerable 
 mole, fresh from his usual earth-grubbing occupation, and a 
 small fieldmouse, who by his constant and joyous squeaks 
 showed that he was out for a holiday. The cab drove rapidly 
 up to the foot of the tree where the hare and hedgehog were 
 sitting, and then the driver pulled up and touched his hat 
 civilly as he assisted his passengers to alight. Having done 
 this, they instantly began to salute the two creatures whom 
 they had apparently come to see, whilst Murlingford stood 
 patting his rabbits with calm satisfaction. Up to this time 
 the Prince had been really struck dumb with astonishment, 
 but the vehicle, the appearance of the man, and, above all, 
 the sight of his name on the cab, all convinced him that he 
 had at last found the individual for whom he had so 
 anxiously sought, and he could keep silence no longer. 
 Springing to his feet, and still clasping firmly the branch of 
 the yew tree with which he had rubbed his eyes to such 
 good purpose, he shouted aloud, " Murlingford ! " As
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 21 
 
 soon as lie had done so a cry of alarm proceeded from all 
 the animals. The hare hobbled off on three legs into the 
 bushes without a moment's delay ; the hedgehog also 
 scuttled off as fast as he could, the jay hid behind a 
 bramble, the rabbit crept into a hole hard by, the field- 
 mouse went under the root of the tree, and the mole ran 
 wildly to and fro, and presently concealed himself under a 
 heap of leaves. But Murlingford showed no signs of the 
 alarm which seemed to have possessed his friends and pas- 
 sengers. Turning round to see who had called him, he at 
 once perceived Prince Maraflete, and, respectfully touching 
 his hat, asked him what his pleasure might be? The 
 Prince was still so surprised at the whole occurrence, that 
 for a moment he could make no reply ; then, taking a step 
 forward, he eagerly exclaimed 
 
 "Are you Murlingford, the cab-driver?" 
 
 " At your service, sir," replied the little man, with a 
 roguish but not unfriendly twinkle of the eye. 
 
 " Then I have found you ! " joyfully cried the Prince. 
 
 ''Not a doubt of it, sir/' rejoined the other, twinkling 
 again with some vehemence. 
 
 " How is it that I have never found you before ? " asked 
 the young man. 
 
 "Never looked in the right place, I expect, sir." 
 
 "That must be it," said the Prince, thoughtfully ; "but 
 now that we have met, I have to ask your help. I am 
 Prince Maraflete." 
 
 "There arc no princes out on the Free Downs," inter- 
 rupted the other " we are all equals here. I am. 
 Murlingford, the cab-driver, and for two hundred years I 
 have driven the old, lame, and feeble animals to and fro to 
 visit their friends, and get fresh air. Perhaps I shall do so
 
 22 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 for two hundred years more, but not if anybody sets himself 
 up as a prince or a ruler over me." 
 
 ''I did not mean to do so," hastily rejoined the Prince ; 
 " for, although I am the sovereign of this kingdom, I have 
 no doubt that you belong to a class of persons who are not 
 required to own mortal sovereigns. I only meant to tell 
 you who I am when I am at home." 
 
 " But I suppose you are the same person when you are 
 out?" asked Murlingford, with a malicious twinkle. 
 
 " Certainly," responded Prince Maraflete ; " but I do not 
 claim the same authority, and from you I only ask a 
 favour." 
 
 The little man took off his hat, disclosing as he did so a 
 coloured pocket-handkerchief in the crown of it. "With this 
 he carefully mopped his brow, as if suffering from heat, and 
 continued this interesting operation as he listened quietly to 
 the Prince. 
 
 " I hope," continued the latter, " that you will be able 
 and willing to do me this favour." 
 
 "That depends on what it is," calmly observed the 
 other. 
 
 " I want you" continued the Prince, " to introduce me 
 to the haggister." 
 
 " Introduce you to the haggister ! " exclaimed Murling- 
 ford in a surprised tone of voice. " Why, what sort of a 
 favour do you call that, I should like to know ? and what 
 made you come to me for it ? " 
 
 "I was told to do so in a dream," answered Prince 
 Maraflete ; " and I have been searching for you ever since, 
 and at last almost began to believe that there was no such 
 person as you in the world." 
 
 "I don't know what you mean ly 'the world' as if
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 23 
 
 there was only one," replied Murlingford. " There are a 
 great many worlds, if you only knew the fact. There is the 
 world of animals, the world of birds, the world of insects, 
 the world of fishes, and a number more worlds of different 
 degrees of importance. But you princes do not know more 
 than other people, I find, and indeed very often not so 
 much, because you look upon common things from an 
 elevation which causes you to see them through a mist 
 which prevents your clearly discerning and understanding 
 them. Because you could not find me, forsooth, you 
 thought I did not exist. Let me tell you that there are a 
 great many things which exist, in the existence of which 
 you and other foolish mortals do not believe, or only half 
 believe. / have existed, thank God, for a great number of 
 years, although you never might have known it or have 
 seen me, if you had not happened to have sat under these 
 yew-trees upon a Thursday, which enabled you to hear and 
 understand the animals, and to have rubbed your eyes with 
 the yew-branch which gave you the power of seeing me. 
 But you will not do so long, since I have my business to 
 attend to. My work is to help the weak and suffering 
 among animals ; and, as soon as I have got back to the 
 top of the hill, I am bound by a promise to go and help a 
 lame dog over a stile. Before I do so, however, I will 
 certainly oblige you by bringing you to speak with the 
 haggister, though why you should require it I cannot think. 
 But, anyhow, I like to hear you call the creature by the 
 good old-fashioned name, instead of Magpie, which, though 
 more common, is not half so pretty." 
 
 The Prince stared in astonishment : he had never hither- 
 to known that " haggister " and magpie meant the same 
 thing, and being well aware of the habitual shyness of the
 
 24 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 bird, lie foresaw some difficulty in obtaining a confidential 
 interview with it, and at once expressed his fears upon the 
 subject to Murlingford. 
 
 "Do not you be afraid, friend Prince," rejoined the 
 latter ; " there is a verse to be said, and a certain civility 
 to be performed, after which you will find the haggister 
 perfectly reasonable and full of talk, not to say chatter." 
 
 Then drawing from his car a couple of glasses, he poured 
 into each some liquor from a flask which he next produced, 
 and then, handing one of the glasses to the Prince, thus 
 continued : 
 
 "]>Tow take off your hat and repeat the words I say; 
 at the word ' once ' take a sip at your glass, another at 
 ' twice,' and be sure to finish your glass at the last line, 
 also taking care to bow civilly to the bird when she 
 appears." 
 
 Then Murlingford sang to a sing-song tune, the fol- 
 lowing words, which the Prince carefully sang after him : 
 
 " A pie sat on a pear-tree, 
 A pie sat on a pear-tree, 
 A pie sat on a pear-tree, 
 
 Sing hi, sing ho, sing he. 
 Once so merrily hopp'd she, 
 Twice so merrily hopp'd she. 
 Thrice so merrily hopp'd she, 
 Sing hi, sing ho, sing he." 
 
 At the word " once," Murlingford took a largo sip at his 
 glass, the Prince dutifully following his example ; they 
 repeated the process at the word "twice," and finished off 
 their glasses manfully by the last "hopp'd she " ; although 
 the Piince, as his glass was large, and Murlingford sang
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 25 
 
 quickly, nearly choked himself in the attempt. Scarcely 
 had they performed this feat, when a magpie suddenly 
 appeared, sitting upon the bough of a thorn-tree hard by. 
 The Prince instantly made her a low bow, according to the 
 instructions of his companion. The bird, however, did not 
 seem inclined to stand upon ceremony, and required no 
 introduction, for she began to chatter away " nineteen to 
 the dozen," as the saying is. 
 
 " Sheeps' heads and lambs' eyes ! " she cried ; " what a 
 row you two fellows are making out here on the downs 
 with your singing and what not ! Why, 'tis old Murling- 
 ford, I do declare ! Well, my old buck, and what are 
 you up to ? Glad to see you anyhow, my cheery one, 
 twinkling your ancient eye as usual, and ready for a lark, 
 I'll be bound. Now don't you look at me as if you 
 thought I meant mischief. I don't I really don't I 
 don't indeed. But I will if you tease me. I'll have your 
 rabbits' eyes. Take care ! " and the bird broke off into 
 a merry chuckle at the idea of enjoying her favourite feast 
 at the expense of Murlingford's team. 
 
 The worthy cab-driver took it, as it was meant, as a joke, 
 and at once replied : 
 
 "I'll tell the keepers of ye, I will ! " and then they 
 both laughed together, after which Murlingford went on to 
 say: 
 
 " Here is a gentleman who is by way of being a Prince 
 in the man- world down here, and who wants the honour 
 of an introduction to you. I am sure you will help 
 him if you can, for he seems a decent kind of fellow 
 enough." 
 
 With these words Murlingford turned short on his heel, 
 gave a little nod to the Prince, as much as to say, " I'm
 
 26 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 glad to have done you a good turn," and then, without 
 more ado, stepped into his car, touched his rabhits with the 
 whip, and in another moment was out of sight. 
 
 Prince Maraflete had no time to speak to him again, or 
 indeed to think of anybody or anything else but the 
 magpie, who, as soon as Murlingford had taken his de- 
 parture, turned upon him with a friendly look and began 
 to talk directly. 
 
 "He doesn't give us much of his company, does he? 
 A good old fellow, too, Murlingford, and no friend to those 
 dratted keepers. Why, I've known that chap to take 
 stoats and weasels out of number, let alone birds, out of 
 those brutal traps. He is such an one for animals, he is ! 
 I suppose he is a friend of yours, master Prince, if that's 
 your name or nature, for I didn't rightly understand which. 
 Well, you're dressed pretty fine for the downs, anyhow! 
 One would think it was Epsom Downs, where you men 
 have your swell racings, instead of our quiet, pleasant, 
 rough, wooded downs thank goodness it is not, though! 
 I was up at Epsom one year when those races were going 
 on. Pretty high up I flew, you may believe ; but oh ! the 
 screeching and shouting and hullibaloo there was there, 
 and the fresh air spoiled with bad tobacco, and the quiet 
 turned into a racket and noise, and the green grass trodden 
 bare oh, it was no place for an honest haggister to be at, 
 I can tell you. These are jolly downs, an't they ? Fresh 
 and green, and pleasant, and quiet ! A first-rate place, 
 this is ! Now I wonder what brings you here, young man. 
 I don't suppose you're after any mischief. Why are you 
 all alone ? It is bad for a fellow to be solitary. Why 
 haven't you brought your sweetheart out for a walk? 
 Perhaps you haven't got one. Ha, ha! Well, there's
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 27 
 
 plenty of time, no doubt. But I wonder why you are here, 
 and under the wise yew-trees, too ! I call them ' wise/ 
 you know, because there is so much wisdom to be learned 
 under them. How did you know that, though, I wonder ? 
 Oh, I suppose Murlingford told you, since you're a friend 
 of his. He knows everything, he does." 
 
 The bird rattled on at such a pace, that the poor Prince 
 began to despair of being ever able to get a word in, but at 
 this point he determined to make a bold effort. 
 
 " Madam," he began, " I have come to see you " 
 
 " To see me, have you," broke in the magpie hastily. 
 " And very polite of you, too, I must say, young man. 
 But you don't want me for your sweetheart, do you ? Ha, 
 ha ! I know I'm a good looking bird, and perhaps not 
 altogether a dull companion, but it can't be that! But 
 talking of companions, you've no notion what good society 
 we have here on the downs. The very wisest of owls lives 
 in one of these yew-trees, and then we have several hawks, 
 and quite a number of pigeons and doves, and several 
 pheasants and partridges, beside one or two others of my 
 own family. These are the aristocracy, you understand; 
 and then there are a lot of those second-rate people, the 
 jays ; and as to blackbirds, and thrushes, and such-like, 
 their name is legion. Oh, it is a very nice place indeed 
 to live in, and I really do declare that if I had my 
 choice of all the world, I would rather be here than 
 anywhere ! " 
 
 At this point the Prince made another attempt to obtain 
 a hearing. 
 
 " I wanted to see you, madam," he said, "in order to 
 ask you if -" 
 
 " My dear sir," interrupted the bird, "you may ask me
 
 28 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 anything you please indeed, you may. I do assure you 
 that if there is one thing on which we haggisters pride 
 ourselves more than another, it is our readiness to answer 
 questions, and to give every information in our power to 
 those who seek it. Why, indeed, should it be otherwise ? 
 Why, for instance, should I, who am a friend (let me call 
 myself so) of the worthy Murlingford, refuse to answer any 
 question which you, another friend of the good fellow, 
 might wish to ask ? What object could I have in doing 
 so? I fairly say, none. There is a pleasure, too, in telling 
 other people things which ice know, and they do not 
 I don't mean the feeling of superiority to which such 
 a position gives rise. That, I know, ought not to be 
 encouraged, but there is a sense of satisfaction in being 
 useful, which is most gratifying to those who are able to 
 feel it, and " 
 
 "Pray, dear madam," cried the Prince, interrupting 
 her, "will you be so very kind as to allow me to ask 
 you " 
 
 " Of course I will," went on the bird, " that is just what 
 I am saying, and you need not have interrupted me to say 
 that. It is rude to interrupt people when they are talking, 
 and depend upon it no one ever gains anything by being 
 rude. I always make it mij rule to be civil to every one. 
 I am sure it is the best plan ; long experience has taught 
 me so. I would advise you always to do the same, young 
 man. Xow you have really made me almost forget what 
 I w r as saying. Let me see about asking questions, so it 
 was " 
 
 Here the Prince once more interposed. 
 
 " Yes, madam, and if you would only be so kind as to 
 listen for one moment "
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 29 
 
 " There is no one so good or at least none better at 
 listening," chimed in the magpie before he had gone any 
 further ; " I v r as always famous for it, and I think it is most 
 decidedly a mark of good breeding. I hate great talkative 
 chattering fellows that will never let you get a word in. 
 Now a jay is a dreadful creature for talking. / like the 
 quiet creatures that talk but little themselves, and whose 
 little is always to the point. Now the Nibblers are the sort 
 of people / like. There is no chattering about them, but 
 they eat up their supper quietly, and enjoy the fresh air, 
 and will sit listening to you as long as you choose to talk 
 to them." 
 
 As soon as Prince Maraflete heard the word " Nibblers," 
 he pricked up his ears at once, and at the very first pause 
 hurriedly exclaimed, 
 
 " Who are the Nibblers, dear madam ? I do so want 
 to know them; that is the reason I asked to be intro- 
 duced to you, as I was told you could help me if you 
 would." 
 
 "Why didn't you say so before? " asked the bird quite 
 hastily, " instead of jabbering on as you have been doing. 
 What a lot of precious time you've wasted by not coming to 
 the point at once. I do like people to come to the point at 
 once, instead of standing for half an hour talking about 
 nothing. The Nibblers ! Of course I know them ; know 
 them well, too. Men and women call them rabbits, but 
 that is a vulgar name, and means nothing; whereas 
 ' Nibblers ' conveys the idea of the animal, whose favourite 
 amusement is to nibble young grass unless it can get 
 cabbage or parsley, either of which it likes better. But 
 the Nibblers will never speak to you unless you understand 
 how to approach them. They have a habit of scuttling away
 
 30 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 into tlieir holes when they see a man, and there is only one 
 way to get at them." 
 
 " Oh, do tell me what it is ; " eagerly asked the Prince. 
 
 "Yes," replied the magpie somewhat peevishly, "if you 
 will hut let one speak I will ; but you go on talking as if 
 nobody else had a tongue but you. What you have to do 
 is not very difficult. Keep your right hand over your left 
 eye as you approach the Nibblers, and when I turn to you 
 as a signal that you may speak, accost the largest of them 
 you can see, who will probably, be one of their chiefs, and 
 say in a clear voice : 
 
 ' Sons of Parsley, who by night 
 Tender plants and shrublings bite, 
 Since I mean your race no wrong, 
 Speak to me with friendly tongue.' " 
 
 The Prince listened attentively to these words, and at the 
 magpie's desire, carefully learned them by heart. She then 
 told him to follow her, which he accordingly did, and she 
 flew slowly from tree to tree, stopping to have a chatter with 
 him whenever he came up, until he thought they would never 
 get to their journey's end. However, as he was afraid to 
 offend the bird, lest she should fly off in a huff and refuse 
 to help him, he bore the delay with as much patience as he 
 was able, and after a little while they arrived at some 
 scattered hawthorn trees, around which were many rabbits, 
 seated outside a number of holes which betokened that 
 this was a great rabbits' earth. 
 
 "There are the Nibblers ! " cried the magpie; but the 
 Prince did not think they gave her a very warm reception, 
 which perhaps arose from the fact of birds of her race being
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 31 
 
 more than suspected of a partiality for young rabbits as an 
 article of food, and being confessedly prone to pick out the 
 eyes of a dead or wounded rabbit when an opportunity for 
 so doing happened to occur. At all events, whatever might 
 have been the reason, the behaviour of the rabbits showed 
 no particular delight on their part at seeing the magpie 
 and her companion. Some of them drew in their heads 
 which had been peering out above their holes, so that 
 nothing but the tips of their ears were visible, and pre- 
 sently withdrew even these from sight. Others began to 
 drum violently upon the ground with their fore-feet at 
 short intervals, as if warning each other to look out, whilst 
 some sat up on their hind quarters and stared at the new 
 comers as if prepared to take flight at the shortest notice. 
 
 " Ferrets and weasels take them ! " whispered the mag- 
 pie to the Prince. " What fools these Nibblers are ! If it 
 wasn't for their eyes I should wish there were no such 
 animals. But never mind, it will be all right presently, on 
 the word of a haggister." 
 
 So saying, she flew forward, and perching on a stone 
 near one of the hawthorn trees, began to chatter away at a 
 fine rate, and so fast, that the Prince could hardly make 
 out what she said, only that he saw she nodded towards 
 him, and could plainly distinguish the word " Murlingford," 
 by which he came to the conclusion that she was pointing 
 him out as a friend of that worthy and respected individual. 
 Anyhow, her conversation seemed to satisfy the rabbits, 
 who remained outside their castles, and showed no more 
 symptoms of disquietude. The magpie seemed to address 
 herself particularly to one old buck rabbit, who seemed 
 larger than the rest, and who wore a sprig of parsley cocked 
 jauntily behind his left ear. So when she presently winked
 
 32 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 at the Prince as a signal that he might speak, it was to this 
 animal that he looked, as he advanced with his right hand 
 over his left eye, and carefully repeated the lines which he 
 had been taught by the magpie. That excellent bird, mean- 
 while, having interrupted him by remarking that she had 
 an appointment with a carrion crow relative to a sheep that 
 had lately died, left him to mind his own affairs, and flew 
 off in a zig-zag flight up the hill. 
 
 Having repeated his verse without a single mistake, 
 Prince Maraflete stood opposite the old buck rabbit, eager 
 to hear his reply. The rabbit appeared by no means 
 anxious to make one ; he gravely elevated one of his fore- 
 paws and scratched himself behind the ear ; then he per- 
 formed the same ceremony with regard to his side by means 
 of one of his hind legs ; then he drummed pensively on the 
 ground for full half a minute, and at last turned his head 
 languidly round towards the Prince, and exclaimed, in a 
 tone of voice which led one to believe that he was not par- 
 ticularly interested in the matter : 
 
 "Why not? My name is Bufflekins, and I am the 
 oldest Nibbler on the downs." 
 
 At most times this announcement would have been 
 received by the Prince with the most profound indifference, 
 and even now it seemed somewhat superfluous. But as it 
 was made in answer to the last line of his verse, which 
 entreated the Nibblers to speak to him " with friendly 
 tongue," it was of no little interest to our hero, and he at 
 once inferred that not only was the speaker ready to com- 
 ply with his request, but that his position, as the oldest of 
 his race upon the downs, would probably enable him to 
 speak with weight and authority, and as one who knew all 
 about the matter on which he would be questioned. So as
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 33 
 
 soon as the words were out of his lips, Prince Maraflete 
 earnestly replied : 
 
 "Most excellent Bufflekins, I am indeed pleased to 
 have made your acquaintance. My object is simple. I 
 am told that the Bilberry men have possession of a secret 
 which it is of the greatest importance for me to discover, 
 and that you can help me to obtain what I want." 
 
 The rabbit gave a long, low whistle at these words. 
 
 " Oh, ho ! " he said, and then remained silent for a full 
 minute, as if pondering deeply over the communication 
 which he had just received ; then he spoke again in a tone 
 little less indifferent than before. " The Bilberry men will 
 tell you nothing," he said, " unless you catch them off their 
 guard." 
 
 " I know it, I know it," said the Prince eagerly ; " but 
 how am I to do it, when I don't even know what a Bil- 
 berry man is ? " 
 
 "A Bilberry man," gravely replied the rabbit, "is a per- 
 son who lives principally upon bilberries, and he is generally 
 on his guard so carefully, that he can only be caught off it 
 by those who know his habits as well as our Nibblers do. 
 Nets and ferrets ! J know all about it." 
 
 " What is to be done ? How am I to do it ? " earnestly 
 inquired the Prince. 
 
 " Well," responded the rabbit, " I should not think it 
 right or fair to tell every chance-comer ; but as you are a 
 friend of our good Murlingford, I have no objection to give 
 you the information you desire. After all, the matter is 
 not very difficult. The Bilberry men are always most off 
 their guard when they have had their dinner, especially if 
 it be a more hearty one than usual. Now do you go a little 
 further on the downs and gather as many bilberries as you
 
 34 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 can manage in the next hour or so. Do the same thing 
 to-morrow morning, and go on doing it until you have 
 gathered a large quantity. Then come out to-morrow 
 evening before the moon is up, and put your bilberries in 
 heaps a little way off from the big yew-tree where the 
 haggister says she first saw you to-day. Hide behind the 
 yew-trees then, and wait quietly to see what happens. If 
 any creatures come and eat your bilberries, you will see 
 them from your hiding-place. Do not interrupt them ; let 
 them eat their fill, and when they have done so, your 
 opportunity will have arrived. Step boldly forward, taking 
 great care to put out your right leg first at every step, 
 drawing the left up to it. Then exclaim in a loud voice 
 as you advance : 
 
 " Robin a bobbin a bilberry ben, 
 
 Ate so much flesh in his time, 
 That every one of the Bilberry men 
 Must live upon bilberries only, and then 
 Must tell every secret he has in his ken, 
 
 When fairly demanded in rhyme." 
 
 " If you say these lines correctly (anfl in order that you 
 may do so I will at once repeat them again) you will find 
 the Bilberry men most civil, and ready as indeed they 
 are bound to be by their laws to give you every informa- 
 tion you desire if you will only ask it in rhyme." 
 
 The rabbit then said over the verse to the Prince several 
 times very slowly, until at last he had it quite by heart. 
 Then he warmly thanked the rabbit for what he had told 
 him, and asked whether there was any return he could 
 make for his kindness. The rabbit gravely shook his head. 
 
 " I like parsley," he said in a mournful tone, " and 
 scarcely get as much of it as I desire; but I could not
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 35 
 
 receive payment for any service 'rendered to a friend of 
 Murlingford. Anything you could do to alleviate the 
 sufferings of my persecuted race would be a personal favour 
 to me ; but I fear this is beyond your power. If you could 
 abolish weasels, exterminate ferrets, and burst all the guns 
 in the world, I feel sure that other enemies, equally hateful, 
 would speedily spring up to prevent the enormous multipli- 
 cation of our race, which would otherwise follow. No ; 
 the Nibblers must continue to suffer. Something, however, 
 you might do to show your sympathy with us. There are 
 many ways in which we are served up to gratify the palates 
 and satisfy the appetites of mankind. We expect to be 
 roasted : in a pie we are at least respectably placed. "We 
 know we are calculated to adorn a pudding, and our limbs 
 in a fricassee do us no discredit. But we feel I do confess we 
 do feel the indignity of being simply boiled and eaten with 
 onion sauce. Avoid hereafter the infliction of this disgrace 
 upon any members of my race who may be brought within 
 the influence of your ^kitchen arrangements, and you will 
 have done something to repay the little service which has 
 been rendered you by Bufflekins." 
 
 The rabbit ceased, and the Prince, who cared little for 
 the flesh of a rabbit, and happened to detest onions, imme- 
 diately assured the worthy animal that he would remember 
 his request, and act upon the suggestion therein contained. 
 This appeared entirely to satisfy the rabbit, who, having 
 thanked the Prince for the promptness and courtesy with 
 which he had replied, gravely wished him good-by, and 
 disappeared dowTi the nearest hole. 
 
 Prince Maraflete now saw his way clearly before him. 
 Indeed, one great comfort throughout the day had been 
 that there had been no doubt or mystery in any of the
 
 36 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 directions which had been given him. The first great diffi- 
 culty having once been surmounted by the finding of 
 Murlingford, all the rest had, so far, been plain sailing, and 
 there was now another simple thing to be done, which he 
 determined to do with as little delay as possible. He 
 therefore proceeded at once to the higher part of the 
 downs, on which bilberries grew in profusion amongst the 
 heather, and for the next hour occupied himself in picking 
 them. He would gladly have gone on doing so all the 
 rest of the day, but the rabbit had told him to resume his 
 occupation on the next morning, and therefore he only went 
 on picking for an hour, especially as he had nothing to 
 carry them in except his hat and pocket-handkerchief, as 
 putting them into his pockets would have resulted in spoil- 
 ing both his clothes and the fruit at the same time. He 
 gathered a good many in his hour, and, having carried 
 them down towards the yew-trees, covered them up with 
 grass and heather, and left them for the night. Then 
 Prince Maraflete went home, terribly anxious about the 
 result of next day's adventure. He heartily wished that 
 the delay of twenty-four hours could have been avoided, 
 but was sensible enough to know that it was best to obey 
 implicitly the directions of Bufflekins, and accordingly 
 restrained his impatience as well as he could. He was, 
 however, up betimes in the morning; and, in order to 
 secure enough bilberries, directed the whole of the female 
 part of his establishment to assist in the gathering. They 
 were rather surprised at the order, but by no means averse 
 to a holiday on the downs, whereon some thirty or forty 
 damsels were assembled at an early hour, and before 
 dinner-time had collected in clothes-bags an amount of 
 bilberries such as probably has never been gathered at
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 37 
 
 once cither before or since. The Prince accompanied the 
 expedition and worked manfully with them ; and when he 
 saw the quantity which had been gathered, he was amply 
 satisfied with the energy and activity which had been dis- 
 played. He therefore dismissed the party, telling them to 
 leave their bags of bilberries on the downs, whence he 
 would send to fetch them, and promising to give them a 
 dance very shortly, by way of reward, for having so 
 promptly executed his commands. This sent them away 
 so highly delighted, that they forgot the somewhat extra- 
 ordinary nature of the task they had been told to perform, 
 to the neglect of their ordinary duties, and could talk of 
 nothing else but the dance for the rest of the week. 
 
 Meanwhile Prince Maraflete, having returned to the 
 palace and eaten a hasty luncheon, once more approached 
 the downs full of hopes and fears strangely intermingled in 
 his royal bosom. Fortunately for him, however, he had no 
 time to waste in musing and wondering over what was 
 going to happen. There was the work of several hours 
 before him, to bring down bag after bag of bilberries, empty 
 them out under the yew-trees, arrange them carefully into 
 heaps, and then carry off the bags and hide them at some 
 distance from the place. All this took him until quite late 
 in the afternoon, by which time he had the pleasure of 
 contemplating twelve good-sized heaps of bilberries, arranged 
 beneath the yew-trees in circular form, and bearing good evi- 
 dence of the fidelity and completeness with which the direc- 
 tions of the venerable Nibbler had been carried out. Then 
 the Prince hid himself behind one of the yew-trees. The sun 
 was setting, but there was still light, and the moon would 
 not be up for several hours. But he was too anxious to 
 go home to dinner, and had, in fact, left word that he
 
 38 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 should not dine at the palace that night. A chicken sand- 
 wich and a flask of old Madeira were all the dinner which 
 Prince Maraflete partook of that evening, and with these 
 he whiled away the time beneath the yew tree until the sun 
 had nearly set ; then he waited for some time without 
 seeing anything. 
 
 The shades of night fell fast around him ; the birds had 
 ceased their songs not a twitter was heard even from a 
 restless sparrow ; the gnats no longer hummed around the 
 branches over his head ; silence reigned over the whole face 
 of Creation, and all Nature was seeking quiet and repose. 
 The silver light of the moon, imperfectly seen at first, now 
 began to get stronger and stronger, and gradually lit up the 
 woods and downs with a soft, mellow light, which filled the 
 Prince with sweet and melancholy feelings as he gazed 
 upon the exceeding beauty with which it endued everything 
 which it touched. There is something melancholy even in 
 the very loveliness of moonlight, for it is a marked contrast 
 with the bright, cheerful light of the sun, just as the peaceful 
 beauty of an exquisitely chiselled marble statue contrasts 
 with the beauty of a human form still animated by life and 
 soul. 
 
 The Prince had now waited several hours, and would 
 doubtless have felt very impatient, but that something 
 seemed to tell him that his watching would soon be re- 
 warded. He had been told by the Nibblers to be at the 
 appointed spot before the moon was up. This, he thought, 
 plainly indicated that anything which was to happen would 
 do so ichen the moon was up. That certainly was the case 
 now. He would still wait patiently, and hope for the best. 
 So he waited and watched a little while longer, and then, 
 all of a sudden, there took place something which filled his
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 
 
 39 
 
 heart with joy. Out from a holly-bush there stepped a 
 little man a very little man about two feet high. He 
 was dressed in a close-fitting coat of dark green, with 
 shiny black buttons, his trousers and leggings were appa- 
 rently made of dark-coloured velvet, and he had close- 
 fitting red morocco shoes upon his feet. His head was of a 
 remarkably round shape ; his black hair curled round it in 
 a curiously regular manner. He wore no hat or cap, and a 
 red handkerchief completed his attire. The expression 
 upon his face was not unpleasant on the contrary, there 
 was a gentle but timid look about his eyes, and his small 
 features were regular, and agreeable to look upon. He 
 crept out into the space beneath the yew-trees, and looked 
 round him with a wistful air. He peered up into the 
 branches above his head, then he looked to the right, then 
 to the left, and, all of a sudden, he perceived the heaps of 
 bilberries. He took a step backwards in astonishment, and 
 almost immediately afterwards exclaimed, in a shrill, but 
 musical tone of voice, 
 
 " Eh ! Free feastings ! Free feastings ! Fillbelly 
 Bilberry ! Fillbelly Bilberry ! " 
 
 Scarcely were the words out of his mouth when another 
 little man came hurrying in from the other side, then 
 another and another, until Prince Maraflete counted twelve 
 of the small people assembled together beneath the yew- 
 trees. But the most extraordinary thing was, that they 
 were all so exactly alike that no one could have told one 
 from another of them. They had all precisely the same 
 dress, the same hair, and the same features, and they all 
 behaved exactly in the same manner. They looked at the 
 bilberry heaps, then they shook each other warmly and 
 affectionately by the hand, as if to congratulate themselves
 
 40 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 upon the discovery, and then, without more ado, each little 
 man sat himself down opposite a heap, and hegan to eat the 
 bilberries with a palpable sense of enjoyment, which it was 
 really pleasant to witness. For a moment the Prince 
 thought that the Bilberry men for these were evidently 
 the people whom he sought were now sufficiently off their 
 guard to be accosted, but he was not forgetful of the old 
 rabbit's instructions, and therefore restrained his impatience, 
 remembering that the proper time of action would not 
 arrive until the strange little men had had their dinner, 
 and that, moreover, it was evidently probable that to inter- 
 rupt them in the midst of it might put them out of temper, 
 and thus produce results very different from those which he 
 desired. 
 
 So he still waited quietly behind the yew tree, whilst 
 the Bilberry men ate as if they had never had such a 
 dinner before. They kept up a running fire of conversa- 
 tion as they did so, but Prince Maraflete could not make 
 out what they said, though he was pretty sure that they 
 expressed satisfaction at having discovered a repast ready 
 to their hand, and some surprise at anyone having been so 
 kind as to prepare it. At last one of them jumped up, ran 
 into the thicket, and returned with water, which he brought 
 in an old tin cover of a box, which seemed to have belonged 
 to a box of biscuits, and had probably been thrown down 
 by some ore after a pic-nic on the downs, with very little 
 idea that it would ever be made use of as a drinking vessel 
 for the Bilberry men. They all drank the water with as 
 much relish as if it had been the finest wine, and then they 
 fell to at the bilberries again, until each little man had 
 almost or quite finished his heap. Then they began to 
 stretch themselves out, and pick up scattered bilberries, and
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 41 
 
 put them in their mouths one at a time, and occasionally 
 yawn, and, in short, to give all the usual signs of having 
 finished a very satisfactory dinner. 
 
 Prince Maraflete now felt that the critical moment had 
 arrived, and that he must make the attempt upon which so 
 much depended. Accordingly he hesitated no longer, but, 
 bearing in mind the old rabbit's directions, he stepped forth 
 from behind the yew-tree, putting his right leg well 
 forward, and drawing his left leg after it. At the second 
 step he took thus he was clear of the tree, and full in sight 
 of the dinner-party, each of whom began to start to his legs 
 directly, whilst a look of terror came over the faces of all, so 
 ludicrously alike in each case that at another time the 
 Prince would have died of laughing. But he had no 
 thoughts of laughing now. Taking his third step quickly 
 forward as before, he instantly spoke as he had been told : 
 
 " Robin, a bobbin a bilberry benn, 
 
 Ate so much flesh in his time, 
 That every one of the Bilberry men 
 Must live upon bilberries only, and then 
 Must tell every secret he has in his ken, 
 
 When fairly demanded in rhyme." 
 
 As soon as ever he had thus spoken, the look of terror 
 vanished from the faces of the little men, and they all 
 quietly resumed their seats, muttering to themselves words 
 which indicated that they were no longer afraid of the 
 intruder. Encouraged by this reception, Prince Maraflete 
 advanced one step nearer, and thus continued his speech : 
 
 " Tell me, pray tell nie, good Bilberry men, 
 Since Fate to your ken all discloses,
 
 42 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 How did it happen, and wherefore and when, 
 
 That I was endowed with two noses ? 
 Tell me the fate of my parents so dear, 
 
 My father and mother departed, 
 Make to me shortly their history clear, 
 
 Since ye are both good and kindhearted. 
 Since that one nose is enough for a man, 
 
 Why should my organ be double 1 
 Help me, dear Bilberry men, if ye can, 
 
 Soon to be quit of my trouble ! " 
 
 He spoke, and for a moment the little men earnestly 
 whispered together; after which one of them, looking 
 kindly at the Prince, forthwith hegan to accost him in the 
 most friendly manner, and in the following words : 
 
 " Your father was a worthy king, 
 
 Your mother quite a duck, 
 When her as bride he home did bring, 
 
 He thought him much in luck. 
 They lived as happy as could be, 
 
 Till near a year was past, 
 But mortal happiness, you see, 
 
 Is seldom apt to last. 
 The wicked giant, Blunderfel, 
 
 To works of mischief prone, 
 Eesolved by potent charm and spell 
 
 To make the queen his own. 
 Rejected by the charming bride, 
 
 At last it came to this 
 He caught her on the mountain side, 
 
 And strove to snatch a kiss. 
 Your father was a valiant man, 
 
 In mighty wrath he rose ! 
 As only angry husband can, 
 
 He tweak'd the giant's nose.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 43 
 
 The coward, howling, fled away, 
 
 But took a solemn oath, 
 He'd be revenged, on early day, 
 
 Upon your parents both. 
 He went to witches, bad and black, 
 
 He doubtless paid them dear, 
 And when again he hurried back, 
 
 His mischief did appear. 
 The evil he had deeply sworn, 
 
 It was not hard to trace, 
 For you, poor prince, were shortly born, 
 
 "With that unlucky face. 
 The giant swore that since your sire 
 
 His nose had half undone, 
 He soon should see (oh, vengeance dire ! 
 
 Two noses on his son. 
 Nor thus the wretch was satisfied ! 
 
 By poison rank and keen, 
 Through his device your parents died, 
 
 The monarch and his queen. 
 For this, alas ! since death is strong, 
 
 No spell can work a cure, 
 But as regards the other wrong, 
 
 Your remedy is sure. 
 If you our precepts will obey, 
 
 You'll triumph o'er your foes, 
 And also find a certain way 
 
 To shunt your extra nose. 
 The cruel giant, Blunderfel, 
 
 Lives by the ocean shore, 
 He loves to sniff the briny smell, 
 
 And hear the waters roar. 
 And to his cave that wondrous knave 
 
 Doth lure both great and small, 
 Who enters once can no man save, 
 
 For he devours them all. 
 'Tis left to you, good Prince and true, 
 
 A great revenge to take, 
 And give the wicked wretch his due, 
 
 For both your parents' sake."
 
 44 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Here the Bilberry man paused, as if to take breath, of 
 which he was probably in want, having uttered the above 
 words with great rapidity. The Prince had listened, as we 
 may well believe, with rapt attention, and as soon as the 
 little man stopped he instantly broke in with the following 
 words : 
 
 " Oh, teach me, kind friends, since the secret ye know, 
 Oh, teach me the way to bamboozle my foe : 
 Oh, let me revenge my dear parents, and, then, 
 For ever I'll favour the Bilberry men ! " 
 
 The little man who had first spoken seemed perfectly 
 ready to go on by this time, and as soon as the Prince had 
 said these words, he did so : 
 
 " The way is rather long, you know, 
 
 But take the early train, 
 By noon you'll reach the cavern so 
 
 Next mom come back again. 
 Great caution to you must AVC teach : 
 
 Pray wear no creaking boots ; 
 Beware of walking on the beach, 
 
 Or smoking of cheroots. 
 But walk along the upper road, 
 
 Above the rocky shores, 
 And when you reach the foe's abode, 
 
 Just ask if he's indoors. 
 'Mid sundry caves along that coast, 
 
 His cave you can't mistake, 
 The bones outside, he makes his boast, 
 
 Would make the bravest quake. 
 And there he lives, this giant great, 
 
 A monster for to view. 
 If you don't kill him, sure as fate, 
 
 My boy, he'll settle you ! "
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 45 
 
 Here the little man paused again, and Prince Maraflcto 
 could not help feeling that, although he had doubtless heard 
 the true story of his father and mother's fate, the directions 
 hitherto given him were not sufficiently clear and explicit to 
 enable him to act upon them, since he had neither been told 
 the exact locality in which the giant Blunderfel was to be 
 found, nor how, if at all, his slaughter would affect his own 
 nasal condition. So, determined to be satisfied, he once 
 more tried his hand at a rhyme after the following fashion : 
 
 " Kind Bilberry men, I would dare to inquire 
 
 The name of the cavern and place, 
 Where dwells the foul giant who murdered my sire, 
 
 And sadly disfigured my face ? 
 When found, by what potent enchantment or charm, 
 
 Can I beard the old wretch in his den, \ 
 Prevent him from slaying or working me harm, 
 
 And blot out his name among men ? 
 And if I'm permitted this foe to destroy, 
 
 Pray kindly the secret disclose, 
 How then may I manage my life to enjoy, 
 
 By losing this surplusage nose '?" 
 
 Having thus addressed the little men, Prince Maraflete 
 anxiously awaited their reply, which very soon proceeded 
 in the following words from the same person who had 
 spoken before, and who certainly appeared to be quite as 
 ready to give as the Prince was to ask information : 
 
 " Take train unto the nearest town, 
 
 Then walk unto the right, 
 A man, whose corduroys are brown, 
 
 Will shortly come in sight. 
 You'll want no magic art or spell,. 
 
 Just ask this worthy man, 
 ' Where lives the giant Blunderfel ? ' 
 
 He'll tell you for he can.
 
 46 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Then walk as I have told you, and 
 
 On entering the cave 
 Hold branch of yew-tree in your hand, 
 
 To circumvent the knave. 
 Then tell him who you arc, and say, 
 
 In short but pithy rhymes, 
 That it is your intent to slay 
 
 The monster for his crimes. 
 And if your threatenings he stops, 
 
 Or mischief tries to do, 
 Just shout the war-cry, ' Lollipops ! ' 
 
 And strike him with the yew. 
 Then take his life, with sharpened knife 
 
 Well whetted on a stone, 
 Cut off his nose when closed the strife, 
 
 And clap it on your own, 
 Between your two, if boldly you 
 
 Hold his, and do not fear, 
 Your surplus nose, I tell you true, 
 
 Will shortly disappear. 
 And therefore then, like other men, 
 
 In nose and face you'll be, 
 The dear old yew you'll honour then 
 
 O'er every other tree." 
 
 Here the Bilberry man ceased, and the Prince felt that 
 he had now received all the information which was neces- 
 sary to enable him to proceed upon the expedition which 
 he had already made up his mind to undertake. He there- 
 fore thanked the little men in the neatest verse which he 
 could compose on the moment, and assured them that he 
 should never forget the kindness which they had shown 
 him. They were about to reply, doubtless in appropriate 
 terms, when the distant sound of a cock crowing broke 
 upon their ears, and with hasty glances at each other, 
 which seemed to indicate that they had outstayed their
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 47 
 
 appointed time, they smiled pleasantly upon the Prince, 
 and scuttled off into the bushes as fast as they could. 
 Prince Maraflete made no effort to detain any of them for 
 the purpose of further inquiries, hut, as soon as they had 
 left the place, immediately followed their example. He 
 hastened back to the palace, threw himself upon his bed 
 without undressing, and for the next three hours lay think- 
 ing over the strange things which had happened to him 
 during the last few days. Then he jumped up, undressed, 
 and had a cold bath, which greatly refreshed him ; then he 
 dressed himself again in a suit of shooting- clothes, packed 
 a small carpet-bag, and proceeded to select from his 
 armoury which was very extensive, and contained an 
 enormous variety of weapons of destruction the sharpest 
 knife he could find, which he put into the sheath which 
 belonged to it, and stuck it in his belt. He then chose a 
 grey wide-awake, which he always wore for grouse-driving, 
 and, thus equipped, set out for the railway-station, carrying 
 in his hand a stout staff of yew, which he made out of one 
 of the branches of the largest yew-tree before he started. 
 
 It was rather early, and there were not many people 
 about to recognize him, or annoy him with those manifesta- 
 tions of loyal applause which loving subjects usually bestow 
 upon those who are good enough to reign over them. So 
 Prince Maraflete passed quickly and quietly along, entered 
 the rail way- station with his wide-awake slouched forward 
 so as to conceal his face as much as possible, and, carrying 
 his carpet-bag in his hand, took a ticket for the nearest 
 town, which was close to the sea. When he arrived there, 
 he left his carpet-bag at the station, grasped his yew-stick 
 firmly in his hand, tried his boots carefully to be sure they 
 did not creak, and, taking the right-hand road, marched
 
 4 3 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 boldly forward, leaving the town behind him. Before he 
 had gone half a mile, there suddenly came out of a cross- 
 road a man with a black velveteen coat, and corduroys 
 which were undeniably brown. By this time the Prince 
 had overcome any little doubt or hesitation he might ever 
 have had as to following the various directions he had 
 received from different sources, since all had hitherto gone 
 on well with him. So, without losing a moment, he hailed 
 the man with a loud 
 
 "Halloa!" 
 
 The man turned round directly 
 
 "The same to you, and many of them," said he. 
 " What do you want ? " 
 
 " Pray," said the Prince, " can you tell me where the 
 giant Blunderfel lives ? " 
 
 " Take the first turn to the right," promptly replied the 
 man, " and it will bring you to the upper road which runs 
 level with the beach. The giant's cave is about a mile on 
 to the left, between the road and the sea. You can't 
 miss it." 
 
 With these words he turned away, scarcely waiting to 
 receive the thanks of the Prince, who immediately followed 
 his directions, and, taking the turning which he had pointed 
 out, speedily discovered the upper road, and began to walk 
 along it. It was a good road enough, and very pleasant 
 for a morning walk under ordinary circumstances. On the 
 left hand of the Prince high cliffs towered up towards the 
 sky, sometimes almost perpendicular, and sometimes sloping 
 gradually back from the road at such an angle that an 
 active traveller might have clambered up them if the 
 chalky surface afforded him sufficient hold for his feet. 
 They were chalk cliffs, and shone out white and glittering
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 49 
 
 in the rays of the sun, very trying to the human eye 
 which sought to gaze upon them, unless a friendly mist 
 hung over them, and softened their, dazzling brightness. 
 Upon the Prince's right hand was a space varying from ten 
 to thirty yards, which was occupied here and there hy 
 small patches of vegetation, where from time to time some 
 one had endeavoured to turn the ground to account by way 
 of a garden; here and there by huge boulders of chalk, 
 which seemed to have fallen from above, and to have found 
 a lower resting place. The gardens, however, had evidently 
 been deserted, and there was no dwelling-house near any of 
 ' them, whilst beyond them and the boulders of chalk there 
 was a rapid descent to the sea, which, according to the 
 levels of the road, lay sometimes thirty, sometimes fifty, 
 and sometimes a hundred feet below it, with an intervening 
 strip of beach, varying in its width, according to the inden- 
 tations of the shore. 
 
 The descent to the sea from the road was for the most 
 part to be only made by clambering over the chalk and the 
 gardens, though here and there was a sort of footpath, and 
 at rare intervals a cart-road seemed to have been cut 
 through, as if for the purpose of fetching shingle from the 
 beach. But there was a wild, deserted look about the 
 place, as if those who had formerly lived there had for 
 some time past ceased to do so, and the Prince had no 
 difficulty in coming to the conclusion that he could not 
 be far off from the abode of the giant. Any doubt, 
 indeed, which he might have entertained upon the 
 subject was speedily removed by the appearance of a 
 gigantic board at the side of the road nearest the sea, 
 upon which were inscribed in deep red letters the following 
 words :
 
 50 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 " Any person or persons trespassing upon these premises 
 icill be speedily devoured. 
 
 " (Signed) BLUNDERFEL." 
 
 By this the Prince perceived that he was certainly very near 
 to the enemy whom he had come to seek, and the words on 
 the board, far from discouraging him from his enterprise, 
 stirred up within him the spirit of his ancestors, and fired 
 him with an intense desire to destroy one who had wrought 
 him and his such wrong. Stepping boldly past the board, 
 Prince Maraflete stood at the edge of the descent to the sea, 
 and looked down upon the ocean. It was a lovely scene. 
 The waves were gently murmuring as they broke themselves 
 languidly on the beach, as if it was impossible they could 
 ever roar and bluster. So gently, so softly they kissed the 
 shore, that it was like a tender mother lulling a child to 
 sleep, and indeed there was something soothing and sleep- 
 inspiring in the whisper of each receding wave as it 
 gurgled back through the pebbles of the beach with a sound 
 like a "hush " uttered in a low sweet voice. The light of the 
 sun lit up the surface of the waters, which heaved with an 
 almost imperceptible swell, which alone showed you that it 
 was the real, mighty, living sea, and not an enormous pond 
 upon which you were looking. Far away in the distance 
 the white sails of several fishing-boats sparkled in the sun- 
 light, and still further there rose against the sky the dim, 
 shadowy outline of the cliffs of another country. The 
 Prince stood gazing upon the ocean with those feelings of 
 mingled delight and awe which it often inspires. There it 
 lay at his feet, so quiet and beautiful, so peaceful and 
 pleasant to look upon, and seemed to invite man to venture 
 upon its bosom with confidence in its goodwill. Yet, let
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 51 
 
 the wind rise, or some cause unforeseen by man ruffle its 
 present serenity, and how speedy and vast a change would 
 come upon it. The roaring waves, the dashing spray, the 
 mad foam dancing on the crest of the billows, would trans- 
 pose the peaceful ocean into a mad, dangerous enemy, just as 
 passion possessing the soul of man converts him from a sane 
 and reasonable being into one to be dreaded and avoided. 
 
 So thought the Prince as he looked down upon the 
 waters at his feet, and marvelled at the loveliness upon 
 which he gazed. To the right and left the coast appeared 
 to be much of the same character, save that the white cliffs 
 came nearer to the sea upon his left, whilst away to the 
 right they gradually receded, leaving a plain between 
 themselves and the sea which gradually grew more and 
 more extensive as the hills fell back further from the sea, 
 and assumed the more fertile appearance of an inland range. 
 
 As the Prince was doubting what course to follow, the 
 sound of oars suddenly fell upon his ears, and, looking up, 
 he perceived a boat rapidly nearing the shore. It was 
 manned by persons who were evidently of the fishermen 
 class, and apparently they had been plying their trade with 
 some success, since the boat moved slowly, and the Prince 
 could see within it the glittering scales of fish. Closer and 
 closer drew the boat, and in another instant she grated 
 against the beach, and several of the crew leaped out and 
 began to haul her in. 
 
 " Yeo-ho ! " they cried in a loud voice as they did this, 
 and the Prince stood watching them with interest, and 
 thinking what a happy cheery existence must be that of a 
 fisherman. The next moment, however, his thoughts were 
 turned into another channel. A sudden crunching of the 
 beach was heard, as if some heavy animal was passing 
 
 E 2
 
 52 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 rapidly over it ; then there came a kind of a sound which 
 was something between a growl and a roar, and the next 
 instant there arose a shriek of terror from the unhappy 
 fishermen, as an enormous figure rushed in upon them 
 from the rocks behind, and seized one, a stripling of some 
 seventeen or eighteen years, catching him up by the waist 
 as if he had been a baby. 
 
 " I'll teach you to come trespassing here, and waking me 
 up with your confounded noise ! " shouted the giant, for 
 such indeed, beyond all doubt, was the new-comer. " I've 
 caught you, have I, you vile scum of the earth ? I'll pay 
 you out! I'll settle you!" And as he gnashed his teeth 
 savagely upon the unhappy wretches, they cowered before 
 him like quails before a hawk, not knowing whether he 
 would not immediately destroy them all, and too completely 
 subdued by fear to attempt to seek safety in flight. The 
 luckless youth whom he had seized, feebly attempted to 
 free himself from the clutches of the monster who held 
 him ; but the latter calmly took him by his middle and, 
 laying hold of him with his teeth, shook him just as a dog 
 would a rat, and then dropped him senseless on the beach, 
 whilst he raised a short club which he held in his hand, 
 and shook it at the others in a threatening manner. " I'll 
 eat ye ! " he cried. " I'll eat ye all, and this young villain 
 first : see if I don't ! I'd eat him now at once, to show you 
 I mean it, only I had a late -breakfast this morning off an 
 organ-grinder I caught in the road, and I think the beast 
 disagreed with me, for I haven't got half an appetite 
 just now. You are not very tempting morsels either, 
 you briny, salt, fishy wretches ; but I'll eat you all the 
 same, if it is only to put an end to your howling when I'm
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 53 
 
 The fishermen were apparently too much overcome with 
 terror to do anything but submit to the will of the terrible 
 giant who stood over them, growling and gnashing his 
 teeth as he uttered these threats, which he appeared both 
 able and willing to put into execution. But the Prince 
 felt that now, if ever, he must act. It was a dreadful 
 moment, and had 4ie been a coward he would even now 
 have shrunk back from the task. To do so, however, 
 never entered his head. The knowledge that the destroyer 
 of his parents was before him, stirred up his courage to 
 fever heat, and the blood of long generations of noble 
 ancestors boiled in his young veins as he leaped down 
 upon the beach, and rushed forward to take his share in the 
 events which were passing below. As he did so, however, he 
 did not forget the directions of the Bilberry men, that he 
 was to address his enemy " in short but pithy rhymes ; " 
 and when he was but a few yards off he stopped for an 
 instant in order to do so. The noise made by his foot- 
 steps on the beach had already attracted the attention of 
 the giant ; and, indeed, I never understood why the Bil- 
 berry men had told the Prince not to wear creaking boots ; 
 because, whatever boots you wear, you must make a crunch- 
 ing kind of a noise when you step upon shingle ; and I am 
 inclined to believe that the worthy little man only, threw in 
 this bit of advice, as well as that about not smoking 
 cheroots (which the Prince never did), in order to surround 
 the matter with mystery, being perhaps unwilling that the 
 Prince should think the business so very simple, as it really 
 was. Be this as it may, the noise of the new-comer's feet 
 caused the giant to turn his head, and forthwith to become 
 acquainted with his presence, which he made the occasion 
 for another savage growl and several wicked words uttered
 
 54 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 in a deep and sullen tone. Nothing daunted, the Prince 
 spoke out boldly in the following words : 
 
 " Turn, wretch and tyrant, turn to meet 
 The vengeance of Prince Maraflete ! " 
 
 " Prince Merryfeet ! " shouted old Blunderfel in accents 
 of scorn. " Who the dickens is he ? You vile jingler 
 of doggrel rhymes, you had better be Prince Very-fleet in 
 taking yourself off, unless you want to go into a pie along 
 with this fisherman chap ! If you're really Prince Very- 
 sweet, I may presently treat you thus ! " 
 
 As the giant spoke he grinned a horrid grin, and gnashed 
 his teeth again. 
 
 Now the Prince was one of those many people who hate 
 having their names punned upon or made the subject of 
 jest, and therefore the language of the giant was offensive 
 and irritating to his royal ears. Still he preserved his 
 temper, knowing how much might depend upon his doing 
 so, and again accosted his enemy, whom he had been 
 directed to acquaint with his reasons for attacking him, 
 which he did in these words : 
 
 " Think not, base wretch, to hide your shame 
 By feeble punning on my name : 
 Your end is nigh, and you had best 
 Think more of prayer than idle jest. 
 I'm Maraflete ! this double nose 
 The truth of my averment shows 
 You slew my kin, and, not content 
 With this, gave me tliis ornament. 
 For this twin nose shall you atone, 
 Vile dog, by forfeiting your own ; 
 And, for my parents' murder, know 
 That with your nose your life shall go."
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 55 
 
 As the Prince spoke the giant appeared to be wrapt in 
 thought, as if trying to remember which of his many crimes 
 was being thus recalled to his memory. It did not take 
 him long to remember ; and no wonder, since it is improb- 
 able that he had amused himself more than once with the 
 singular pastime of punishing an enemy by arranging that 
 his son should be born with two noses. So he recollected 
 all about it long before the Prince had done, and burst 
 out into a hoarse laugh as it all came back to him. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " he cried. " So you're that fellow's son, are 
 you that poor fool of a King with the baby-faced wife 
 that both lost their lives for offending me ! Yes, yes ; 
 right enough. I settled them both, and so I will you, 
 though by a different fate, for you are young and tender, 
 my chicken." 
 
 "With these words the giant turned round from the 
 fishermen, who were still cowering on the beach, and pre- 
 pared to receive the Prince. The latter hesitated for one 
 moment ; he had been told what he was to do on entering 
 the cave, but there was no cave to enter, for the giant 
 had left it, and he was uncertain whether the same direc- 
 tions would hold good in an encounter on the open beach. 
 There was no time, however, for delay, and he thought that 
 as he was evidently " in for it," he had better do as he had 
 been told, and hope for the best. So he advanced boldly 
 down upon the giant without another word, which appeared 
 rather to confuse old Blunderfel, who was accustomed to 
 see people run away from him as fast as they could. In 
 order to make the Prince do so, he now gave vent to a 
 series of most inharmonious roars, which had no effect 
 whatever upon our hero, although they showed him plainly 
 enough the ferocity of his enemy, if any further proof of
 
 56 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the same had been wanting. lie grasped his brand of yew 
 more firmly than ever in his hand, and came on like a 
 brave prince as he was. When he was scarcely three yards 
 from the giant, the latter sprang forward and aimed a fear- 
 ful blow at him with his club, which he with difficulty 
 avoided by springing aside ; and at the next moment, before 
 his enemy could recover himself, he dealt him a thwack on 
 the side with his yew-staff, being unable to reach his head. 
 The effect, however, was satisfactory, for the giant uttered 
 a yell of pain as soon as the yew touched him. 
 
 However, a person of his bulk and strength was not to 
 be disposed of by a single blow, and in an instant he had 
 recovered himself, and his club was upraised for a blow 
 which, if successful, would have finished the Prince Mara- 
 flete's life and history together. At the same moment the 
 giant's face, inflamed with rage, assumed an expression so 
 awfully hideous that any ordinary man would have been 
 frightened out of his wits. Not so the gallant Prince, 
 who, though he saw the blow coming, and felt that no 
 strength of his could avail to turn it aside, never lost 
 courage for an instant ; but even as the club seemed to be 
 descending upon his head, set his heels firmly in the shingle, 
 and shouted at the top of his voice 
 
 " Lollipops ! " 
 
 The effect was like magic, which was not surprising, 
 seeing that it undoubtedly was magic with which the Prince 
 was fighting his battle. The club dropped heavily from 
 the giant's nerveless hand ; and so big and weighty was it 
 that, narrowly missing Prince Maraflete's head, it embedded 
 itself in the beach, and, for aught I know, remains there to 
 this day. At the same moment a ghastly pallor overspread 
 the features of the wretched Blunderfel, who seemed as if
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 57 
 
 " Lollipops " had undermined his constitution and deprived 
 him of all strength and courage. No less delighted than 
 astonished at the success of his war-cry, Prince Maraflete 
 lost not a moment in profiting by the opportunity which 
 was afforded him by the effect which it had produced upon 
 his enemy. Springing eagerly forward, he struck him 
 again and again with his staff of yew, and leaping up as 
 high as he could, smote him violently even in the face. 
 The monster tottered, stretched out his arms wildly, and 
 after another well directed blow, fell helplessly upon the 
 beach. 
 
 The Prince was not naturally a cruel man, but the 
 memory of his parents' wrongs drove pity from his breast ; 
 and remembering that he was, after all, only executing a 
 murderer, and fulfilling the directions of the Bilberry men, 
 who had, moreover, told him plainly that if he did not kill 
 the giant, that individual would perform the same opera- 
 tion upon him, he nerved himself bravely to the task. 
 Drawing his knife from his girdle, he leaped upon the 
 monster's body, and drove the weapon home to his wicked 
 heart. The giant gave one groan, which was heard ten 
 miles off, and is to this day spoken of in that part of the 
 country as the loudest clap of thunder ever heard. Then, 
 as was but natural under the circumstances, he immedi- 
 ately expired. The Prince waved his knife triumphantly 
 in the air, and then remembered that, having taken 
 vengeance for his parents' death, he had next to consider 
 his own case. 
 
 It was not a pleasant thing to cut the nose from the face 
 of a dead enemy, and still less so to clap it on one's own ; 
 but nevertheless it had to be done if he wished to be cured, 
 and he determined to go through with it like a man. So
 
 5 8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 he boldly and firmly seized the nose of the monster in his 
 left hand and prepared to cut it off with his right, when, 
 with a cry of surprise, he suddenly let it go, and started up 
 from the stooping attitude which he had of necessity 
 assumed. The nose was of Indian-rubber ! Yes, there 
 was no doubt about it plain, palpable, elastic Indian- 
 rubber, and yielded to the pressure of his hand just like the 
 faces which are made of the same material, and which you 
 can squeeze into any shape you please. Prince Maraflete 
 hesitated, but only for a moment, for his directions had 
 been precise and positive. The nose must be cut off unless 
 he desired to remain double-nosed all his life. So he boldly 
 plunged his knife into the necessary place, and was de- 
 lighted to find that the article which he required came quite 
 easily off the face, and was in another moment safe in his 
 hand. 
 
 His next proceeding had also been prescribed to him 
 with sufficient exactness to prevent the possibility of mis- 
 take. Seizing the Indian-rubber nose in his right hand, 
 he clapped it boldly between his own, and held it firmly 
 there, confidently awaiting the result. It was as immediate 
 as extraordinary. A warm feeling, by no means unpleasant, 
 stole over his whole face ; then came a sensation as if a 
 thousand pins and needles were very gently pricking his 
 forehead, cheeks, chin, and noses ; then a species of dizzi- 
 ness came over him, and he fell prone upon the beach, but 
 only for an instant, for new life and vigour seemed suddenly 
 to possess him, and, springing to his feet, he instantly raised 
 his hand again to hold on the Indian-rubber nose. There 
 was no occasion to do so ; it had disappeared, and so had 
 the two noses which had been his plague through life. 
 Instead of them, in the natural place in which such articles
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 59 
 
 are found, namely between his eyes and his mouth, he felt 
 a regular, an aquiline, a perfect nose, evidently prepared to 
 discharge all the functions which properly belong to such 
 an organ. Prince Maraflete's ecstasy knew no bounds. He 
 shouted aloud for joy. He jumped as far as the shingle 
 on which he stood would permit him and threw his arms 
 about in the extravagance of his delight. His courage, his 
 perseverance, his careful obedience to the directions he had 
 received, had thus been fully and satisfactorily rewarded ; 
 and he could henceforth show his face among men, relieved 
 from the consciousness of being inferior to others in any 
 personal attraction. This was indeed something for which 
 to be thankful. Thoughts of gratitude mingled with his 
 joy, and he formed upon the instant great plans for doing 
 good to everybody and everything within his kingdom. 
 
 He firmly resolved that each and every one of the crea- 
 tures who had contributed to his happiness should be hand- 
 somely rewarded. He would forthwith cause to be erected 
 a most magnificent home for decayed Bilberry men ; he 
 would abolish the slaughter of "Nibblers," make it a 
 capital offence to kill one of their race, and exalt them at 
 once to the rank of domestic animals. Haggisters should 
 henceforth be for ever sacred, and he would appoint Mur- 
 lingford, the cab-driver, to a high position at Court. All 
 these and other plans of a similar nature passed through 
 his brain upon his first awakening to the knowledge of his 
 complete cure, and he was entirely honest and sincere in 
 each and all of his intentions. The first thing to do, how- 
 ever, was to get home again ; and yet, before he did so, he 
 thought he was bound to see whether there might not be 
 some other work to do with reference to his fallen enemy. 
 He had forgotten the latter for a moment, whilst occupied
 
 60 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 with his own nasal affairs, but now looked down upon him 
 with some idea that he ought perhaps to receive some kind 
 of interment. What was his surprise to find that, during 
 the brief interval which had elapsed since the giant's fall, 
 his carcase had entirely changed into seaweed, an enormous 
 heap of which lay in the place lately occupied by the body 
 of Blunderfel. 
 
 After staring for a moment in astonishment, the Prince 
 resolved within himself that, under these circumstances, he 
 need trouble himself no further about the matter. He 
 looked for the fishermen, but they had taken advantage of 
 the encounter between the giant and himself to slip away, 
 and were nowhere to be seen. There remained only the 
 inanimate body of the stripling whom the monster had 
 dropped after shaking him in his teeth, and no other crea- 
 ture was in sight. A short distance off the Prince per- 
 ceived the entrance to the giant's cave, which he deemed it 
 his duty to explore. There was, however, nothing to repay 
 him for his trouble. A few dried bones lay at the entrance, 
 and inside there was nothing but the ordinary furniture of 
 a giant's dwelling, which is too well known to need descrip- 
 tion. There were no prisoners to release, which rather 
 surprised the Prince, who, knowing the general character of 
 such beings as Blunderfel, had expected to find a larder 
 full of mortals ready to be eaten, numerous captives await- 
 ing their doom, and not improbably a distressed princess or 
 two whose deliverance he might have accomplished. But 
 none of these things were to be seen, and Prince Maraflete_ 
 retraced his steps to the spot where lay the young fisher- 
 man, and stood thinking over the best course to pursue. 
 
 Now what that course was cannot but be a matter of 
 great interest to all who have read this veracious history.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 61 
 
 But as it led to other adventures of great importance and 
 stirring interest, it cannot be included within the limits of 
 the present story. "We must leave Prince Maraflete upon 
 the beach, and everybody may settle for himself what he 
 did next. Perhaps he went back into the road, walked off 
 to the station where he had left his carpet-bag, took the 
 next train, and went home to the palace in time for dinner. 
 Perhaps he did something quite different. At all events, 
 we leave him in a position vastly better than that in which 
 we first found him ; having vanquished and slain the de- 
 stroyer of his parents, and, moreover, succeeded in getting 
 rid of the great blot which had hitherto darkened his exist- 
 ence, so that he could no more be known among men by 
 the undesirable appellation of " The Two-nosed Prince."
 
 62 OTHER STORIES' 
 
 PART II. 
 
 WE left Prince Maraflete standing upon the shore which 
 had been the scene of his triumph over the giant Blunder- 
 fel, and considering what should be his next step. Of 
 course there are many good, simple, matter-of-fact people 
 who will say that any sensible young man would have been 
 satisfied with having duly performed all he had under- 
 taken, and would have happily gone home again by the 
 next train. 
 
 But if Princes and heroes generally were in the habit of 
 doing such common-place things as this would have been, 
 they would never meet with adventures, worthy of being 
 told, and there would soon be an end of all Fairy stories 
 and similarly interesting chronicles. Besides, in the present 
 instance there was another reason why the Prince should 
 take a different course from that which now seems so simple 
 and natural. 
 
 Immediately before him lay the body of the young 
 fisherman with whom the giant had first begun his attack 
 upon those who had landed upon the beach. Unlike the 
 carcase of old Blunderfel, this had by no means turned to 
 seaweed ; but lay there, still and inanimate, before Prince 
 Maraflete, who stood for several seconds gazing down upon 
 it with sorrow that a cruel fate should have overtaken one 
 so young. Presently he thought he observed a tremulous 
 motion in the limbs, and stooping over the prostrate form, 
 distinctly saw the chest heave. 
 
 The young man, then, was not dead, and the Prince was
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 63 
 
 far too kind-hearted to leave a fellow-creature in distress. 
 What, then, should he do ? 
 
 No help was at hand : it would have been impossible for 
 him to have carried the young man back to the station, or 
 to any house, for there was none such near, and if there had 
 been the weight of the burden would have rendered any 
 such course extremely difficult. 
 
 Casting his eyes around, whilst he stood considering what 
 had best be done, the Prince suddenly observed the boat in 
 which the fishermen had reached the shore, and which they had 
 abandoned in their flight, only too glad to make their escape 
 from the dangerous neighbourhood in which they had found 
 themselves. Here, then, as it seemed to Prince Maraflete, 
 was a means by which he might be able to save the unfor- 
 tunate victim of the giant's ferocity, and at the same time 
 find a way of escape for himself from a spot which he was 
 desirous enough to leave behind him. He therefore care- 
 fully raised in his arms the senseless though still breathing 
 body, and prepared to place it in the boat. As he did so, 
 however, he made a discovery which filled him with 
 astonishment, and in some degree added to the difficulties of 
 his position. 
 
 The supposed stripling was decidedly of the other sex. It 
 was not a boy, but a young woman, who had been thus 
 strangely left in his charge. There was no doubt about it. 
 Clad entirely in that blue serge which constituted the ordi- 
 nary dress of the fishermen upon that coast, and wearing a 
 man's coat with large buttons upon it, the appearance of 
 the figure had been exactly that of a boy, and all the 
 more so as the hair was not worn long but curiously turned 
 back over the head, and confined by a close-fitting cloth 
 cap. But a closer inspection disclosed his mistake to the
 
 64 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Prince, and showed him that it was indeed a woman, and 
 moreover a woman of much personal beauty, whom he was 
 about to lift into the boat. 
 
 Her complexion had certainly somewhat suffered from 
 continual exposure to the sun and wind, but there was a 
 healthy brown upon her cheeks apart from the tanning of 
 the sun. Her features were finely cut, the eyelashes which 
 shrouded her closed eyes were unusually long, and her limbs 
 seemed to have been cast in an exquisite mould. 
 
 The Prince did not observe all this at once ; but the 
 beauty of the girl gradually dawned upon him during the 
 many opportunities which, as will presently be seen, were 
 afforded to him for gazing upon her as long as he liked. 
 At the particular moment of which we are speaking, he 
 had resolved to place her in the boat, and saw no reason why 
 he should change his mind. Accordingly, he lifted and 
 carried her, as gently and carefully as he was able, over the 
 side of the boat, and laid her down upon some canvas which 
 lay therein. Then he made a species of pillow for her 
 head and shoulders by folding up a rough overcoat which 
 one of the fishermen had left, and carefully covered her feet 
 with another. 
 
 Having thus made his companion as comfortable as he 
 could, he looked round the boat in order to see what there 
 was on board which might be of use to him on the voyage 
 he was about to take, and what might be got rid of so as to 
 lighten the boat. On second thoughts, however, remem- 
 bering that the vessel was not his own, he felt that he had 
 no right to throw anything away unless it should be abso- 
 lutely necessary in the event of a storm. His intention, 
 moreover, was only to coast along until he should come to 
 some favourable landing-place in his own country ; and, as
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE, 65 
 
 lie did not contemplate being afloat for more than a couple 
 of hours at most, there was little need of lightening the 
 boat for so short a period, and he therefore abandoned the 
 idea, although there were a number of fish which somewhat 
 added to her weight, and which he had half a mind to 
 throw overboard. He refrained, however, and having 
 taken hold of a punt-pole which he found, endeavoured to 
 float the vessel therewith. Finding this, however, beyond 
 his strength, he landed once more on the shore and pushed 
 the boat with all his might from the beach. Slowly she 
 gave way, grated over the shingle, and in another moment 
 almost floated on the water. Then Prince Maraflete, imi- 
 tating the fishermen whom he had often watched on the 
 shore, gave her another great push as hard as he could, and 
 running into the shallow water as he did so, gave a spring 
 into the boat, and the weight of his body thus giving an 
 additional impetus to her, in another instant she floated 
 gaily on the waves. 
 
 The Prince now looked round for the oars, and found 
 that they were somewhat heavy, and the boat rather too 
 big to be easily managed by one person, especially if he 
 did not happen to be accustomed to rowing. There was a 
 mast, it is true, but our hero had heard and read a good 
 deal about accidents which had happened to sailing vessels 
 through the ignorance of people who thought that they 
 could arrange sails without previously knowing anything 
 at all about the matter, and as this was precisely his 
 own condition, he very wisely resolved to leave sailing 
 alone. 
 
 So he was just about to set steadily to work at the oars, 
 when he was interrupted by an occurrence which, had he 
 given the matter a thought, ought not to have surprised
 
 66 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 him as much as it undoubtedly did. His companion was 
 sitting up and gazing upon him with mingled astonishment 
 and alarm, disclosing as she did so a pair of the most 
 beautiful brown eyes that he had ever beheld. The motion 
 of the boat, aided by the time which had elapsed since she 
 had ben so roughly shaken by the giant, had restored her 
 to consciousness ; and, as her senses gradually resumed their 
 former condition, she became aware of the fact that she was 
 lying in the bottom of the boat, which was moving slowly 
 through the water. For a moment she lay perfectly still, 
 as if not yet quite certain where she was and what had hap- 
 pened ; and then, as memory regained her power, she began 
 to remember all that had occurred, and to wonder what had 
 become of her companions. 
 
 So she sat up, and the first discovery she made was that 
 none of the fishermen with whom she had landed were with 
 her in the boat ; but that the latter was being guided by a 
 young and handsome stranger, who did not seem to be par- 
 ticularly handy with the oars at which he was labouring. 
 The exclamation to which she gave vent was that which 
 attracted the attention of the Prince, who instantly stopped 
 rowing and returned the maiden's gaze with interest. Thus 
 they sat looking at each other for several moments without 
 either of them saying a word, and apparently each waiting 
 for the other to speak first. 
 
 This state of things, however, could not of course endure 
 long, and after the pause had continued for a few seconds, 
 Prince Maraflete, probably thinking it incumbent upon his 
 royal position to make the first advance, remarked in a cour- 
 teous tone of voice 
 
 "I hope you feel better." 
 
 The beautiful eyes opened wider than ever at these words;
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 67 
 
 and, rapidly passing her hand over them, the maiden 
 spoke. 
 
 The tone of her voice was decidedly musical, and although 
 her words were not such as betokened of themselves culture 
 or refinement, there was something not unpleasing in the 
 manner in which they were uttered. 
 
 " Where be I ? " she said. " And where be my mates ? 
 Where's Lanky Bill, and Cork-eye and Bandylegged 
 Harry?" 
 
 "Madam," returned the Prince gravely, "if, as I pre- 
 sume, you refer to the fishermen who lately occupied this 
 boat, they are doubtless safe, but have procured that safety 
 by flight." 
 
 The eyes were still fixed in wonder upon the Prince's 
 face during this speech, and upon its conclusion the maiden 
 gave vent to the single exclamation 
 " Lawks ! " 
 
 It was not uttered loudly, it was not uttered uncivilly, 
 and although the word was not one which the ladies about 
 his court were in the habit of using, the Prince perfectly 
 understood it to express the surprise which his companion 
 felt at the situation in which she found herself, and her 
 instant and entire comprehension of the position. Even 
 thus, however, it was not exactly an easy observation to 
 answer, inasmuch as it conveyed no particular expression of 
 like or dislike of the circumstances, and suggested no 
 course to be followed and no opinion to be offered by him 
 to whom it was addressed, if indeed it could justly be said 
 to be addressed to anyone. So the Prince was rather 
 doubtful as to what he had better say next, being anxious 
 to remove from the breast of the maiden any fear which 
 she might possibly entertain at finding herself separated 
 
 F 2
 
 68 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 from her friends and alone in the boat with a stranger; and 
 at the same time wishing, with a delicacy which was natural 
 to him, to avoid thrusting his conversation upon one who 
 might not desire it. Upon the whole, however, he deemed 
 it more polite to say something; and, therefore, leaning for- 
 ward upon his seat he observed 
 
 " You have had a severe shock, but you are quite safe 
 now, madam, and there is nothing more to fear. You shall 
 shortly rejoin your friends." 
 
 As the girl still stared at him with open eyes, without 
 speaking a word, he continued 
 
 " I am very thankful to have been of service to you. I 
 am afraid you must be hurt as it is. It was very fortunate 
 I happened to come up just at the right moment." 
 
 As he spoke the girl's face lighted up with a brighter 
 look than it had yet worn, and she. exclaimed with 
 sudden interest and earnestness 
 
 " Did you wallop the old 'un ? " 
 
 " If you mean the giant," replied the Prince, " I have 
 rid you of him for ever. He will trouble the world no 
 more." 
 
 The girl uttered a shout of joy at this news, and imme- 
 diately cried out in a tone and manner which at once 
 removed from the Prince's mind any apprehension of 
 her being troubled by fear or timidity at his presence. 
 
 " Well done you, mate ! . Tip us your fist ! " As she 
 spoke she made an effort to rise as if to come forward and 
 shake hands with her preserver, but sank back again with 
 another exclamation of " Lawks ! how stiff I be, to be sure ; 
 I can't move no faster than an old crab ! " 
 
 Although unused to such language as this, the Prince 
 found something in the tone and manner of the damsel
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 69 
 
 which was pleasing as well as novel. Besides, he was in 
 the humour for an adventure, and his present position 
 appeared to promise him one. So he civilly replied to his 
 companion that he sympathised greatly with her, and 
 trusted she would lie still and rest, there being no occasion 
 whatever why she should exert herself at that moment. 
 
 He spoke in courtly phrase, and when he had made quite 
 a pretty little speech of this kind, his companion answered 
 him by bursting out into a hearty fit of laughter. 
 
 " Bless you ! " she said, " How fine you do talk, surely ! 
 Don't you go for to mind I. I be only a bit stiff, I say, 
 that ain't no account. I'll be all right in a jiffy." 
 Although unacquainted with the precise nature of a jiffy, 
 the Prince felt that the girl intended to convey an assur- 
 ance that no long period of time would elapse before she 
 should have recovered from the effects of her accident, if 
 such be the correct term to apply to a severe shaking in the 
 mouth of a giant. He therefore expressed his satisfaction 
 at her statement; and then, taking up the oars, which, 
 during their conversation, he had neglected, he began to 
 row. He had not done so very long, and was taking parti- 
 cular pains about it, and thinking how well he was getting on, 
 when the girl suddenly remarked u Why, what a muff you 
 are with them oars, to be sure ! Let me bear a hand and 
 help." This rather annoyed the Prince, but he felt he must 
 make excuses for the rudeness of one who had evidently 
 never enjoyed the advantages or received the polish of a 
 court education. So he merely remarked that he was 
 sorry he did not row well enough to satisfy her, but feared 
 that her stiffness would not be improved by her taking part 
 in the work. She would take no denial, however, and 
 having risen to her feet, came and sat down on one of
 
 7 o OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the rowing seats, and insisted upon taking an oar and 
 instructing her companion in the mysteries of the art. 
 Prince Maraflete was by no means an unwilling pupil. In 
 fact, the romance of the situation, the beauty of the girl, her 
 simplicity, and the innocent freedom of her manners, nay, 
 her very voice and accent, and the novelty of some of her 
 expressions to his royal ears, all had for him a species of 
 fascination which rendered the whole affair one of agreeable 
 interest to the young man. Her observations were amusing 
 as well as unusual. 
 
 " What baby hands you've got, to be sure ! " she cried. 
 " Why, one of Lanky Bill's would make three of yours, I 
 declare ! You ain't done much rowing, I reckon." 
 
 The Prince at once owned the correctness of her guess, 
 and she proceeded to make other observations of a like 
 character, until at last she remarked without any preface 
 or preparation 
 
 " What's your name, young man ? " 
 
 It was long since the Prince had been so plainly addressed, 
 but he had ceased to be surprised at anything which his fair 
 companion said, so he calmly replied 
 
 "Maraflete, madam, at your service." 
 
 "Now don't madam me, Mr. Maraflete," promptly 
 responded the maiden. " I'm no madam at all, but just 
 plain Polly Perkins ; so now you know." 
 
 This piece of information could not but be interesting to 
 the Prince, who now began to inquire more particularly as 
 to the residence, occupation, and friends of the girl into 
 whose company he had been so strangely thrown. There 
 was no mystery about any of these. She was apparently 
 one of his own subjects, living in a straggling village upon 
 the coast, not far from the scene of the adventure with the
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 71 
 
 giant, which had ended so disastrously for the latter. She 
 remembered no father or mother, but had lived from early 
 childhood in the hut of one " Old Ben the fisherman " and 
 his wife, so she said ; and had been reared among fish, nets, 
 and boats, until she understood all that concerned a fisher- 
 man's existence. 
 
 It was therefore not wonderful that she should be able, 
 as she certainly was, to instruct Prince Maraflete in many 
 matters concerning the management and navigation of a 
 boat ; but as I was unfortunately not there myself to hear 
 what she said and the lessons she gave him, it would be 
 trifling with my readers if I were to endeavour to repeat 
 them, or to use nautical terms which I have occasionally 
 met with in books, but of the nature and meaning of which 
 I am somewhat ignorant. I only know that the maiden 
 laughed a good deal at some of the Prince's notions about a 
 boat, and told him plainly that he was a " regular land- 
 lubber " as far as rowing was concerned ; but somehow or 
 other he did not seem to mind anything she said, and they 
 got on very comfortably together all this time. The two 
 good people were so occupied in giving and receiving lessons 
 that they did not perceive that, instead of coasting along 
 the shore as the Prince had intended to do, they had gone 
 some way out to sea. This, however, made no difference 
 in their enjoyment. The Prince did not mind the motion 
 of the boat upon the waves, especially when he was so 
 pleasantly occupied in acquiring knowledge which might 
 hereafter prove useful to him ; and, as for his companion, 
 she was perfectly at home upon the ocean, and seemed as 
 happy as her best friends could have wished. 
 
 After a time she proposed a sail, observing that there was 
 just enough wind to make it pleasant. So, with the aid of
 
 72 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the Prince, who exactly obeyed every direction she gave 
 him, the girl set the sail of the boat, which began to move 
 rapidly through the water. For a time this was very 
 delightful, and the Prince thought he had never found 
 the hours pass so quickly. Presently both he and his 
 companion discovered that the morning's exertion had given 
 them an appetite. 
 
 " If we don't have some breakfast," exclaimed the girl 
 emphatically, " my name ain't Polly Perkins ! " 
 
 The force and beauty of this expression had due weight 
 with Prince Maraflete, who, under the direction of Miss 
 Perkins, chose some of the fish which lay in the boat, and 
 assisted her to broil them, the means of doing which were 
 all on board. Some coarse bread was also at hand, and 
 with this and some salt, the two companions sat down to as 
 good a breakfast as ever man or woman need desire. It 
 was rather a late breakfast, to be sure. 
 
 The Prince had started from home early that morning, 
 but it will be recollected that he had made a railway journey, 
 after which he had to walk to the place whereat he en- 
 countered and slew the giant, and all the transactions 
 which followed had of course occupied a certain amount of 
 time. It was therefore in fact well on to mid-day when he 
 and his new friend had their breakfast, to which they both 
 did ample justice. So intent upon it, indeed, were they 
 that it was some time before they noticed what was 
 going on around them. Slowly, but surely, a kind of mist 
 stole gradually up, more and more obscuring the light of 
 the sun, which had shone so brightly when they com- 
 menced their voyage. At the same time the wind, of 
 which there had been hitherto no more than enough to 
 fill their sails and gently carry them forward, began to
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 73 
 
 increase, and with it came a low moaning sound across the 
 water, as if wind and wave knew that they were going to 
 have a tussle together, and neither of them much liked the 
 thoughts of it. Still Prince Maraflete and Polly Perkins 
 continued their repast until the swell of the sea increased 
 so much that the boat began to rock and roll in a manner 
 of which the Prince became unpleasantly aware, and forth- 
 with he called his partner's attention to the fact. 
 
 " I do declare it's getting rough," she replied, " and 
 lawks ! see how dark 'tis growing. Young man ! shiver 
 my timbers if we ain't in for a storm ! " 
 
 Although this was another expression which was new to 
 Prince Maraflete, it perfectly conveyed to him the meaning 
 of the person who uttered it, and indeed, on looking around 
 him, it was impossible to doubt the truth of her statement. 
 The wind was rising rapidly, the moaning sound was being 
 magnified into a threatening roar, the waves grew larger 
 and the white foam rode upon their crests as if betokening 
 strife and agitation in the depths below. 
 
 Polly bid the Prince hasten to help her furl the sail and 
 take down the mast, which he immediately did, and not 
 before it was time to do so, for the boat was rapidly becom- 
 ing unmanageable, and the main object the two had in 
 view was to give as little as possible for the wind to take 
 hold of. 
 
 And now the sky was almost as black as night ; they 
 could see but a few yards about them either before 
 or behind (fore or 'aft I believe to be the technical 
 terms), and knew not the direction in which they might 
 be going. 
 
 Presently a vivid flash of lightning lit up the whole face 
 of the ocean, and then the heavy artillery of heaven opened,
 
 74 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and the thunder rolled deeply and loudly above their 
 heads. Insensibly they drew near to each other, and sat 
 down in the bottom of the boat, knowing that they could 
 do nothing, for the excellent reason that there was nothing 
 to be done. 
 
 Their best and safest plan, said Polly to whom the 
 Prince at once deferred as an authority was to let the 
 boat drift before the wind, and wait for better weather. 
 
 This did not seem probable at present. Large drops of 
 rain began to fall ; few and far between at first, then faster 
 and more frequently, until at last the waters above seemed 
 to have entered into a compact with those below, and the 
 clouds sent down powerful and constant reinforcements to 
 the seething ocean. 
 
 Fortunately for our two friends, there was a sufficient 
 quantity of tarpaulin on board to aid them in keeping out 
 the wet, besides the two fisherman's coats already men- 
 tioned, in one of which the Prince carefully wrapt his com- 
 panion ; and, drawing her close to himself in the bottom of 
 the boat, which appeared but natural and reasonable under 
 the circumstances, pulled the loose tarpaulin round and 
 over them both in such a manner as to make as good as 
 possible a protection from the fury of the tempest which 
 raged above, below, and around them. 
 
 It was altogether a strange situation for a Prince, and 
 one in which he had little expected to find himself when he 
 left his Royal Palace that morning. There, indeed, he had 
 every luxury at his command, and (save for the deformity 
 with which he had been afflicted and which had now hap- 
 pily disappeared) nothing to prevent his passing a life of 
 ease and seeking for happiness where he could most readily 
 find it. But instead of enjoying in tranquillity those bless-
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 75 
 
 ings which Providence had placed within his reach, here he 
 was in an open boat, lying under a tarpaulin-covering with 
 a companion far below him in social position, and tossed to 
 and fro upon the waves of a tempestuous ocean. 
 
 It was certainly a very curious position, and he could not 
 help laughing inwardly as he thought of the expression 
 which the faces of all the great lords and ladies at his court 
 would assume if they could see him at that moment. As 
 they could not do so, however, it did not much matter ; and 
 so he lay listening to the winds and waves without much 
 fear that his courtiers would ever know of it, or that the 
 newspapers of his country would be able to fill their columns 
 with an account of his proceedings. 
 
 The position was not so very uncomfortable after all. 
 His companion was so pleasant that he by no means ob- 
 jected to their close quarters. She was not in the least 
 frightened ; but, on the contrary, showed an absence of fear 
 which greatly pleased the Prince, who contrasted her be- 
 haviour with that which he felt very sure would have been 
 the conduct of many of his court ladies, to the manifest ad- 
 vantage of the former. She talked with him cheerfully, 
 and told him that the storm seemed to remind her of some- 
 thing which happened many years ago (as it seemed to her) 
 when she was quite a little child ; she could not tell him 
 precisely what it was ; but she remembered quite well being 
 in a ship or boat, and hearing the same sounds which she 
 then heard. 
 
 The Prince questioned her a good deal about her life 
 with the fishermen, and she answered him with a good- 
 humoured and frank simplicity which highly delighted 
 him. He had already left off addressing her by the formal 
 title of " Madam," against which she had from the first pro-
 
 76 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 tested ; and as they began to make friends more and more, 
 he insensibly slipped into calling her " Polly," which she 
 seemed to think quite natural, and they were ere long talk- 
 ing as if they had known each other all their lives. 
 
 The fact is, that when human beings are thrown together 
 in hours of difficulty and danger, not only are the broad but 
 artificial distinctions of rank and position speedily forgotten, 
 but the restraints and barriers of everyday social life are 
 broken down, and people get to know much more of each 
 other in an hour than they might do in half a lifetime of 
 ordinary existence. 
 
 So Prince Maraflete and Polly Perkins became better 
 acquainted in the open boat and under their tarpaulin than 
 might otherwise have been the case though they had lived 
 in the same country for an hundred years under the ordinary 
 conditions of life. 
 
 I do not know precisely how long they remained where 
 they were, but they did not feel disposed to move, because 
 they knew that there was nothing to be gained by doing so ; 
 whereas by staying as they were they kept each other dry 
 and warm, and cared less for the fury of the elements which 
 raged above them. The storm indeed rather increased than 
 abated : the winds roared tremendously over their heads, 
 the waves ran mountains high and every moment threat- 
 ened to engulf the fragile bark in which the two companions 
 lay. But it was not so ordered. The little boat mounted 
 up high on the top of one wave, and the next moment shot 
 down into the trough of the sea as if she was going straight 
 to the bottom there and then. Yet she rose again and 
 danced like a fairy on the crest of the next wave, repeating 
 the same experiment the moment after; but continually 
 rising again, as if she was only playing with the waves, and
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 77 
 
 knew they were friends who did not really mean to hurt 
 her. 
 
 All this time it had never occurred to the Prince or to his 
 companion that there was anything in the least degree un- 
 natural in the suddenness and violence of the storm, which 
 they regarded as one of those freaks of nature to which 
 mankind is subject, and of which people must make the best 
 when they occur. The two young creatures little knew the 
 reason and meaning and origin of that storm ; nor could 
 they have done so unless they had been gifted with more 
 than the common knowledge of mortals. The truth is, 
 however, that it was entirely caused by the previous events 
 of the morning. Nowadays you cannot kill a giant, or 
 perform any of those creditable feats of daring which were 
 so common in the days of the Seven Champions of Christen- 
 dom and at other periods of history, without producing re- 
 sults far more general and serious than was formerly the 
 case. 
 
 Steam and electricity have so altered the whole face of 
 the world that everything of this kind becomes quickly 
 known ; and, instead of passing quietly on from one country 
 to another, killing evil dragons, knocking troublesome ogres 
 on the head, disappointing cruel and crafty magicians, and 
 delivering various lands from torments of this kind until 
 you have finished as much of this sort of work as it suits 
 you to do instead of this, I say, you cannot keep your 
 doings quiet for a moment, or perform one of these brave 
 and useful acts without finding it a topic of discourse all 
 over the civilized world, and yourself an object of conver- 
 sation for all the gossips of society. 
 
 Moreover, giants are not persons to be slain and put out 
 of the way without any fuss or bother. They have gene-
 
 78 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 rally established themselves pretty firmly, and have made 
 friends or contracted alliances by means of which they can 
 withstand that force of public indignation which might 
 otherwise pursue and punish them for their wicked deeds. 
 In this respect old Blunderfel differed in no respect from 
 other giants of the like nature. He had many friends in 
 the monster world, who regarded his wickedness with 
 approbation, and viewed his cruelties as the pardonable 
 eccentricities of a lively disposition. He was, moreover, 
 as is well known to the careful student of history, first- 
 cousin once removed to the King of the country of the 
 Hump-backed Ogres, a nation who have always been noto- 
 rious for their bad character and evil doings. 
 
 No sooner had the giant fallen before the bravery of 
 Prince Maraflete, than some kind friend or officious person- 
 age, whichever way you please to take it, communicated the 
 fact probably by wire, but this we have no certain means 
 of knowing to his relations, and the whole community 
 of wicked giants and other creatures of that description, 
 knew what had befallen their friend within an hour of his 
 death. 
 
 Now you will wonder how it is that I know the thing 
 which I am going to tell you ; and, therefore, in order to 
 put the truth of my story beyond a doubt at once, I state 
 openly that I had it from the sea-gulls. 
 
 I am fond of walking by the sea when the weather is a 
 bit rough, and these birds are always more communicative 
 at such seasons than at any other. They wheel and whirl 
 about, skim the crest of the wave after a foam bath (a 
 favourite remedy for invalid sea-gulls, and much recom- 
 mended by the cormorants, who are the great sea-bird doctors, 
 and of high medical reputation upon the coast), and if you
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 79 
 
 happen to catch them at the right moment, that is, just 
 after a bath, and are fortunate enough to understand their 
 language, you may learn a great many wonderful things 
 about the sea and its business. 
 
 Most luckily for me, I had, in very early youth, les- 
 sons in the sea-gull language from a bird who was a tempo- 
 rary resident in our garden at home. I do not know how 
 he was caught at first ; but they clipped his wings and put 
 him in the garden, saying he was a good hand at catching 
 slugs and other enemies of the vegetable world. Anyhow, 
 he spoke the sea-gull language like a native, and was good 
 enough to teach me all he could. I should have learned 
 much more, only his wings grew, and, when he found this 
 was the case, he flew away one fine morning without saying 
 a word to anybody, and never came back to his slug-hunt- 
 ing, probably preferring the wild waves and the foam-baths, 
 in which I think he showed excellent taste. 
 
 I never forgot his lessons, and was thereby enabled to 
 gather from the conversation of these birds how it was that 
 Prince Maraflete and Polly encountered this terrific storm, 
 and were brought into such peril of their lives. 
 
 It seems that the race of giants have always tried to keep 
 on good terms with the weather authorities, and especially 
 with those who have to do with the wind department. Of 
 course, as a matter of theory and principle, these things are 
 governed by strict rules and regulations, and all the officials 
 connected with the wind and weather offices are persons of 
 the highest integrity and most strict probity, utterly in- 
 capable of being bribed or persuaded in any way or in the 
 slightest degree to swerve from the plain path of duty 
 before them. But somehow or other the fatal word " in- 
 fluence " has a place in this as in every other department ;
 
 So OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and the kings of the giants know how to exercise their 
 influence in a manner so skilful and judicious that they 
 could generally arrange a small storm on very short notice, 
 and even, when the occasion seemed to require it, could 
 cause mankind to be troubled by a great tempest. Very 
 awkward customers they must be to have for enemies, 
 thought I, when the sea-gulls first told me this ; and I 
 forthwith resolved to keep on good terms with all giants, 
 especially about hopping-time, for an honest man of Kent, 
 with a good hop-garden and the hops just ready to pick, 
 would have a bad time of it if the king of the giants got 
 up a tempest at that particular moment. It is hopping-time 
 whilst I am writing this, and my hops are about half picked, 
 and here I sit listening to the wind getting up much faster 
 and higher than I like to hear it on the sixteenth of Sep- 
 tember, and I only hope those wretched giants are not at 
 the bottom of it ! 
 
 Well, as I was saying, the giants heard the news of old 
 Blunderfel's death, and it put them in a terrible rage. 
 Especially annoyed was the deceased giant's first cousin 
 once removed, the King of the Hump-backed Giants, who 
 rejoiced in the sweet-sounding name of Puff block, the 
 origin of which I have never been able to discover, as when 
 I asked the sea-gulls they only screamed, and either did 
 not or would not understand. 
 
 King Puffblock had not cared for his relation when 
 alive ; in fact, he had rather hated and constantly abused 
 him for a lout and a fool, both of which he was himself in 
 an eminent degree. But somehow or other, by some 
 strange law of nature, as soon as ever a fellow is dead, one 
 often discovers that one was really very fond of him and 
 will miss him a great deal.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 8r 
 
 So as soon as the news of old Blunderfel's decease had 
 reached King Puifblock, he first flew into the violent 
 passion which giants always think it right to assume when 
 they hear any news which is not decidedly good, and then 
 he began to declare that he had lost one of the best and 
 dearest friends he had ever possessed. Next he ordered 
 general court-mourning of the deepest character, which, in 
 the giant country and according to old ogre custom, consists 
 in cutting off the left leg of the trouser below the knee and 
 painting the leg either vermilion or sky-blue according to 
 tiste. It may be observed that it was probably the exist- 
 ence of this custom which eventually led to the almost total 
 abolition of trousers and the adoption of knickerbockers by 
 those of the giant race who wear anything at all. The 
 expense of continually cutting off one of your trouser-legs 
 was not unnaturally found to be considerable, and although 
 the change was violently resisted by the tailor interest, who 
 had derived great profit therefrom, it was at length carried 
 out to its fullest extent, so that at the present day one 
 scarcely ever sees a giant in trousers anywhere. 
 
 When Puffblock had given this order, which he did im- 
 mediately on recovering from his first fit of passion, he 
 turned his thoughts to vengeance, and took instant steps to 
 communicate, through the stormy petrels, with those, agents 
 who were the most likely to be able to procure a tempest with 
 the least possible delay. When this had been done, he 
 further arranged with various fishes of the worst class, and 
 especially with all the devil-fish he could get at in the time, 
 to swim around and direct the boat, in which he heard that 
 the Prince had embarked, so that it might be drifted on to 
 the shores of his country, and its occupants be delivered up 
 into his power.
 
 82 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Thus, whilst Prince Maraflete and Polly Perkins lay 
 comfortably under the tarpaulin, sheltered as much as could 
 be from the wind and weather, and becoming better ac- 
 quainted every minute, they were gradually being carried 
 into the presence of enemies more terrible and a danger more 
 grievous than the winds and waves. They kept well under 
 the tarpaulin meanwhile, and did not look out, knowing 
 well enough that they could do nothing whilst the storm 
 continued to rage so furiously. They talked together, how- 
 ever, and the Prince found that although Polly's language 
 was not precisely that to which he had been accustomed, 
 her ideas were all nice and good, her intelligence was con- 
 siderable, and she was certainly a most pleasant companion. 
 He could not comprehend how a mere fisherman's daughter 
 could be so refined in her thoughts and so agreeable in her 
 conversation ; and little by little he began to enjoy her 
 society and really to rejoice over the accident which had 
 thus thrown them together. 
 
 Still the wind howled and the waves roared, and the boat 
 tossed to and fro, and it seemed not improbable that this their 
 first meeting would also be their last in this world of woe. 
 But, as it is " a long lane which has no turning," so also it 
 is a long storm which has no end, and, in sober truth, such 
 a storm never existed. So the wind, being tired of making 
 such a fuss about nothing, dropped down, first to a mere 
 common gale, next to a slight breeze, and then almost to its 
 ordinary state of composure. 
 
 The sea, having been considerably excited and thoroughly 
 stirred up in its deepest feelings, took longer in composing 
 itself, and its bosom heaved with an uneasy motion for 
 some time longer. 
 
 But the boat no longer pitched up and down as before .
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 83 
 
 it rode more gently upon the billows, and the companions 
 became sensible that the danger of shipwreck and conse- 
 quent drowning was over for the present, and that they 
 might rouse themselves to some effort of their own to direct 
 their vessel where they thought best. 
 
 As the lady was conscious of her own superiority in the 
 art of navigation, she suggested to Prince Maraflete that 
 she should take the oars as soon as the sea was calm enough 
 for them to row again. 
 
 The Prince, however, being far too polite to allow a lady 
 to work whilst he remained idle, entirely objected to this 
 arrangement. 
 
 " Well," said the girl, " you had better let me do as I 
 say. You're a precious muff with the oars, you know. 
 You never could have been brought up a fisherman, 
 that's plain enough. What are you when you are at 
 home ? " 
 
 A little nettled by the contempt which she showed for his 
 rowing capacity, he replied, with some dignity 
 
 "I am the Prince of the country Prince Maraflete." 
 "Are you?" she exclaimed in surprise. "A Prince! 
 well, I never ! " She looked at him with her large eyes 
 wide open for a second or two, and then continued " You 
 are very like other men, too. Are all princes like other 
 men, I wonder ? And, I say, why should one fellow be a 
 prince more than another ? " 
 
 "Because he is born so, "replied the Prince, with prompt 
 decision. 
 
 " Yes, I know that" returned the damsel ; " but why 
 should he be born so ? Is one man better and wiser than 
 another because he is born in a palace and the other in a 
 cottage ? and if he is not better and wiser, why should he 
 
 G 2
 
 84 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 be a prince and the other not be one ? I cannot under- 
 stand it." 
 
 " A prince," answered Maraflete, gravely, " who rightly 
 understands his position and properly uses his opportuni- 
 ties, ought to be wiser, better, and braver than other people. 
 His power is great so are his responsibilities. He should 
 set an example of high, honourable, and moral conduct to 
 his subjects; he should choose good and noble-minded com- 
 panions, and, with them, set his people an example of the 
 manner in which duty may be done and good work per- 
 formed in every station in life ; he should be first in every 
 good work brave in battle wise in council and the 
 encourager of all that is virtuous and upright in his 
 country." 
 
 " Dear me ! " said the girl, "that all sounds very grand, 
 but he can't be best at everything after all. You see you 
 don't row any better for being a prince. Bandylegged 
 Harry could beat you at that, and so could all of them on 
 the beach." 
 
 The Prince was about to reply to this observation by 
 some profoundly wise remark, when an event occurred 
 which put an end at once to their conversation, which had 
 been carried on whilst they were about to quit the tarpaulin 
 but were waiting a few minutes, as the sea was becoming 
 calmer and calmer. 
 
 The event was indeed one which could not fail of attract- 
 ing their attention the motion of their boat suddenly and 
 completely changed ; and, instead of tossing about to and 
 fro upon the ocean at the will and caprice of the dancing 
 waves, she began to move straight and steadily through the 
 water, just for all the world as if somebody was pulling her 
 along by a rope.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 85 
 
 Somebody teats pulling her along by a rope, which quite 
 accounted for the sensation which the Prince and his com- 
 panion experienced. Whilst they had been snugly lying 
 under the tarpaulin, and delaying to rise and keep a look- 
 out, as they ought of course to have done, the rascally fishes 
 and other allies of their cruel enemies had done their work 
 so well, that the boat had drifted nearer and nearer to the 
 country of the Hump-backed Giants, urged by hidden cur- 
 rents continually in the same direction. 
 
 When it came within a short distance of the shore, a 
 couple of giants were directed by King Puff block to wade 
 out and tow the vessel in ; and this they proceeded to do 
 without delay. 
 
 So when the two travellers, suddenly aroused to action 
 and energy by the change in the movement of their boat, 
 sprang up and rushed eagerly forward to ascertain what it 
 meant, they found themselves only a few yards off from a 
 strange country, their boat being hauled in through the 
 surf by two huge and misshapen monsters, and a number of 
 the same sort of creatures standing on the shore, evidently 
 awaiting their arrival. 
 
 The sight was not one which was calculated to inspire 
 feelings of hope or pleasure. Immediately before them 
 were a number of small rocks stretching away into the sea, 
 and preventing any vessel from being safely landed. These 
 rocks Avere covered with green, slippery seaweed, and be- 
 tween them were many small pools in which crabs, shrimps, 
 and other marine beings, which are more agreeable boiled 
 than in their native element, had their abode. Beyond 
 these rocks was the beach, upon which stood the natives, 
 who were watching the boat ; and beyond the beach again 
 the country seemed rocky and barren, so that there was
 
 86 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 nothing particularly likely to tempt a sailor to land at that 
 spot. 
 
 Our poor friends, however, had no choice in the matter. 
 The two giants pulled away with such a will that the boat 
 was shortly upon the low rocks, over which they scrambled, 
 still pulling, until they had hauled her into a small creek, 
 and wedged her so tight in the rocks that she could 
 move neither one way nor the other. This happened 
 almost at the same moment as Prince Maraflete and Polly 
 Perkins rushed forward ; and as they did so, they were at 
 once visible to the giants on shore, who immediately set up 
 a yell, or rather a roar of triumph. 
 
 The two monsters who had hauled the boat now came 
 staggering back over the rocks, on which they could scarcely 
 keep their footing ; and having finally secured the vessel, 
 made signals to the companions that they .must disembark. 
 This they would gladly have declined, but there was no 
 help for it. 
 
 Each of the monsters was at least twice the size of an 
 ordinary man, whilst the hump upon the back of each threw 
 his head and shoulders forward in a slouching manner, and 
 gave to a brutal and villainous countenance even a more re- 
 pulsive appearance than it might have had if set upright 
 upon an ordinary body. Their hair was matted on their 
 heads, and there, as well as on their beards, was of a grizzly 
 red colour, whilst their beards were short and shaggy, their 
 eyes grey and stony, their hands huge and coarse, their 
 skin rough and knotty, and their whole appearance dis- 
 agreeable in the extreme. In voices which sounded like 
 the hoarse bellow of an infuriated bull, and in words too 
 unpolite to be here written, they again ordered the Prince 
 and Polly to come out of the boat, at the same time
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 87 
 
 gnashing their teeth and shaking their fists in a threatening 
 manner. 
 
 The two unfortunate mortals saw but too clearly that 
 they had fallen into a fresh misfortune, from which escape 
 seemed impossible. 
 
 For an instant they stood irresolute, as the thought per- 
 haps crossed the mind of each that it would be better to 
 trust themselves to the sea than to the tender mercies of 
 the repulsive beings whom they saw before them. But it 
 was useless to hesitate, and the danger could not be avoided. 
 So the Prince, clasping Polly's hand tightly, bade her be of 
 good heart, and all might yet turn out well. 
 
 She, for her part, although she had trembled violently at 
 the first sight of the hideous monsters, plucked up courage 
 at her companion's word, and promised to do as he told her. 
 
 In that dread moment each felt drawn closer to the other, 
 and the hearts of the Prince and fisher-girl were at the 
 same time touched with a warm and tender feeling such as 
 sometimes originates, and is always strengthened, in the 
 hour of common danger or affliction. 
 
 Together they descended from the boat on to the rocks, 
 and were immediately roughly seized by the two giants, who 
 with many violent words (some of which they understood, 
 whilst some, being spoken in the giant language, -and the 
 Hump-backed dialect, were perfectly unintelligible) dragged 
 them across the rocks to the mainland. 
 
 It was a slippery, ankle-spraining passage, but they 
 reached the shore safely, and were immediately surrounded 
 by some forty or fifty ferocious giants, ail hump-backed, 
 nearly all carroty-haired, and every one of them so frightful 
 a specimen of humanity that in a civilised country he would 
 have made the fortune of any good Christian who would
 
 88 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 have shown him about in a cage. They flourished clubs, 
 they howled, they yelled, and threatened the prisoners in 
 such a manner that they quite expected that their last hour 
 was come ; especially as, amid the volley of abuse which was 
 being hurled upon them, they distinctly heard the word 
 " Blunderfel " repeated several times, and at once under- 
 stood that they had fallen into the hands of friends of that 
 departed monster, and friends, too, who had, somehow or 
 other, become acquainted with his recent fate. 
 
 Some of the giants went so far as to lay hands on the Prince 
 and Polly and drag them off in different directions; but others 
 who were in authority interposed, and without further injury 
 they were hauled along by the rabble up the beach, and 
 presently ushered into the presence of the dreaded Puff- 
 block, the King of the Hump-backed Giants. 
 
 The crowd now fell back to a short distance, leaving the 
 prisoners standing immediately in front of this proud and 
 powerful monarch. Now it is well-known that the ordinary 
 custom of giants is to choose for their king or leader the 
 person among themselves who has attained the largest si^e 
 and the greatest strength. 
 
 In the country of the Hump-backed Giants, however, this 
 custom was so far varied that they always selected the 
 ugliest giant for their chief. The ugliness of Puff block's 
 family had been for ages so proverbial, that in his case the 
 monarchy had practically become hereditary ; but even had 
 it been otherwise, it is more than doubtful whether any 
 other individual in the whole community of giants could 
 have disputed his pretensions to the crown upon his own 
 merits, or demerits as some might call them. 
 
 In addition to his being the possessor of a hump larger 
 and more misshapen than that of his brethren, his hair
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 89 
 
 was of a coarser and at the same time more vivid red, and 
 bristled up around his head in a manner which at a little 
 distance off gave the appearance of a stubble-field on fire. 
 
 Moreover, he looked distinctly one way with one eye and 
 the other way with the other ; his nose was twisted round 
 upon his face in a manner which would have been ludicrous 
 if it had not been also horrible to behold ; and his ears were 
 of such enormous size that, solely on their account, he had 
 been nicknamed " the donkey " in his youth, and had only 
 crushed out the nickname by the execution with awful 
 cruelties of any one who ever dared to utter it. His mouth, 
 stretched from one side of his face to the other, twisted 
 down at each corner in a peculiar and unpleasant manner ; 
 his chin had always upon it a beard to match the hair of 
 his head, save that it hung down (as is not unusual with 
 beards) instead of bristling up, and always presented a re- 
 markably scrubby and not over-clean appearance. Add to 
 this that he had lost two of his front teeth from an acci- 
 dental blow from the tail of a tame alligator, that he never 
 washed his face for fear of catching cold, and that the 
 habitual expression upon his countenance was one of com- 
 bined cunning, malice, ill-temper, cruelty, and sottish vice, 
 and you have before you the pleasing picture which pre- 
 sented itself to the eyes of the luckless Prince Maraflete 
 and Polly Perkins, when the withdrawal from around them 
 of the turbulent and noisy crowd, awed by the presence of 
 their mighty and savage sovereign, left them standing face 
 to face with that terrible personage. 
 
 A growl of savage satisfaction broke involuntarily from 
 the latter as he regarded his captives with a smile of bitter 
 malevolence. 
 
 For one instant he gazed upon them, and then he broke
 
 90 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 forth in a voice which sounded to the Prince more than 
 anything else like an enormous hurdy-gurdy fearfully out 
 of tune. 
 
 " What ho ! " he cried, in scornful accents. " Have we 
 here the giant-slayer the murderer of honest men by 
 magic arts the deceiver the traitor the cut-throat villain 
 the runaway would-be sailor?" 
 
 At these words Prince Haraflete drew himself up to his 
 full height, inspired with all the courage of his race, and 
 undauntedly replied to his foul accuser 
 
 " Sir," he said, " whoever or whatever you be I know 
 not, but none of the names you have just spoken apply to 
 me or to this lady, and I beg you to be more polite." 
 
 The blood rushed to the giant's face as he heard these 
 bold words, and for a moment he made as if he would have 
 rushed upon the speaker and trodden him down under foot 
 then and there. But, remembering that both the captives 
 were wholly and completely in his power, and not desiring 
 to cut short the pleasure which he anticipated in tormenting 
 them, he curbed his rising passion, and thus replied to the 
 Prince's speech 
 
 " What ! young malapert, dost thou deny the charge ? 
 We will soon see about that, and as for this wretched wench 
 whom thou calledst a lady, she shall soon rue the day when 
 she consorted with such knaves as thee." 
 
 The Prince again hastily interposed 
 
 " Do with me," he cried, " what may be your will ; but 
 this damsel can have done no wrong : she is guiltless, or, if 
 she has erred in any respect, it has been my fault, and 
 mine alone. Let her go free, then, and deal with me as 
 you list." 
 
 At this moment Polly found her voice, and the true heart
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 91 
 
 and brave spirit of the girl showed itself at once. She 
 seemed for the moment to forget her own danger and the 
 fearful presence in which she stood. 
 
 " Oh, Prince ! " she said ; " now I know you are a Prince, 
 and I see what you meant by saying that a prince should be 
 better and braver than any one else for so you are." 
 And then turning and facing the giant boldly " Mr. 
 Monster," she said, "if so you be rightly called, and you 
 look it all over, don't pay no heed to what lie says. I'm 
 as bad as what he is, and a deal worse, so polish me off 
 if you please, and let this young chap off, there's a good 
 monster ! " 
 
 The giant King smiled grimly upon the pair. 
 
 "Is it so?" he remarked as if to himself. " Tis the 
 common way of those human fools." 
 
 Then, addressing the two captives, who had warmly 
 clasped each other's hands after Polly's bold speech, and 
 now looked at him with brave hearts reflected in their 
 countenances, he exclaimed in a loud voice 
 
 " Let him off? Let her go free ?" he asked ironically. 
 " Why, I should be a fool as well as a monster if I did it. 
 No, no, my young friends. I am sure you are too fond of 
 each other to wish to be separated. We will see what we 
 can make of you both together so we will ; and you de- 
 serve it, too, for I believe both of ye were guilty in the affair 
 of our cousin Blunderfel. Ye shall be together. Fear ye 
 not It will please the dainty wench to see the monsters eat 
 her sweet Prince alive, or boil him with sea-weed sauce, or, 
 since we give ladies the preference (she a lady, forsooth !) in 
 the giant's country, perhaps she shall be skinned by crabs 
 first we shall sec we shall see " 
 
 Then King Puffblock set up a hideous laugh, and all the
 
 92 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 surrounding giants claimed in, making a frightful bellowing, 
 by no means agreeable to the ears of the unhappy prisoners. 
 Then the King continued to address them 
 
 "Prince," he said, "since Prince thou claimest to be, 
 what hast thou to say why thou shouldst not be scrum- 
 maged up, spiflicated, and totally extinguished for thy foul 
 crime in the murder of our cousin Blunderfel ?" 
 
 " I have committed no crime," boldly replied the Prince, 
 upon which there instantly arose among the giants a low, 
 hoarse murmur of-" A trial, a trial ; he denies it ! " 
 
 A sarcastic smile sat upon the face of King Puff block. 
 
 "Reptile, scum of the earth, vagabond," he said, ad- 
 dressing Prince Maraflete with these uncomplimentary 
 epithets ; " since thou dost deny thy crime, know that it 
 is the ancient law and custom of the Hump-backed Giants 
 that any prisoner who docs so, shall have a fair trial, and 
 this thou shalt have forthwith." 
 
 The Prince, having no objection to make to this proposal, 
 and knowing that it would be useless to make it if he had, 
 calmly bowed his head in silence, while the giants received 
 the w r ords of their King with a low growl of satisfaction. 
 
 "Now," said the latter, "I will be judge as usual swear 
 me a jury." 
 
 Immediately twelve giants came forward and went 
 through the ceremony of being sworn as jurors, which 
 simply consisted in having a cord of seaweed hung round 
 their necks, after which each in succession made a declara- 
 tion that the prisoner should not get off, if he could help it. 
 This did not seem to Prince Maraflete much like a fair trial ; 
 but he thought he had better let things take their course, 
 and during this process employed himself in comforting 
 Polly, who was now weeping bitterly, and accusing herself
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 93 
 
 of having been the cause of his misfortune, as, but for her 
 condition, he would have gone quietly home and never em- 
 barked in that fatal boat. 
 
 When he pointed out to her, however, that all was 
 doubtless ordered for the best, and, moreover, bade her 
 remark how rejoiced the giants were to see her cry, she 
 immediately ceased doing so, and determined to give way 
 to grief no longer. 
 
 As soon as the jury had been sworn, King Puffblock 
 called for the witnesses, and Prince Maraflete's heart sank 
 within him when the first who presented himself, a dirty- 
 looking miscreant of a giant, upon whom he had never set 
 eyes before, duly took the oath to tell a lie, a thundering 
 lie, and nothing but a lie, which appeared to be the usual 
 giant oath upon the trial of prisoners. 
 
 The King then commenced the trial by asking the 
 witness giant if he had known Blunderfel, to which, break- 
 ing his oath at once by telling the truth, he replied that 
 he did. He was next asked if he knew that Blunderfel 
 was dead, to which he replied yes. How did he know it ? 
 He had seen it in the register of deaths in Blunderfel's 
 district. 
 
 Knowing that this must be a wicked untruth, the Prince 
 interposed and demanded that the register should be 
 produced, since of course it must be possible to do so, and 
 if his accusers could have produced the register itself, or at 
 least a copy of it, and did not do either, he submitted that 
 the evidence of a witness who merely said he had seen it, 
 could not be received. 
 
 King Puffblock, however, cut the matter short after his 
 own fashion. 
 
 " That may be your law, poor fool," he remarked ; "but
 
 94 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 it is not giant law, which is the law we go by, as being 
 much the best by which to make sure the punishment of a 
 prisoner. / take it that the witness has sufficiently proved 
 that my poor cousin is dead. Now then, witness, who 
 killed him?" 
 
 The witness slowly lifted a very dirty forefinger and 
 pointed at the Prince, upon whom he scowled fearfully at 
 the same time. 
 
 " How do you know ? " asked the King. 
 
 "Saw him do it," calmly replied the giant, to the great 
 indignation of Polly, who wished to break in with an 
 expression of opinion by no means flattering to the 
 giant, but was, though with difficulty, restrained by the 
 Prince. 
 
 " How did he do it ? " asked the King. 
 
 " Came behind him when he was at dinner and stabbed 
 him in the back," replied the witness. 
 
 "That will do," said the King. "Call another 
 witness." 
 
 "But," hastily interrupted the Prince, who was not dis- 
 posed to see his life deliberately sworn away without an 
 effort to preserve it. "I want to ask this witness some 
 questions may I not do so ? " 
 
 " Certainly not," replied the King. " And besides it 
 would not be the least use, for he wouldn't be such a fool as 
 to answer you." 
 
 " Surely," exclaimed poor Maraflete, " you do not call 
 this a fair trial, if you will not let me cross-examine the 
 witnesses." 
 
 " You may call it just whatever you please, you con- 
 founded rapscallion," answered Puffblock. " It is a trial, 
 and so you'll find it, and as to your asking questions of the
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 95 
 
 witnesses, that would be contrary to the law of the Hump- 
 backed Giants, and you sha'n't do it." 
 
 Having thus silenced the luckless Prince, he proceeded 
 to call another giant, who gravely deposed to having 
 also seen the death of Blunderfel by the hand of the 
 prisoner. 
 
 " How did he do it ?" asked the King. 
 
 " He shot him through the heart with a pocket pistol," 
 said the giant. 
 
 "Ho wean that be?" asked the poor Prince, but was 
 again ordered to hold his tongue under pain of having it 
 plucked out by the roots, whereupon he desisted from any 
 further attempts to arrest the course of injustice. 
 
 Another witness was produced, who replied to the ques- 
 tion as to how the prisoner had slain Blunderfel in a 
 different manner. 
 
 " He put poison in his broth," said he, and forthwith 
 another was directly called and asked the same thing. 
 
 " He killed him with a magic word," was the answer, and 
 this reminded the Prince of the war-cry which he had, in 
 truth, so effectually used. 
 
 Remembering, however, that he had now his companion 
 to think of as well as himself, and being most desirous to 
 escape quietly, if he could, from his unpleasant and dangerous 
 position, he thought it best to make one more attempt to do so. 
 "Sir," he said to King Puffblock, "I pray you listen to 
 me for a moment. There are four witnesses who have de- 
 clared that the deceased giant was killed in four different 
 ways. Three, therefore, must be wrong. Why not all? 
 And if wrong as to the manner of the death, why not 
 equally so as to the person who caused it ? " 
 
 " Never thou mind, poor knave," responded the giant,
 
 96 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 with a terrible grimace. " It is quite right it is the true, 
 good old-fashioned giant way of giving evidence. Don't you 
 see that the more kinds of death they swear to, the better 
 chance there is that one of them may be right, and that is 
 all we want." 
 
 The Prince vainly attempted to protest against this extra- 
 ordinary doctrine as to evidence, but the King, with fearful 
 gnashing of teeth and words too dreadful to be written, 
 quickly silenced him, and then called another witness, who, 
 being strongly marked with the small-pox, and squinting 
 frightfully, was considered by his countrymen one of the 
 handsomest monsters in Ogredom. 
 
 " Now, Luinpster," said the King; "do you know the 
 prisoner ? " 
 
 " I know him well," calmly replied the person addressed, 
 who was an entire stranger to the Prince. 
 
 " Do you believe him to be well affected to giants gene- 
 rally?" 
 
 " Sir, Sir," interposed the Prince ; " how can his mere 
 belief be legal evidence ? " 
 
 " Will you hold your jaw?" roared the King- Judge, 
 whilst the witness responded without hesitation 
 
 " I have frequently heard him speak against all giants, 
 and Blunderfel in particular, whom he vowed he would kill 
 upon the first opportunity. Moreover, I have heard him 
 say that although a steak from a buffalo-hump was good, 
 one from that of a Hump-backed Giant was far better, and 
 he wished for no better dinner." 
 
 At these words, a suppressed growl went round the circle 
 of monsters, expressive at once of their admiration of such 
 cleverly-invented evidence, and their joy at the certainty 
 that it would tell against the luckless prisoner.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 97 
 
 " King ! " cried the latter, beside himself with rage and 
 indignation, " Is this a trial ? Why, I never saw that fellow 
 before in the whole course of my life ! " 
 
 " That has nothing to do with it," coolly replied King 
 Puffblock, " but your outbreak may be pardoned in consi- 
 deration of your palpable ignorance of the great laws of 
 evidence." 
 
 Then, turning to the jury, he addressed them in these 
 few but emphatic words 
 
 " Gentlemen, you have heard the evidence : it is proved 
 that our poor Blunderfel is dead : it is sworn that this 
 knave of a prisoner did it ; and if so, it does not much 
 matter how. As to the girl, being taken prisoner with him, 
 according to our law she follows his fate. Is he guilty or 
 not?" 
 
 The jury hardly waited for the King to finish before they 
 all bellowed forth the word " Guilty," with great apparent 
 delight, and the Prince saw at once that nothing he could 
 have said in his defence, if indeed he had been allowed to 
 say anything, would have made any difference. 
 
 King Puffblock now turned upon him savagely. 
 "Well, you cantankerous young cormorant," said he, 
 " you pestiferous, palavering, problematical, peripatetic, 
 perambulating perjurer, what have you to say why you and 
 the girl should not be immediately killed and eaten with oil 
 and onions ? " 
 
 The Prince, knowing that some kinds of giants delight 
 in using the longest words they can think of, without being 
 always particular as to their real meaning or application, 
 was not astonished at this address ; his chief concern at 
 this moment being how to proceed with regard to Polly. 
 Had he been alone he would have uttered his war-cry and
 
 93 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 charged upon his foes ; but if he did so, he feared lest she 
 might be injured in the tumult and struggle which would 
 doubtless follow. He therefore made a reply to the monster 
 before resorting to any other expedient. 
 
 " Sir," he said, " I cannot believe that you would inflict 
 wanton and reckless cruelty upon two innocent persons. Do 
 not so disgrace yourself and your people. If I fall I shall 
 not die unavenged, for I have powerful allies, as you will 
 learn to your cost. But I pray you do not take any rash 
 and violent measures, but treat us as strangers and travel- 
 lers should be treated, and let us go." 
 
 " Let you go ! " roared the ogre, as his eyes flashed fire 
 and his face grew red with rage. " You indefensible, irre- 
 parable, incomprehensible, illuminated idiot, do not dream 
 of such a thing for a moment. You will never go home, 
 my boy, so don't think it," and so saying, he took a step in 
 advance towards the captives. 
 
 The Prince now thought that the moment for action had 
 arrived, and that there was nothing for it but to fight. 
 Having no weapon in his hand, but only in his belt the 
 knife with which he had slain Blunderfel, and which, had 
 they but known it, would have been the most conclusive evi- 
 dence that the giants could have brought against him, he 
 boldly drew it forth as the giant moved towards him, and at 
 the top of his voice shouted the magic war-cry 
 
 " Lollipops ! " 
 
 Fancy his horror and surprise when he found that it pro- 
 duced no effect whatever. 
 
 "Lollipops be sucked! " cried the giant, with a ferocious 
 chuckle, which, under the circumstances, was awful to hear. 
 " What's the use of the word without the branch, you lolli- 
 popuous lout ? "
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 99 
 
 In an instant the Prince remembered that the instructions 
 of the Bilberry man had bade him wave in his hand a 
 branch of yew-tree when he attacked his enemies, and it 
 flashed across his mind that the power of the word had 
 been somehow or other bound up with that of the tree, and 
 that it had lost its magic force without the latter. He 
 hastily turned to his companion. 
 
 " Oh, Polly ! " he cried, " I fear we are lost. I can do 
 nothing without yew." 
 
 "Nor I without you, my darling Prince," replied the 
 girl, evidently mistaking his meaning, and receiving his 
 words as a declaration of attachment which, although made 
 at an unfortunate moment, was welcome to her soul as 
 strawberries to a parched throat in hot weather. 
 
 With these words she threw her arms fondly around him, 
 and proposed that they should die together, which, in fact, 
 appeared to be the most likely thing to happen to them, 
 whether they liked it or not. 
 
 The Prince, who had not meant his words to be thus in- 
 terpreted, was somewhat embarrassed ; but his heart had 
 already inclined so much towards the companion of his 
 misfortunes, that her response was by no means disagreeable 
 to his feelings. He clasped her, therefore, tenderly to his 
 heart, and declared his readiness to die, if die they must, in 
 that pleasant position. The giant, however, had only taken 
 one step forward, and now stood regarding the pair with an 
 amused expression of face. 
 
 " Smash my grandmother's kaleidoscope," said he, using 
 a favourite expression of his family, " if you die together, 
 or live together either, you cooing, coddling cucumbers. 
 Here, Biff kins, Furze-bush, Muddleman, tear them asunder, 
 and put them in separate caves until we settle how to dress
 
 ioo OTHER STORIES. 
 
 them. See if they are fit for frizzling, and let old Boilemup 
 the cook make her report at once." 
 
 At these words three of the monsters approached the two 
 unhappy mortals and forcibly tore them from each other's 
 arms. It was in vain that the Prince struggled to the 
 utmost of his strength, and shouted his war-cry more than 
 once. The word had lost its magic power, and only pro- 
 duced derision on the part of his foes. Polly could of course 
 do nothing, and the two were parted, their arms securely 
 bound behind their backs with seaweed, after which they 
 were roughly dragged towards the rocky heights which 
 towered up at a short distance from the sea. 
 
 As they approached they saw several doors cut in the 
 face of the rock, which they rightly conjectured to be the 
 means of entrance to the caves of which the giant King 
 had spoken. There were regular wooden doors, with huge 
 bars of iron across them, which rendered them doubly 
 strong, and it took a giant's strength to swing them back. 
 This, however, was effected by those who had the prisoners 
 in charge, and in a few minutes Prince Maraflete and Polly 
 Perkins were each thrust through one of these doors, and 
 found themselves within the caves in which King Puffblock 
 had commanded them to be placed. 
 
 These were not particularly pleasant places. They ap- 
 peared to be quite dark, save a glimmering of light beneath 
 and at the sides of the doors, which did not fit very closely, 
 as giants are careless workmen, and rarely turn out their 
 work in a well-finished style. With this exception, how- 
 ever, there was no light in the caves, and no furniture of 
 any kind. The Prince was at first quite overcome by the 
 misfortune which had befallen him, and sat down, about to 
 give himself up to despair. He started to his legs, however,
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 101 
 
 immediately, principally on account of the pavement of the 
 cave being composed of loose flint stones, many of which 
 had the sharp side uppermost. It is not so easy to stand up 
 or sit down just when you wish to do either, if your arms 
 happen to be tied behind you, as was the case with Prince 
 Maraflete. He managed to rise, however, and stood in a 
 most uncomfortable manner, with the most uncomfortable 
 thoughts crowding upon him. The principal one, however, 
 was that which concerned his fair companion. 
 
 He, indeed, had to some extent deserved his fate, for he 
 had undoubtedly slain the relative of those who now had 
 him in their power, although he believed that in so doing 
 he had only been carrying out a sentence most fully de- 
 served, and executing an act of righteous vengeance. But 
 poor Polly had done nothing, and now she was about to 
 suffer, probably to be devoured, entirely through him and be- 
 cause of his doings. The thought was maddening, and the 
 sense of his own helplessness still more so. What could he 
 do ? No hope seemed to remain. Oh, if he had but brought 
 the branch of yew-tree with him ! How differently every- 
 thing would have turned out ! 
 
 It was, however, useless to lament, for crying over spilt 
 milk never as yet did anybody the least bit of good, and all 
 he could see for it was to bear his misfortunes like a man 
 and a prince, and devoutly to hope that he might disagree 
 with the giants who should eat him. 
 
 Apparently this event was not likely to be delayed, for 
 whilst Prince Maraflete was still occupied by these thoughts, 
 the door of his cave was flung violently open, and a flood of 
 light streamed in, disclosing the figure of a square-built, 
 enormously fat old woman, with gray, grizzly locks, confined 
 under a paper cap closely fitting to the head, and with a
 
 102 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 very red face, puffed-out cheeks, which almost concealed her 
 nose, and eyes starting from her head as if she lived in a 
 perpetual state of amazement. This old woman had a soup- 
 ladle in her hand, and was evidently the cook of the giant 
 King's establishment, whose report upon the condition of the 
 prisoners he had directed to be made. 
 
 She came staggering into the cave, and without any cere- 
 mony hit the Prince a whack over the shoulders with her 
 ladle, exclaiming at the same time in a deep but not un- 
 pleasant voice 
 
 " Well, my joker, let me see what you are made of." 
 
 The unhappy prisoner was of course full of indignation 
 at this discourteous method of salutation, but as he could 
 do nothing, thought it better to say nothing either, and so re- 
 mained perfectly silent. "Waddling up to him, the old woman 
 began to feel him all over in a quiet and business-like sort of 
 manner, pinching the fleshy parts of his body between her 
 finger and thumb, after a fashion decidedly uncomfortable, 
 poking him in the ribs with her fat forefinger, and squeezing 
 his legs and arms with her hands, as if to ascertain his 
 fatting capabilities. This went on for the best part of a 
 minute, and then she left off, set her arms akimbo, and after 
 looking at him for a second or two with the utmost gravity, 
 remarked aloud to herself 
 
 " He'd fill out, he would indeed, fill out to be a real 
 fat 'un, if they'd only give him time. But that's just what 
 they never do ! Drat 'em, say I, dressing their game when 
 it's little better than skin and bone ! It don't give a cook 
 a chance, it don't ; and then they go and grumble because 
 there ain't enough fat and gravy ! " 
 
 Prince Maraflete felt a shudder pass through him as he 
 stened to this unfeeling soliloquy ; but although it fore-
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 103 
 
 shadowed but too plainly his approaching fate, at the same 
 time it gave him a faint ray of hope, that the evident desire 
 of the cook that he should not be eaten until he was some- 
 what fatter, might delay that fate, and thus give an oppor- 
 tunity for something in his favour to turn up. The old 
 woman gave him a parting poke with her soup ladle, and 
 then went off to inspect Polly, with whom her interview 
 was doubtless of the same sort ; but the sea-gull who told 
 me this part of the story did not know exactly what passed, 
 or what was the precise report which old Mother Boilemup 
 made to King Puff block. Whatever it was, however, it, or 
 something else, delayed the execution of the prisoners for 
 that night, and a great mess of fried fish and seaweed 
 sauce having been furnished to each of them from the 
 kitchen of the great monarch, they were left to get such 
 sleep as they could under the trying circumstances in which 
 they found themselves placed. 
 
 In order to allow him to eat, the giant who had brought 
 the Prince his food had set his arms free, and indeed there 
 seemed no reason why they should not remain so, since it 
 was evidently impossible for him to escape through these 
 doors, which no single mortal man could have moved if 
 unlocked, and which, as a matter of fact, were securely 
 fastened, each with a mighty padlock of vast strength. 
 
 So Prince Maraflete, finding his arms free, in the first 
 place rubbed and stretched them until they had quite re- 
 gained their circulation, and then, being a sensible fellow, 
 and finding the food good, fell to and made a remarkably 
 hearty meal. This concluded, he found a fairly comfort- 
 able spot upon the pavement, and having sat down, more 
 carefully than before, began to think over all that had 
 happened.
 
 104 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 His past adventures rose before him like a picture. The 
 affliction of his youth his dream the fulfilment of it, step 
 by step, up to the conclusion of his interview with the 
 Bilberry men he recalled every incident, and it seemed to 
 him that his path had been marked out for him, and his 
 course made easy in a manner wonderful to think of, up to 
 the moment of his victory over the giant Blunderfel. 
 
 Since then, indeed, things had certainly gone wrong. He 
 asked himself why ? Had he been too arrogant in the 
 moment of his triumph ? Had he trusted too much to his 
 own wits, ascribed too much to his own valour, acted too 
 much upon his own judgment? Perhaps this was so: 
 but then he had no Bilberry man near him to warn him 
 against entering the boat, and they had certainly never so 
 much as hinted that such a temptation would be offered to 
 him. 
 
 He was sorry enough, and humble enough, too, now. Oh, 
 what a fool he was to have left behind him that branch of 
 the sacred yew-tree which had helped him so much ! What, 
 by-the-by, had become of it ? He thought carefully ever 
 every event of the morning, and at length came to the con- 
 clusion that he must have dropped it from his hand when 
 he drew his knife to cut off the giant's nose, thinking that 
 he would have no more occasion for it, or, more probably, 
 not thinking at all. He would give half his kingdom to 
 have it now, he thought, but no such good luck was 
 possible. 
 
 Then his thoughts turned to the Bilberry men once more. 
 Had they no power to help him now ? Perhaps they had, 
 if he only knew how to get at them. But they the Nib- 
 biers the Haggister and even old Murlingford the cab- 
 driver, seemed to belong to another part of his life now, and
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 105 
 
 he saw nothing before him hut the grim reality of a cave 
 turned into a dungeon ; a cook ready to make him into a 
 tender dish ; and giants waiting to satisfy their appetites 
 therewith. 
 
 Overcome as he was with grief more indeed for his poor 
 Polly's fate than for his own he felt a strange drowsiness 
 steal over him as he sat ; and presently he sank into a deep 
 sleep. He dreamed : and in his dream once more the noble 
 pair who had visited him in the summer-house of the royal 
 gardens appeared to stand before him. 
 
 " See our poor darling," said his mother ; " how sad that 
 he should be in this dungeon, and in the power of the 
 blood-thirsty ogres ! Can nothing be done for him ?" 
 
 " Truly there can," replied the figure, whom he had 
 known at once to be his father. " The girl has the power 
 in her own hands, if she only knew how to use it." 
 
 " Oh ! " said the queen in a plaintive tone, " will nobody 
 tell her?" 
 
 "Of course they will," returned the other, "the mer- 
 maids desire nothing better, for they hate the giants, and 
 would gladly cheat them of their prey." 
 
 " Let us ask the mermaids to tell her, then," eagerly re- 
 joined the female form. 
 
 "You forget," said the other sadly, "We AIAY not. 
 But if our boy was to ask them in rhyme, they would 
 come and help him, and would tell the sweet one what to 
 do." 
 
 " Oh, then, why does he not ask the mermaids in 
 rhyme ? Ask the mermaids in rhyme ask the mermaids 
 in rhyme " 
 
 And with these words ringing in his ears as if just uttered, 
 the Prince awoke.
 
 1 06 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Nothing could be more clear or distinct than the direc- 
 tions which he had just received, and he had too much to 
 be thankful for in the results of his last dream to feel any 
 hesitation about obeying those who had again instructed 
 him in the same manner. The only difficulty was, that he 
 saw no mermaids to ask, either in rhyme or prose, and had 
 not indeed any very distinct notion of what sort of a being 
 a mermaid might turn out to be. However, one thing was 
 perfectly certain, namely, that he could hardly be in a worse 
 position than that in which he then was. 
 
 So he determined to make the experiment at once, and 
 after thinking over the proper way in which to address a 
 mermaid for a few moments, he cleared his throat and gave 
 utterance to the following words : 
 
 " Little mermaids, little mermaids, 
 
 Down beneath the deep-blue sea, 
 Come and bring your welcome succour 
 
 To my Polly and to me. 
 Little mermaids, little mermaids, 
 
 We are in an awful scrape ; 
 Come to me and come to Polly, 
 
 Teach us quickly to escape ! " 
 
 Scarcely had the Prince finished speaking, when he 
 heard a low dripping sound close to the outside of his cave 
 door, just as if water was running off something on to the 
 rocks, and presently a voice of great sweetness uttered the 
 following words : 
 
 " "We hear you, dear Prince, and we come to you, since 
 
 To rhymes we are always compliant, 
 No matters we mince, and we'll none of us wince 
 At the rage or the threats of the giant.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 107 
 
 Your Polly, we know (she has not told you so, 
 
 And never would show it with you by) 
 On her bosom wears low a gem, than which no 
 
 Rich queen has more splendid a ruby. 
 To you we confess she is a princess 
 
 (Don't tell^ or do aught that's unwary), 
 Who, truth to express, was brought to distress 
 
 By the wiles of a wicked old fairy. 
 She put in a boat, and pushed off afloat 
 
 This child of a queen, whom she hated, 
 Wrapt up in a coat with nought to denote 
 
 To whom the poor dear was related. 
 The fishermen kind the infant did find 
 
 (By sun and exposure 'twas drowning), 
 And when the babe whined they never opined 
 
 'Twas a princess they'd rescued from drowning. 
 The beautiful gem from proud diadem, 
 
 Which hung round the neck of the baby, 
 Denoting her stem was nothing to them, 
 
 Who never sought riches to lay by. 
 They left it to deck her beautiful neck, 
 
 Round which a blue riband did bind it, 
 And there, for to check her life those who'd wreck, 
 
 If you look you will certainly find it. 
 Her arm, if she raise, this jewel displays 
 
 And says, without fearing or blinking, 
 " On this, giants, gaze!" they'll stare Avith amaze, 
 
 And yield to her orders like winking. 
 But how you, forsooth, can tell her this truth 
 
 Alone you could never discover ; 
 So we, worthy youth, in manner uncouth, 
 
 Have come to assist you, fond lover. 
 Come near on the floor, knock thrice at the door, 
 
 Say, " I am the man who can do it ! " 
 Then, say nothing more you'll find that you score, 
 
 And pass very easily through it. 
 To us leave the rest it must be confest 
 
 We do what is open to no man, 
 And you, ere we rest, shall surely be blest, 
 
 And triumph o'er every foeman."
 
 io8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 The voice stopped, and the Prince felt his heart swell 
 with fresh courage as he listened to the musical sounds 
 which conveyed to him such cheering news. Polly, then, 
 was his equal in rank, and not only so, but was able to 
 accomplish his and her own deliverance from their cruel 
 foes, and to add the claims of gratitude to those which love 
 had already admitted into his grateful breast. Full of 
 delight, he lost no time in obeying the injunctions of 
 the mermaid, first, however, thanking her warmly for the 
 same, in what he conceived to be a neat and appropriate 
 rhyme : 
 
 " Little mermaids, little mermaids, 
 
 How you make my heart rejoice ; 
 Never was there news so pleasant 
 
 Told by such enchanting voice. 
 Be my Polly queen or peasant, 
 
 She my fondest love may claim, 
 Little mermaids, if ye save us, 
 
 Thank you kindly for the same !" 
 
 He then approached the door of the cave, as he had been 
 bidden, and deliberately knocked upon it three times with 
 his knuckles, saying each time as he did so : 
 
 " I am the man who can do it." 
 
 " So it seems," suddenly said a voice close to his ear as 
 he uttered these words for the third time, and turning round 
 he perceived the fat old cook, who had entered the cave un- 
 perceived by a secret passage which led from the kitchen, 
 and now stood beside him, ladle in hand. " So it seems," 
 she said in a sarcastic tone, " and I am the woman who can 
 do you, with sea-gull sauce and onions, for them's the king's 
 orders, and they won't wait to fatten you, nohow, so come 
 along with me ! "
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 109 
 
 A cold thrill ran through the Prince as she spoke, for he 
 now perceived that if he escaped it would only be just 
 in time, for the giants had evidently decided to devour 
 him more speedily than the cook's previous words had led 
 him to expect. Even as she spoke, however, the large 
 door of the cave swung slowly back, and the old woman 
 started back in horror and amazement at the sight before 
 her. 
 
 Three lovely mermaids were sitting upon a rock close to 
 the entrance of the cave, combing their long hair, and mur- 
 muring low but beautifully melodious notes. As the door 
 opened, a kind of stream of water seemed to arise round 
 these charming beings, and upon it they floated quietly into 
 the cave. Wheeling round, and singing as they did so, 
 each in turn brought her tail with a tremendous whack 
 against the old cook's head. At the first blow she gave a 
 kind of gurgling scream, at the second she staggered, and 
 the third stretched her senseless upon the floor, and I never 
 heard what became of her afterwards. 
 
 Then the mermaids smiled sweetly upon the Prince, and 
 bade him follow them out of the cave, which he did without 
 the slightest hesitation. They conducted him at once to 
 a similar door at a short distance from that which he 
 had just passed through, and bade him perform the same 
 ceremony to it as he had recently done to his own door with 
 such success. Accordingly he tapped three times at the 
 door, and repeated the somewhat arrogant-sounding declara- 
 tion that he was the man who could do it. The door never 
 seemed to doubt his statement for a moment, but imme- 
 diately swung back and disclosed the interior of a cave 
 very similar to that which he had just quitted, save that 
 precisely in the middle of it there was a three-legged stool,
 
 no OTHER STORIES. 
 
 upon which sat the fair Polly Perkins bemoaning her cap- 
 tivity. 
 
 As soon as she understood what had happened, and that 
 the door had heen opened by friends, she sprang up and 
 rushed at once into the Prince's arms. The mermaids 
 blushingly turned away their heads until this first embrace 
 was over, and then addressed the two lovers in the following 
 manner : 
 
 " You had better refrain from embracing again 
 
 (Pray, don't at my speaking be nettled), 
 At least till 'tis plain that your case, or the main 
 
 Is surely and certainly settled. 
 The giants hard by, are cunning and sly, 
 
 And if you go billing and cooing, 
 Will certainly try (I tell you no lie) 
 
 To compass your utter undoing. 
 Forget for awhile the kiss and the smile 
 
 (Altho' you may fancy me cruel), 
 Till the monsters so vile you've conquered in style 
 
 By the aid of your wonderful jewel. 
 Then, Master and Miss, go hug, love and kiss, 
 
 As much and as long as you're able ; 
 But put off your bliss, or be certain of this, 
 
 The giants will dress you for table." 
 
 Thus reminded of the danger from which they had not 
 yet wholly escaped, the two lovers disengaged themselves 
 from each other's arms, and began to consider what they 
 should do next. Prince Maraflete told Polly the news 
 which he had learned from the mermaids, which she re- 
 ceived with great astonishment, but at once owned that she 
 certainly had a stone hung round her neck by a blue riband, 
 which she had always been told was some kind of a 
 charm which she must take care never to lose.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. in 
 
 " It was sewn up in a little canvas bag," she said, " and 
 she had never thought much about it." 
 
 But as soon as she had been made acquainted with the 
 fact that she was a princess, her delight knew no bounds, 
 though it is only fair to say, that it principally arose from 
 the feeling that it would now be no degradation for her 
 beloved Prince to marry her. Forgetful of their present 
 position, and that the danger to be apprehended from the 
 giants was not yet over, she turned to the mermaids, and, 
 with imploring accents and gestures, begged them to tell her 
 what was her real name, and the names of her father and 
 mother. 
 
 The mermaids, however, whether indignant at being ad- 
 dressed in prose (to which they have always had a decided 
 objection) or at Polly's carelessness in neglecting her 
 present danger in order to make these inquiries, only 
 flapped their tails angrily and made no reply. Polly 
 turned to the Prince, and was about to ask him the] mean- 
 ing of this, when a heavy trampling upon the beach at- 
 tracted their attention, and the next moment they perceived 
 King Puffblock himself, with several attendant monsters, 
 hastening towards them. 
 
 No sooner had he caught sight of his two prisoners 
 standing in freedom before the caves in which he had 
 ordered them to be confined, than he broke out in fury and 
 gnashed his teeth vehemently, as he hurried up. Shaking 
 his fist at Prince Maraflete, he exclaimed in a voice of 
 thunder : 
 
 " You irredeemable, indefensible, irretrievable, incurable, 
 ignominious imp ! What is the meaning of this ? I'll 
 crunch you to atoms, you gaol-breaking vagabond ! " 
 
 At this moment he caught sight of the three mermaids,
 
 H2 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 placidly sitting on a rock, and still dripping calmly around 
 them as they combed their hair and sang to themselves in 
 their usual low, sweet tones, just as if no one was by. 
 
 "Halloa!" he cried, "mermaids on shore! Seize 
 them, my merry men ! Tear off their tails ! Skin 'em, 
 roast 'em, boil 'em with mushrooms! The nasty, scaly 
 creatures ! " 
 
 The attendant giants came bustling up towards the mer- 
 maids, who sat perfectly calm and unmoved, and continued 
 to sing to themselves as if nothing unusual had happened. 
 At that moment Polly Perkins took a step forward, and in a 
 loud and authoritative tone uttered the word, " Stop." 
 
 Struck with astonishment at this strange and bold pro- 
 ceeding, the giants paused with one accord, whilst King 
 Puffblock turned round and looked upon the girl with 
 wonder, which soon, however, gave way to passion. 
 
 " What ! " he shouted, " you miserable, metropolitan, 
 miserly minx ! How dare you " 
 
 Here he stopped short, as if struck by lightning. 
 
 Elevating her arm above her head, Polly displayed in 
 her right hand a little canvas bag, open at the top, in which 
 could be seen, distinctly visible to every eye, an enormous 
 and magnificent ruby. As she did so, she slowly but audibly 
 pronounced the words : 
 
 " On this, giants, gaze ! " 
 
 And they did so. To the surprise of no one more than of 
 Polly herself, the attendant giants at once grovelled in the 
 dust, or rather in the shingle, whilst Puffblock, after 
 uttering one word so wicked that no one but a giant could say 
 or write it, sank groaning upon his knees, and in a piteously 
 mournful voice exclaimed :
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 113 
 
 " Oh, my lungs and^ kidneys, here's a go ! She's got It ! 
 Oh, my knees and nostrils! What shall I do ? I must do 
 what she says now. Oh, my eyes and ears ! Oh, dear oh, 
 dear ! " 
 
 Polly was as much perplexed with her victory as you can 
 well imagine, and turned to her Prince at once for counsel 
 and advice. 
 
 " What shall I do next ? " she said, and the Prince knew 
 no better than to refer the matter to the mermaids. 
 
 These ladies, however, apparently considering that they 
 had now done as much as could he expected of them, were 
 quietly scuffling off into the sea, and paid no attention to the 
 two mortals who desired their advice. Under these circum- 
 stances, Prince Maraflete told Polly^that in his opinion they 
 had better act for themselves, and that the best thing would 
 be to desire the giants to fit out their own, or a new boat, 
 and enable them to sail off as soon as they could. Polly, 
 however, having, in common with a few others of her sex, 
 a certain amount of curiosity, was not willing to leave the 
 place without finding out something about her own birth 
 and parentage. 
 
 Upon this subject, then, she determined to address the 
 kneeling giant, and accordingly did so, accosting him as 
 "Slave ! " without the slightest hesitation, and desiring him 
 to tell her who and what she was. 
 
 " You are the Princess Elvina," replied the giant, " and 
 your father and mother are King and Queen of the great 
 Pineapple country. Pray don't kill me ! " 
 
 Satisfied as she was with this statement of the giant, 
 which bore out that of the mermaids, Polly or Elvina, as 
 I must now call her pressed him with further questions, 
 but could discover little more. Persons of his size and
 
 H4 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 race are generally ignorant, and he was evidently scarcely 
 himself from fear of the power of the gem which the girl 
 still held in her hand. 
 
 Prince Maraflete now so earnestly desired her to put all 
 other thoughts aside save those which concerned their 
 escape, that she consented to do so, and accordingly gave 
 orders to King Puffblock that their boat should be taken 
 from the rocks, instantly repaired, and made fit for sea, and 
 proper provisions placed in her. Not feeling certain that 
 she could trust the hump-backed monarch out of her sight, 
 or whether the power of the ruby would operate under such 
 circumstances, she bade him rise and go before her to the 
 rocks, which he promptly and meekly did. Then, at her 
 command, he summoned some of his giants and gave them 
 orders to do what the Princess had directed, which they did 
 without delay. 
 
 Prince Maraflete and his fair companion then stepped on 
 board, but just as he was doing so, the Prince felt sure that 
 he saw a gleam of malignant satisfaction pass over the 
 countenance of the giant-king. Grown wise by experience, 
 the Prince determined to make no mistake now. So he 
 begged Polly (for so I must call her still) to step back for a 
 moment, raise her arm with the jewel in her hand once 
 more, and ask the monster what he meant by it? The 
 villain's face fell visibly as he made the reply to which he 
 was compelled by the power of the gem. 
 
 "Had you left our coast," he said, "without inflicting 
 any punishment apon us, or restricting our power, we could 
 have raised another storm, and if we had got you here 
 a second time, as we certainly should, your gem alone 
 could not ha ?e saved you. It is only absolutely powerful 
 as long as you do not run into the same danger again."
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 115 
 
 Prince Maraflete instantly whispered in Polly's ear, after 
 which she turned to King Puffblock, who was still standing 
 on the beach, with his giants scattered around him. 
 
 " Before I leave this shore," she remarked, " you will be 
 good enough to be changed into stone, every giant of you, 
 and so remain until I come and change you back again to 
 
 One deep, awful groan passed through the ranks of the 
 monsters as she spoke, and the next moment her words had 
 been obeyed. Not a living giant was to be seen, and in the 
 places where they had been standing there were only to be 
 seen a number of huge blocks of stone bedded on the shore, 
 some upright, some leaning on one side or the other, and 
 some flat upon the ground. 
 
 To this day they remain in exactly the same position ; 
 and any one who doubts the truth of this story has only to 
 sail or steam off to that coast, and he may see them for him- 
 self. It is true enough that people point to these great 
 masses of stone as the remains of some grand temple or 
 other building of the olden times, and every antiquary has 
 his own theory upon the subject. Nevertheless, I will back 
 my sea-gull against the wisest antiquary [that ever wore 
 spectacles, and will always maintain that these are the re- 
 mains of King Puffblock and his hump-backed giants, and 
 have nothing to do with anybody or anything else. 
 
 As soon as she had thus comfortably disposed of her ene- 
 mies, the lovely Polly tenderly embraced her Prince, and they 
 once more re-embarked in their boat, and set sail in good 
 spirits and full of hope, though they had not the least idea 
 where they were going. A light breeze sprang up, which 
 carried their little vessel swiftly through the water, and 
 after a couple of hours they found themselves approaching 
 
 i 2
 
 ii 6 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 land again, but of a very different appearance from that 
 which they had just left. 
 
 Luxuriant vegetation appeared to prevail on every side, 
 forests of palm trees reached almost to the water's edge, and 
 the two travellers both agreed that the country was one 
 which at first sight gave a traveller the wish to land and 
 stay there for some time. As they drew nearer, they heard 
 the sounds of music, but were struck with the somewhat 
 singular fact that there was nothing light or mirthful about 
 it, but that, though exquisitely sweet, it was all of a solemn 
 and mournful character. 
 
 They pulled gently into a little creek, where they moored 
 their vessel, and landing on the shore, almost immediately 
 encountered a great procession of persons clad entirely in 
 white, accompanied by bands of music, which were to be 
 seen at intervals in the long line. Seeing a venerable per- 
 sonage, evidently of respectability, seated upon a milestone, 
 and engaged in watching the proceedings, Prince Maraflete 
 ventured to accost him, in order to ask the meaning of what 
 he saw. 
 
 "It is evident," replied the old man, "that you belong 
 to a strange land, or you would not ask such a question. 
 This is the Pineapple country, and upon this particular day 
 in every year the good King and Queen make a public 
 mourning for the loss of their only daughter, who, on this 
 day fourteen years ago, when only three years old, was 
 stolen, as is supposed by the bad Fairy Tormentina, and 
 has never since been heard of." 
 
 At these words the Prince started and looked at Polly, 
 who returned the compliment. 
 
 "Lead me to your King," he said, "I would fain speak 
 to him on this matter."
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 117 
 
 " Peace, forward youth," replied the old man, somewhat 
 severely. "It is not for such as thou and I, being poor, 
 mean creatures, to speak with kings." 
 
 "Nevertheless I must do it," quoth the Prince, and was 
 about to step forward towards the procession, when the 
 other laid a restraining hand upon his shoulder ; in doing 
 which he overbalanced himself, and fell off his milestone 
 into the road. 
 
 Seeing this, several of the bystanders concluded that 
 the Prince had knocked him off, and ran up to seize him, 
 which attempt the Prince naturally resisted, and a tumult 
 arose. At this moment it happened that the King and 
 Queen were passing in the procession, and, seeing the 
 uproar, the monarch demanded its cause, and desired 
 the strangers, who were accused of having assaulted 
 one of his subjects, to be immediately brought into his 
 presence. 
 
 He was a man of noble appearance, but with a deep 
 sadness fixed upon his countenance, and he shook his 
 head in a melancholy manner as he reproached Prince 
 Maraflete with creating a disturbance upon a day which 
 was held as a solemn and sacred time of mourning in that 
 country. 
 
 The Prince, holding Polly by the hand, said that he 
 craved pardon most humbly, but that he had hopes that his 
 business might be such as would interest the King and the 
 Queen also. 
 
 The latter sighed deeply as she heard these words, and 
 said that she should never be interested in anything again, 
 for her heart was buried with her daughter. 
 
 " But," rejoined the Prince, "suppose your daughter was 
 never buried at all ? "
 
 n8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 At these words the Queen clutched the King's left ear 
 with her right hand, and shrieked violently. 
 
 "Was not your daughter's name Elvina?" asked the 
 Prince. 
 
 " It was it was ! " shouted both the parents. 
 
 " Was she not last seen in a boat ? " 
 
 " Yes, oh, yes ! The nurse left her asleep in the boat for 
 only three minutes whilst she went to gather wild straw- 
 berries, and when she returned, both boat and child were 
 gone." 
 
 " And had not the child a beautiful ruby tied round her 
 neck by a blue riband ? " 
 
 " She had, she had ! " they shrieked. 
 
 " Then," said Prince Maraflete, drawing himself up to his 
 full height, and gracefully handing Polly to the King and 
 Queen, " happy parents ! behold your child ! " 
 
 The effect of this proceeding was marvellous : the father 
 and mother looked for one instant at Polly, for another at 
 the ruby, and then seized upon the girl and embraced her 
 with such vehemence that it seemed as if they meant to eat 
 her. 
 
 They never doubted for a moment that it was their own 
 Elvina; and, indeed, you had only to look at the three 
 together, to feel -certain upon the point. The girl had her 
 mother's eyes and forehead, and her father's nose and 
 mouth, and was as surely the daughter of the two as any- 
 body ever was anybody else's child. 
 
 Intoxicated with joy, the King ordered the bands to 
 change their music immediately, and play nothing but 
 merry airs for the rest of the day. The courtiers came for- 
 ward with congratulations, the people huzza'd, and every- 
 body appeared to be enraptured with delight.
 
 PRINCE MARAFLETE. 119 
 
 Prince Maraflete, meanwhile, stood silently watching the 
 effect of his presentation of Polly to her parents, and for 
 some time nobody took any notice of him, for the poor girl 
 herself could not get in a word. At last her father asked 
 her, pointing to the Prince : 
 
 " And pray, who is this good friend of yours ? " 
 
 " Oh, sir," replied the Princess, blushing, " please, that's 
 my young man." 
 
 The King bit his lips at this announcement, and began to 
 anticipate all kinds of difficulties in connection with this 
 stranger. The Prince, however, saved him any further 
 trouble, by stepping forward at once, and announcing his 
 real rank and condition, which very much delighted every- 
 body. 
 
 Great rejoicings were ordered upon the happy occasion 
 of the Princess Elvina's return, and some wise fellow sug- 
 gested that they had better have the marriage rejoicings at 
 the same time. It was an excellent match for both parties, 
 so they all agreed that the sooner it came off the better. 
 
 The Prince sent word home that he was about to be 
 married ; and the news caused much pleasure in his king- 
 dom, where they had long thought that a court without a 
 queen was a dull affair. So the two were happily wedded 
 in the Pineapple country, and shortly afterwards returned 
 to Prince Maraflete's land. 
 
 I do not know at this moment whether he ever saw the 
 Bilberry men again ; but I do know that at certain times 
 he had bilberries gathered and placed in heaps under the 
 yew-trees, and that they always disappeared. I also know 
 that he never allowed boiled rabbits and onions to appear 
 at his table, and that he always took off his hat when he 
 saw a magpie, and constantly paid cab-drivers double fares,
 
 120 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 in the hope of rewarding Murlingford by chance. He lived 
 long and happily with his queen. Every one in the country 
 loved and admired her, she was the most popular queen 
 that ever was known in those regions, and everybody but 
 Prince Maraflete saw that "Elvina " was the prettiest name 
 in the world. The Prince preferred " Polly."
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 
 
 THERE are few moments of life which I more thoroughly 
 enjoy than those which I am fortunate enough to pass by the 
 side of a river. I do not speak now of great rivers : I am not 
 thinking of the Thames, the Rhine, or the Danube ; these 
 have their beauties, wondrous in themselves, and mightily 
 enhanced by the associations by which they are accom- 
 panied, and with which they are interwoven. But I have 
 in my thoughts the rivers of Scotland and Wales, winding 
 along the valleys between mountains of wood and heather, the 
 rivers of the kingfisher and water-ousel, the trout and gray- 
 ling, and, last not least, the salmon, king of river fish- ; the 
 rivers, moreover, of the fairies and water-kelpies, hallowed 
 by local tradition, and in the love and veneration borne 
 towards them by those who live near their banks, each a 
 very Thames, or Rhine, or Danube to the locality through 
 which it winds its pleasant way. I love to stand upon the 
 pebbly bed of one of these rivers which has been left dry 
 enough in the summer months to allow you to walk close 
 down to the water, flowing on in its narrowed channel, still 
 broad enough to be a respectable river, and too deep to be 
 waded across by any one who does not want to be wet 
 through at least as high as his knees close down to the 
 water, I say, I love to stand, to watch the eddying current, 
 and to listen to the pleasant, babbling sound. It always
 
 122 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 seems as if the Spirit of the River was speaking to me, and 
 telling me how, in its rapid, continuous course, it is setting 
 an example to man how he can most wisely and happily 
 regulate his life. The water is so wise ; when it comes to 
 little banks and uneven places in its bed, it gently flows 
 over them without making any bother about it, and this, 
 says the river, is the way in which men should treat the 
 little unpleasantnesses and smaller misfortunes of life, 
 instead of allowing such things to distract and worry them, 
 and perhaps even to alter their whole course of existence. 
 Then, when huge boulders of rock stand out into the 
 stream, the river glides quietly round them, accepting them 
 as necessary evils which must be endured, since they cannot 
 be cured, which is the way in which men should treat their 
 greater difficulties and the hardships of their lives, instead 
 of fuming and fretting, or sitting down in . despair. These 
 are things that rivers never do, says the Spirit, and more- 
 over, as they move constantly forward, they explore with 
 their water every hole and corner within their reach, 
 neglecting nothing, giving a kindly wash to everything that 
 comes in their way, and holding a pleasant conversation 
 with all objects, living or inanimate, with which they come 
 in contact. So a wise man, and one who desires to make 
 his life useful and pleasant to himself and others, will 
 always seek for information as he goes along through the 
 world, will ever have a cheery word for his fellow-travellers, 
 and be ready to do a kind and friendly action to any that 
 require it. And, if he does so, just as the river grows 
 broader and wider as it nears the ocean, in which it finally 
 loses itself, and merges its waters in the infinite space of the 
 sea, so the man's life will become grander and more noble 
 as it approaches its close, and he will have gained the
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 123 
 
 affection and respect of all those whose respect and affection 
 are worth gaining, before the stream of his life, too, floats 
 out upon the ocean of eternity. 
 
 These are some of the thoughts that come into my mind 
 as I stand listening, as I imagine, to the voice of the River- 
 Spirit. And he tells me of other things. Wild legends of 
 ancient times ; strange tales of love and war, of happiness 
 and woe, of courage and of treachery tales brought down 
 from the distant mountains, where his stream takes its rise ; 
 from the romantic sides of the heathery heights which 
 tower above him ; from the deep, dark woods with which 
 his banks are fringed, and from the gloomy valleys cut far 
 into the mountain-sides tales and legends so interwoven 
 with the supernatural and so fascinating to the imaginative 
 mind, that I can hardly find language to express the ideas 
 which, in wordless sound, the River-Spirit seems ever to 
 convey to me as I commune with him, silently but earnestly, 
 in his very own domain. 
 
 One of these the tale of the River-Sprite a harmless, 
 pleasant tale enough, I will try to tell, and if it be not all 
 I could wish it to be to those who read, let them blame 
 the mortal who repeats it, and not the Spirit who has 
 perchance whispered it to unworthy ears. 
 
 Everybody has heard of St. Dderfel, the famous and 
 blessed saint of North Wales. At least, anybody who has 
 not heard of him can never have visited that beautiful 
 country, and cannot have the face to pretend to have a 
 drop of Welch blood in his veins. St. Dderfel was and 
 perhaps is, if we only knew a very powerful and withal a 
 most worthy saint. His wooden statue, seated upon a 
 wooden horse, stood in the church of Llanderfel, and to 
 this day the portion of the horse which time and the
 
 124 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 spoilers have left undestroyed, may be seen in the porch of 
 that venerable edifice. 
 
 St. Dderfel's powers were thankfully recognized by the 
 people who dwelt in the district round Llanderfel, and 
 more especially so since they were mainly exercised in curing 
 the diseases of animals, which the Saint did in the most 
 wonderful manner. Whether, during his life, he had been 
 a veterinary surgeon I cannot say, but the healing powers 
 of his statue were miraculous and undeniable, and for miles 
 round there was scarcely a Jones, a Eoberts, or a Davies 
 who had not had a horse, cow, or pig, cured by application 
 at the shrine of St. Dderfel. For years perhaps for 
 centuries the worthy Saint had gone on, quietly and 
 comfortably, curing people's animals, and the fame of his 
 shrine spread wider and wider, and its riches likewise 
 accumulated by the offerings of the thankful recipients of 
 the favours to be obtained thereat. 
 
 At length, London itself heard the tidings of the famous 
 "Welch saint, whose reputation had become too great to be 
 confined to his own country. But as many things which 
 are good and estimable in the country, become contami- 
 nated when brought into contact with London fog, London 
 smoke, and London wickedness, I grieve to say that the 
 reputation of the Saint fared no better. Mutterings against 
 his sanctity were heard, doubts of his power openly ex- 
 pressed, and even whispers let fall that priestly deceit and 
 trickery were at the bottom of it all. For those were days 
 when priests were out of favour, unless indeed they were 
 prepared to change their old creed, to declare that the 
 Pope was possessed of no authority in the country, and that 
 Henry the Eighth was the only and rightful head of the 
 Church within these realms. Some of them did so, and
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDEJRFEL. 125 
 
 were rewarded for their compliance with the wishes of the 
 King; others refused, and were speedily thrust out, whipped, 
 and sometimes burned, to the great delight of all good 
 Protestants, who little foresaw that they themselves would 
 have to undergo the same pleasures when the bigot Queen 
 Mary had in due time succeeded to her tyrant father's 
 throne. 
 
 In those days there was a regular crusade against re- 
 ligious houses, images, and the shrines of saints, and not a 
 few relics, which had been the objects of reverence or of 
 superstition to many thousands of people, were burned at 
 Smithfield and elsewhere, whilst the offerings which pious 
 people had for ages past presented at the shrines, were 
 gathered together to fill the coffers of the King, who thus 
 found that his alteration in the religious establishment of 
 the country was not unattended with pecuniary advantages 
 to himself, which were exceedingly satisfactory. 
 
 So when the fame of St. Dderfel reached London, ac- 
 companied by reports that his shrine was not without some 
 rich offerings, it was determined by the ruling powers that a 
 commission of inquiry should be sent down to look after 
 the matter, and, if needs be, destroy the abomination. The 
 persons selected for this business were worthy and discreet 
 men, who had no prejudice for or against anything, so that 
 matters might be directed according to the wishes of the 
 King and his trusty servant Master Cromwell, whose 
 face was steadily set towards the abolition of monas- 
 teries and the spoliation of religious houses throughout the 
 land. 
 
 The worshipful Justice Allen was one of these Com- 
 missioners ; Serjeant Davis, learned in the law, was the 
 second ; and the third was a respectable person of the name
 
 126 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 of Philipson, who loved the King and hated the Pope with 
 sufficient ardour to qualify him for the office. 
 
 The news of the coming of these Commissioners filled the 
 inhabitants of North "Wales with mingled disgust and con- 
 sternation. They, poor, simple people, were unable to 
 discover what harm their favourite saint had ever done ; 
 they firmly believed that through his power their cows, 
 pigs, and sheep, had frequently been cured of diseases which 
 threatened to destroy them ; and when they were told that 
 this was either a delusion, or that if it had really occurred, 
 was the work of the priests or the devil, or both ; the only 
 conclusion to which they could come was, that neither the 
 priests nor the devil deserved all that was said against 
 them, or were quite so bad as they were represented to be 
 by the public opinion of the day. 
 
 For some time they could hardly make up their minds 
 to believe that this needless commission (as they thought it) 
 was really about to visit Llanderfel, and when the matter 
 was placed beyond all doubt, their anger and indignation 
 knew no bounds. It is at this precise period that our story 
 begins. 
 
 It was upon a beautiful August afternoon that a pedes- 
 trian was making his way over the hills behind Bala. He 
 was a stalwart, well-built man, with an oaken staff in his 
 hand, and a small wallet strapped upon his shoulders. 
 He stepped boldly forward through the heather, gaily 
 whistling a tune as he proceeded to make his way towards 
 Llanderfel, bearing downwards from the mountain to the 
 pleasant valley through which the Dee winds its cheerful 
 course. 
 
 When he reached the edge of the hill, he paused before 
 commencing the descent, and looked down upon the lovely
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 127 
 
 view beneath. It was wild wilder than would be seen at 
 the present day, for the population was more thin there 
 than now, and far more of the land, even in the valley, was 
 innocent of plough and harrow, and knew not the lowing of 
 the oxen or the bleating of the herds which seek their 
 pasture there to-day. Yet was the view lovely indeed, and 
 the traveller might well be excused his pause to gaze down 
 upon it with gratified eyes. 
 
 Immediately beneath him the steep side of the mountain 
 gradually fell away into an easy decline, down which a 
 pedestrian might descend without difficulty, provided he were 
 sufficiently sound in wind and limb, and not overladen with 
 baggage or other encumbrance. 
 
 At a short distance down the hill the steepness altogether 
 disappeared, and a wide ledge of table-land afforded room 
 for an old-fashioned stone house, apparently too small for a 
 farm-house, and yet too large for the dwelling of a shepherd. 
 At a few paces from this building was a low stone wall, 
 from which the ground again became steeper, and far below 
 in the bottom the traveller could see the river, gurgling 
 and brawling along as if the whole place belonged to it, 
 and nobody and nothing else had a right to be there. 
 For a full minute the man looked down upon the scene 
 at his feet, and then he exclaimed in a cheery . tone of 
 voice : 
 
 " Oh, the Dee, the jolly old Dee ! how like it is to home, 
 and kin, and country, to me and mine. Was there ever 
 such a river to wind itself round a man's heart till he loved 
 it as if it was a human being ? Oh, the dear old Dee ! 
 How I love to see you again, old river ! Tis years 
 since I have done so, and the sight of you makes me a boy 
 again."
 
 128 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 With these words, the traveller rapidly began his 
 descent, forsaking the path which he had hitherto followed, 
 and proceeding in a straight line down the mountain side. 
 As he went, he hummed a merry tune, and was evidently 
 in exceeding good humour with himself in particular and 
 the world in general. Down, down he went, until he had 
 passed the dwelling already mentioned, crossed the wall, 
 descended the steeper incline beyond, and found himself 
 at a distance of some hundred feet or more below, in 
 a rough country road which led, though by a somewhat 
 zig-zag and roundabout path, from Bala to Llanderfel. 
 
 Scarcely had he pulled up to recover his breath, which 
 had somewhat suffered from the rapidity of his descent, 
 before he descried two horsemen approaching him at a short 
 distance. They came from the direction of Bala, and by 
 their manner of looking around and occasionally halting, 
 appeared to be somewhat uncertain of their road. They 
 were both clad in long dark cloaks, and appeared to be 
 persons of great respectability, as far as our friend the 
 traveller could venture to form an opinion upon such 
 a subject. I do not know indeed that he would have 
 troubled himself to form any opinion at all about it, had 
 not the horsemen, as soon as they caught sight of him, 
 shouted aloud in order to attract his attention, and having 
 succeeded in doing so, ridden up and accosted him at 
 once. 
 
 " Friend," said the elder of the two, a grave and sedate 
 looking person, who evidently had a dignity of his own, 
 and knew it. " Friend, how far are we from Llanderfel, 
 and is this the right road to conduct us thereto ? " 
 
 "Now, by St. David," replied the traveller, "it is 
 strange that thou shouldst ask me such a question, when
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 129 
 
 thou and thy mate are but a short two miles from the 
 church and shrine of the blessed St. Dderfel." 
 
 The first speaker gravely shook his head as he made 
 reply. 
 
 " Speak not to me of shrines and saints," he said, " fur 
 sadly does such talk savour of that popery which has so 
 long brooded like a foul cloud upon our dear country, but 
 which is now on its last legs, thanks be to the All- Wise. 
 It is to aid in cleansing the land from such abominations 
 that I and my companion do ride here to-day, and we would 
 fain be guided to the best hostelry which may be near this 
 Llanderfel." 
 
 As the worthy man spoke, he to whom his words were 
 addressed regarded him with glances which plainly told 
 that he scarcely appreciated the subject of his discourse, 
 and somewhat chafed at being detained upon his journey. 
 He listened to the end, however, and then returned 
 answer. 
 
 " 'Tis long since I was here, sirs, and things may well 
 have changed since then. But the ' Horse-shoe ' was the 
 sign of the inn at which man and beast were wont to find 
 bed and stall, meat and fodder, in old days, and belike it's 
 so still." 
 
 "And where is 'this 'Horse-shoe,' friend?" asked the 
 younger of the two horsemen, a somewhat shorter man 
 than his companion, and not without a pleasant expression 
 upon his countenance, which betokened a cheerful soul 
 within. 
 
 " 'Tis in the main and only street of Llanderfel," re- 
 sponded the traveller, " and you have but to follow your 
 nose in order to reach it." 
 
 "Art thou journeying the same way?" demanded the 
 
 K
 
 1 30 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 elder of the two riders ; " haply thou mightest conduct us 
 to this same hostelry ; aud, moreover, tell us thy name and 
 station. "We are men, I may say, under authority, and 
 may be of service hereafter to those who aid us in our 
 present endeavour." 
 
 " I know not thy authority," returned the other, " and 
 what thy endeavour may be I cannot tell. As for me, my 
 name is John Griffith, and from these parts I set forth 
 years back, to go upon the salt seas. I have but lately 
 come home, and I go now to see what old friends may be 
 left alive, and to visit the shrine of St. Dderfel before I go 
 on to Llangollen, which is my native place. An ye will 
 come with me I have nought to say against it, though a 
 seafaring man on foot is but poor company for two mounted 
 gentlemen." 
 
 " Friend," observed the elder man, in .reply, " thy name 
 and thine errand may be well enough, so far as it is right 
 and proper that John Griffith should revisit the home he 
 left as a boy. Not so, however, thy purpose of visiting 
 this idle shrine. It is time to tell thee, young man, that 
 thou hast fallen into worshipful company. I am Mr. 
 Justice Allen, and here is the learned Serjeant Davies, and 
 we journey to Llanderfel to make speedy end of that 
 abomination which thou callest the shrine of St. Dderfel, 
 who is no more a saint than is this good horse of mine 
 a cow " 
 
 Scarcely were the words out of the speaker's mouth 
 when, to the terror and astonishment of all these men, 
 a loud, sonorous, and unmistakable " moo " proceeded 
 from the mouth of the animal which the worthy justice 
 bestrode, whilst at the same moment its ears seemed 
 suddenly to change their character, and from behind each
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 13! 
 
 of them arose a veritable horn, the head of the animal 
 being at the same instant converted into that of the animal 
 which had just been mentioned. For an instant the whole 
 party remained silent with surprise, and before any of them 
 found his tongue the phenomenon had passed away as 
 suddenly as it had appeared. The horns vanished from the 
 place in which they had just been visible, the head resumed 
 its former appearance, and the horse, quietly shaking its 
 mane as if nothing had happened, ceased to utter any other 
 sounds than those which are natural to its species. 
 
 Each man looked at the other two for another instant, 
 and then honest John Griffith burst forth with a nautical 
 exclamation of surprise, which I think it better to omit. 
 
 "So much for you, Mr. Justice," he continued. "Js"o 
 saint, ain't he ? And your horse ain't no cow neither ? 
 Well, I never ! If you haven't learnt a lesson now, I don't 
 believe as ever you will." 
 
 " "What mean you, man? " somewhat haughtily replied 
 the person addressed. " Some momentary confusion has 
 clouded your understanding. There is no cow here and no 
 saint yonder, whatever you may think." 
 
 " Xo saint and no cow ! " shouted Griffith. " Why this 
 other gentleman must have seen it as well as I ! Come 
 now, master ; tell us like a man ; wasn't your mate's 
 horse a cow just now if ever there was a cow upon 
 earth ? " 
 
 Too discreet to commit himself by any answer to such 
 a question, the wary lawyer smiled, as he remarked : 
 
 " I am no judge of animals, Master Griffith, since that is 
 thy name ; but neither the Justice nor I are to be cowed by 
 magic art when we are on the King's business." 
 
 " On the King's business ! " cried Griffith. " What ! 
 
 K 2
 
 132 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 does his royal Majesty's Grace's mightiness go for to 
 concern himself with our little doings down here ? " 
 
 " My man," gravely responded the elder rider, " the 
 King's Majesty is concerned for all the matters which 
 belong to the welfare of his subjects, however remote be 
 their dwellings from his city of London, however humble 
 their position in life. He is supreme over their spiritual 
 matters as well as over their temporal possessions, and he 
 is grieved to see darkness, ignorance, and superstition still 
 among them. It is in his name and by his command 
 that we are here to-day, of which thou wilt hear more 
 anon. But say, is this the Dee we are approaching, and 
 how far arc we from Llanderfel ? " 
 
 As he spoke, the road along which they had been slowly 
 descending, brought the party close to a bend in the river, 
 which commanded a view right and left as they stood upon 
 a bridge which spanned a small tributary rivulet which at 
 that point joined the main stream. To the right, scarce a 
 mile from where they had halted, rose the village of Llan- 
 derfel, towards which the wood-fringed river varied consider- 
 ably in its breadth and depth, but never varied in the dark 
 colour of its water, the sweet tone of its murmuring over its 
 pebbly bed, and the surpassing beauty of its wooded banks. 
 To the left the stream stretched away towards Bala, behind 
 which the eye rested upon the heather-clad hills in the 
 far distance ; whilst, on the other side of the river-bed, 
 immediately opposite the travellers, rose a large wood, 
 which screened the mountain- side as with a huge green 
 curtain, all the way up to Llanderfel. 
 
 " 'Tis a fair scene," remarked Mr. Justice Allen to his 
 companion, " and not only pleasant to the eye, but whole- 
 some for the soul to contemplate."
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 133 
 
 " True," returned his companion ; " but man has other 
 component parts beside soul and eye, and for my part I feel 
 an internal sensation which reminds me that the body 
 requires occasional nourishment. Push we on, say I, to 
 this same hostelry of the ' Horse-shoe.' " 
 
 Whilst this short conversation passed, John Griffith had 
 remained quiet, leaning upon his staff, and apparently 
 thinking earnestly over the last words which had been ad- 
 dressed to him by Justice Allen, to which he had as yet 
 made no reply. Now, however, he again joined in the 
 conversation. 
 
 " Yes," said he, " this is the Dee, and yonder is Lan- 
 derfel ; but an ye go to say or do aught against our old 
 saint, I like not to be the man to guide ye thither." 
 
 " Friend Griffith," calmly rejoined the lawyer, " saint or 
 no saint, I must have my dinner, after which such a matter 
 can be better discussed." 
 
 "Maybe so," returned Griffith; "but I marvel much 
 why ye should come hither with words against a saint 
 whose potfer is as little doubted in Wales as is his good- 
 ness. Why my own grandmother's red cow was down, 
 time back, with a complaint of which she seemed likely to 
 die, and the cow-doctor said that so 'twould be. What 
 does the old lady do but trot off with a basket of eggs and 
 honey to the shrine at Llanderfel. Many a time, as a boy, 
 have I heard her tell the tale, and how she fancied the 
 horse on which the figure of the saint sits, bowed his head 
 to her as she knelt there. And who can say he did not ? 
 Anyhow, when she got home again, there was the red cow 
 on her legs again, and never had another day's illness till 
 her time came. And then to say St. Dderfel is no saint ! 
 Marry, come up ! " say I.
 
 134 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 What reply his companions might have made to the last 
 exclamation (which I frankly own to he one which I never 
 understood myself), or to the statement hy which John 
 Griffith sought to establish the reputation of his favourite 
 saint, can never he accurately ascertained, for at this precise 
 moment began a chain of curious events, which have prin- 
 cipally induced me to tell this story. 
 
 The road ran for a very short distance parallel with the 
 river ; but a bridle-path apparently led from the road along 
 the river bank in the precise direction of Llanderfel. This 
 appeared not only to be a short cut to the village, but to 
 afford the advantage of turf for the horses' feet, and to 
 command even a better view of the river scenery than 
 could be obtained from the high road. The travellers there- 
 fore were tempted to deviate from the main road, and to 
 follow the aforesaid path. They had not gone twenty yards 
 thereupon, before a strange, wild, unearthly yell arose from 
 the river. It was not a yell which it is easy to describe ; 
 it was not such a scream as a nervous young lad)* may be 
 supposed to give when a mouse unexpectedly runs over her 
 face just as she is going to sleep ; it was not such a howl 
 as a boy of tender years may raise if a sharp and sudden 
 pang lets him know that a wasp has crawled up the leg of 
 his trowsers ; nor was it such an enraged bellow as proceeds 
 from an elderly and corpulent gentleman when you inad- 
 vertently set your foot heavily upon his gouty toe. But it 
 was a compound of all three ; and, moreover, it was so 
 loud, that it seemed to occupy the whole space and engross 
 the full powers of hearing possessed by the three travellers, 
 so that, in fact, they could hear nothing else whilst it con- 
 tinued. 
 
 At one and the same moment, by a natural impulse,
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 135 
 
 they all clapped their hands over their cars, and as this, 
 in the case of the two riders, made it necessary that they 
 should drop their reins, there was nothing to prevent their 
 horses from running away. Fortunately, however, or un- 
 fortunately, as you may happen to think, the animals 
 showed no such inclination, but held down their heads and 
 trembled violently, as if under the influence of great alarm. 
 The sound rang in the ears of the three men for several 
 seconds, and they regarded each other with looks of the 
 greatest astonishment. It seemed to come either from the 
 river itself, or from the woods on the other side, and as 
 none of them had ever heard anything like it, they had not 
 the least idea what it meant, what they had better do, or 
 whether indeed it was necessary for them to do anything 
 at all. 
 
 John Griffith, simple and unlettered as he was, first 
 found his tongue, and broke the silence which had followed 
 this dreadful yell. 
 
 " This comes of reviling saints ! " he exclaimed. " The 
 devils are loosed upon us, and none to help us. Holy 
 St. Dderfel, aid us ! " 
 
 " Peace, man ! " interrupted Justice Allen, who seemed 
 to recover some of his habitual self-possession at the sound 
 of the other's voice. " Peace ! and prate not to us further 
 of thy saints. It is, doubtless, because of the sad ignorance 
 and benighted condition of these districts that strange 
 noises are permitted, and, perchance, strange creatures 
 are allowed to appear on earth, whom, let us trust, our 
 coming will henceforth banish for ever. Come, forward 
 and " 
 
 At this instant the speech of the worthy Justice was cut 
 short by two things which happened at one and the same
 
 136 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 moment. A huge splash, right in his face, as if a full 
 bucket of water had been dashed into it by a strong arm, 
 with an unerring aim, choked his voice, and drenched his 
 head and shoulders, whilst the same awful yell arose from the 
 river, and rang again through the very heads of the terror- 
 stricken hearers. The water must have been thrown by 
 some agency very close to the unlucky Justice, for it struck 
 him in such a volume and with so great a force, as very 
 nearly to knock him backwards off his horse, yet nothing- 
 was to be seen, and nobody appeared to whom this strange 
 attack could be attributed. An invisible hand had dealt 
 the blow, and the power which had directed it was as un- 
 seen as extraordinary. But whatever may have been 
 his faults, want of courage was not one of those with 
 which the worshipful Justice was afflicted. Confident in the 
 righteousness of his cause, and the justice and wisdom of 
 the errand on which he travelled, he was prepared to defy 
 the worst efforts of those who dared to withstand him. He 
 recovered himself as speedily as could be expected after 
 such a violent and unexpected blow, and, spluttering 
 with rage and indignation, called on his companions to 
 support him. 
 
 " What, ho ! " he cried. " Is it thus the King's servants 
 are treated in these outlandish parts ? Come on, Serjeant 
 Davies ; come on, trusty friend, and let us remember who 
 and what we are. And you, man Griffith, an ye be not in 
 league and fellowship with the powers of evil, come to my 
 side, and let us pass boldly on our way." 
 
 So saying, he clapt spurs to his horse, and raised his 
 riding- whip with a threatening gesture, as if about to face 
 and overthrow some visible and tangible foe. At the same 
 time, though he did not much fancy the business, Serjeant
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 137 
 
 Davies urged his steed forward to his companion's side, 
 and for very shame's sake, John Griffith felt obliged to 
 range himself with the others. But at this moment a wild 
 chorus of mocking laughter arose all around them. From 
 the trees, from the grass, from the hills, from the woods, 
 hut principally from the river itself, peals upon peals of 
 laughter came ringing in their ears, as if their appearance 
 or conduct, or both, were furnishing immense amusement to 
 a large concourse of bystanders. 
 
 Now it is bad enough to be laughed at by your friends, 
 it is a great deal worse to be derided by your enemies ; but 
 to be made the object of jeers and contemptuous merriment 
 by unseen persons is positively unbearable and irritating in 
 the extreme. So did the three men feel it, and more espe- 
 cially those two gentlemen who properly considered that 
 their dignity and position entitled them to be treated with 
 respect. 
 
 Drawing himself up to his full height upon his horse, 
 and assuming as martial an appearance as he could summon 
 to his aid, Mr. Justice Allen urged his steed forward, and 
 cried out to his companions to pay no heed to the foolish 
 sounds about them. At these words the laughter was re- 
 doubled ; but this was not all. Neither of the two steeds 
 could by any means be persuaded to move an inch ; and as 
 honest John Griffith did not feel disposed to march in 
 advance of the two gentlemen, they all three stood there 
 in a row, presenting an appearance sufficiently absurd, and 
 feeling extremely uncomfortable. Their discomfort, how- 
 ever, was presently increased in no small degree, for there 
 suddenly arose out of the river two separate and distinct 
 waterspouts, one of which directed its attention to the 
 worthy Justice, whilst the learned Serjeant experienced the
 
 138 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 full benefit of the other. Whether in consequence of the 
 respect he had shown for St. Dderfel, or from his being a 
 native of the locality, or from what other cause, I know 
 not ; but certain it is, that while this was going on, and his 
 companions were entirely drenched, John Griffith remained 
 as dry as a bone, and stood staring with open eyes at the 
 discomfiture of the others. 
 
 Meanwhile the laughter continued, and so did the water- 
 spouts, for at least a couple of minutes ; at the conclusion of 
 which time the one ceased and the other died away, until 
 the three men found themselves again left in silence, and 
 the two gentlemen stood, or rather sat, looking at each 
 other with rueful countenances, and looking for all the 
 world as if they had just walked through a pond. Davies 
 was the first to speak, and shivered with wet as he did so. 
 His language was strong, though perhaps .not stronger than 
 most men would have used under similar circumstances. 
 He wished the saint and Llanderfel itself with a person 
 whose name bears a strong resemblance to that of the 
 saint, though of a character extremely different. He de- 
 clared that he should certainly catch his death of cold, 
 besides being half-starved, which was already the case, and 
 expressed a fervent wish that he had never been induced to 
 set out on such a journey, or to visit a country so wild and 
 strange. 
 
 On the other hand, Justice Allen took a different view. 
 Not only was his heart more deeply set upon the enter- 
 prise in which they were engaged than was the case with 
 his companion ; but being impressed with a full sense of 
 the dignity and importance which attached to them both, 
 as bearers of the King's authority, he felt bound to resent 
 and protest against anybody or anything which offered
 
 LEGEND OK DDERFEL. I
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 139 
 
 opposition to that authority in any manner whatever. It 
 is but just to say, that this feeling was more powerful in 
 Justice Allen's breast than any consideration of the personal 
 annoyance to himself which was caused by the interruption 
 to his journey, and it stimulated his courage in a remark- 
 able degree. Raising his voice once more, he boldly shouted 
 to his comrades : 
 
 " Come on, my friends, come on ! In the name of our 
 royal master, King Henry the Eighth, I demand and will 
 make a passage. This is rank Popery, or something worse. 
 Forward!" 
 
 As he spoke, he struck his horse sharply with his whip, 
 and using the spur at the same time, prevailed upon the 
 animal to proceed. That on which Davis was mounted 
 followed the example ; and as John Griffith now felt bound 
 in honour to stand by his companions, the three men ad- 
 vanced some dozen yards further without interruption. 
 Then, without any warning, there suddenly appeared around 
 them an innumerable quantity of water-birds, emerging 
 from the river, and making right at the travellers. Moor- 
 hens, dabchicks, ring-ousels, swifts, and various other 
 winged creatures, came crowding upon them, led by a king- 
 fisher, who darted to and fro with a rapidity which made 
 his bright plumage appear like a flash of lightning passing 
 before their eyes. More formidable still, there appeared 
 several herons bringing up the rear, and apparently prod- 
 ding several tardy members with their long beaks, as if to 
 urge them forward to the attack. The feathered army 
 hovered round the travellers, flapped their wet wings in their 
 faces, uttered shrill and discordant cries close into their 
 ears, made unpleasant feints, as if about to peck at their 
 eyes, covered their horses' heads and necks with such a
 
 140 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 feather-bed of wings, breasts, and tails, that they could not 
 see a foot before them, and altogether behaved in a most 
 incomprehensible and audacious manner. 
 . It was evident that the winged army intended to dispute 
 the passage of the Royal Commissioners, who indeed began 
 to feel that their journey was like to be of a far more disa- 
 greeable character than they had at all foreseen. They 
 struck right and left at their assailants, but with little effect, 
 and the more angry they grew the louder grew the chat- 
 tering and chirping, the more constant the wing-flapping 
 and pecking, until the horses again resolutely refused to 
 proceed, and there seemed no possibility of passing through 
 the opposing force. Not one of the latter, however, touched 
 John Griffith, who hardly knew whether to be pleased or 
 not at being thus spared, as he was well aware that it might 
 not improbably expose him to the charge of being in some 
 way or other connected with those who were thus impiously 
 withstanding the servants of Hoyalty. So it was, however, 
 and, in order to clear himself from a charge of this nature, 
 Griffith thought it necessary to lend what assistance he 
 could to the two gentlemen, and accordingly raised both 
 voice and arm in their behalf. 
 
 For fully five minutes they were kept at bay by these 
 strange opponents, and then in one instant the latter disap- 
 peared as suddenly and unexpectedly as they had come. In 
 another instant, not one of them was to be seen, and again 
 the same chorus of wild, mocking laughter rose from the 
 river. 
 
 " I like it not, I like it not, Master Allen," said Davies, 
 who now presented a somewhat doleful appearance, his 
 green hat, which had been placed jauntily upon his head, 
 having been utterly torn and disfigured by the beaks and
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 141 
 
 talons of his foes, whilst the blood which flowed from his 
 left cheek bore witness to the sharpness and severity of the 
 attack which had been made upon him by an elderly moor- 
 hen. " I like it not," he repeated for the third time, which 
 was scarcely necessary, for no one doubted his statement for 
 a moment. " Beshrew me, but I wish we had come by the 
 way of Ruabon with our escort, instead of being tempted to 
 come the other road on account of what we heard of the 
 beauty of the Bala country. Confound the country and its 
 beauty too, say I, if these be its inhabitants, and such as 
 this their abominable manner of receiving travellers." 
 
 " Brother Danes," returned Allen, as he wiped the blood 
 from his wrist, which was suffering from the peck of a heron, 
 and calmly adjusted his dress, which had been greatly disar- 
 ranged by a combined assault on the part of a determined 
 body of dabchicks, "Brother Davies, I like it no better 
 than you, but all things come to an end, and if our great 
 and glorious King can master the Pope and oust his power 
 from our land, as he hath done, be you sure it is no river 
 demons that can long withstand him. On, in the King's 
 name ! " 
 
 With these words the brave Justice urged his steed for- 
 ward once more, and the party advanced without further 
 interruption until they arrived at a spot where a Ipng and 
 curiously contrived wooden bridge spanned the river, by no 
 means at its narrowest part, from one side to the other. The 
 bridge was ascended by steps on each side, and was not a 
 structure which you would have cared to cross with a heavy 
 weight, or one which had any great architectural beauty to 
 recommend it. There it was, however, to serve its purpose, 
 which it doubtless did to the satisfaction of all concerned, 
 and almost to the foot of this bridge the travellers advanced
 
 142 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 in security. Then a strange thing occurred. Out of the 
 river there sprang, with one simultaneous spring, a vast 
 quantity of fish salmon- trout, perch, and I know not what 
 beside right up into the air. This, however, was not all. 
 Leaving their natural element, the whole body darted 
 through the air full upon the travellers. It was one flash 
 one glitter of shining scales, dripping with water, and they 
 were at them and on them in every direction. 
 
 Davies was nearly smothered by trout, and felt as if 
 perch by dozens were sliding down his back, while Mr. 
 Justice Allen was struck about the middle of the waistcoat 
 by a salmon, which must have weighed thirty pounds at 
 least, and felt at the same time a nip in the calf of his leg, 
 which must have proceeded either from the teeth of a pike 
 or from some other fish endowed with similar weapons of 
 oflence. 
 
 This was too much for both men and horses. The latter 
 fairly turned tail, and the former being too much surprised 
 and startled to prevent them, set off at full speed in the 
 direction of the road which they had lately quitted. This 
 they very soon reached, their pace on the retreat having been 
 much faster than in the advance, and no obstacle or hind- 
 rance whatever being offered to their progress. They con- 
 tinued up the road in the direction of Bala for twenty yards 
 or more before their riders recovered from their confusion 
 and discomfiture sufficiently to pull them up. This, how- 
 ever, they presently did, and for several seconds the two 
 men sat staring at each other in mute astonishment. In 
 truth, they presented but a sorry spectacle, though, as there 
 were no bystanders to behold them, it mattered but little, 
 since, after all, it is the gaze of our fellow-creatures, and 
 the opinion which we think they will form upon our appear-
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 143 
 
 ance, which have the greatest share in causing us to care how 
 we look. With clothes wet through and through, and by 
 no means without rent or tear, with hats broken, bent, and 
 out of shape, with blood stains on hands and face, and a 
 general look of having been recently dragged through a 
 pond full of fish whose scales came off easily, our two 
 friends certainly looked less respectable by many degrees 
 than when John Griffith had first encountered them that 
 morning. 
 
 So thought that worthy person, who, although his route lay 
 in the opposite direction, and nobody had interfered with his 
 advance, felt bound, by the laws of good fellowship, to retrace 
 his steps and follow his flying companions, whom he joined 
 at their first halt. Neither of them liked to speak first, 
 but the same thoughts were evidently struggling in the 
 breasts of each. "Wonder, alarm, and indignation prevailed 
 alternately, until at last the latter passion obtained the 
 mastery in the bosom of Mr. Justice Allen, and . he burst 
 forth in terms of reproach, directed alike against the river 
 and the whole neighbourhood. Such treatment had never 
 before been heard of in England, if this north part of 
 Wales might so be called. That two men, bearing the 
 authority of the lawful sovereign of the realm, and sent by 
 him on a special mission for the good of his people, should 
 be interrupted, hindered, nay, absolutely assaulted, on their 
 journey, attacked by birds, drenched with water, pelted with 
 fishes, their lives and limbs endangered, and their enterprise 
 likely to be defeated, and that by powers which did not dare 
 to show themselves boldly and openly like honourable foes ! 
 The thing was too shameful too monstrous, and would 
 certainly bring down severe and deserved punishment upon 
 the locality.
 
 144 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Whilst the irate Justice expressed his sentiments in these 
 words, and consoled himself with'such reflections, the learned 
 Sergeant was occupied with other thoughts, to which he 
 shortly gave utterance. 
 
 " My worshipful friend," said he, "in all that you 
 say there is, as usual, much forcible logic and good 
 sense : the King's majesty has been insulted, and ven- 
 geance must assuredly follow. But, meanwhile, let me 
 respectfully ask you whether you think it is absolutely 
 necessary that we should attempt to proceed further with 
 our journey this afternoon ? We have done our duty so 
 far, and doubtless we will not return until we have ac- 
 complished the purpose for which we left London ; but 
 the delay of a few hours will not materially interfere 
 with this, and whilst our bodies are refreshed and our 
 strength recruited, it may be that the unseen powers who 
 have opposed us will repent of their folly in setting them- 
 selves up against the King's authority, and thus to-morrow 
 we may be allowed to proceed on our way without further 
 molestation." 
 
 These words made due impression upon the person to 
 whom they were addressed. Like his companion, he had 
 had nearly enough for one day, and they accordingly agreed 
 to find shelter at the nearest place offered, and there to 
 pass the night. 
 
 John Griffith would gladly have left them, in order to 
 proceed upon his own way, but the two gentlemen pressed 
 him so hard that he agreed to stay with them. 
 
 The next question was where they should pass the night, 
 and Griffith thought it but right to warn them, that if they 
 found shelter in any farmhouse or cottage in the neigh- 
 bourhood, it would be well for them to conceal their errand
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 145 
 
 if they valued their safety ; for such was the reverence 
 which the people felt for their favourite saint, that the 
 would-he spoilers of his shrine would have fared but badly 
 had the purpose of their coming been disclosed. 
 
 I have already mentioned the fact that, in his descent 
 into the valley, John Griffith had passed a house, which 
 was perched, as it were, upon a flat piece of ground which 
 interrupted the continuous steepness of the mountain side. 
 To this building the travellers now directed their attention, 
 for although it was at some height above them, yet there 
 was a sort of path by which it might be reached, and the 
 horses which the two gentlemen bestrode, being used to 
 mountains, were able to make their way upwards without 
 much difficulty. So, leaving the river and the valley, they 
 slowly ascended until they reached the low stone wall to 
 which attention has been made, a breach in which, some 
 yards in length, served for the gate by which might be 
 entered the court, so to call it, of the dwelling. 
 
 This court, indeed; was nothing more than a grass plat, 
 and over the grass the travellers proceeded up to the very 
 door of the house itself. It was an old, tumble-down place: 
 the walls, indeed, were substantial enough, being built of 
 large rough-hewn blocks of stone, but its slated roof had 
 evidently not been repaired for some time, for the absence 
 of slates here and there disclosed huge rafters, which had 
 been long exposed to the wind and rain, the chimney in the 
 middle of the roof seemed as if it only wanted a decent 
 excuse to fall down altogether, and the whole place bore 
 about it an air of loneliness and desolation which did not 
 promise much to weary travellers. But a thin wreath of 
 smoke, which curled upward from the chimney, betokened 
 that the house was inhabited, and our friends were too wet
 
 146 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and too hungry to stand upon ceremony. So they rode 
 up at once and knocked loudly at the door, shouting 
 at the same time in order to attract the attention of the 
 inmates. 
 
 For some moments they appeared to have failed in their 
 endeavours, for no one took the slightest notice of their 
 summons, which they therefore repeated more vehemently 
 than hefore. Presently a shuffling of feet was heard within, 
 and the door was opened by an old woman. 
 
 A very old woman she seemed to be, for she was bent nearly 
 double with age, and her nose reached forward and came 
 down with a hook towards her chin, which curved upwards 
 to meet it with a similar hook, evidently showing that the 
 two had been engaged for a considerable period in the 
 attempt to come together. 
 
 She had a queer-fashioned old cap upon her head, in the 
 which were confined the few scanty grey locks of hair 
 which Time had left her ; she was clad in a dress of coarse 
 material, and as she leaned upon a crutch and gazed with 
 evident surprise upon her visitors, there was a poverty- 
 stricken look about her which gave but little hopes of the 
 hearty meal of which they were one and all prepared and 
 anxious to partake. 
 
 John Griffith was the first to speak. 
 
 " Mother," he said, " can you give these gentlemen and 
 me food and shelter for the night ? We have come far to-day, 
 and there has been a wetting in the river which causes 
 my friends to be anxious to dry and rest themselves before 
 they go forward on their journey." 
 
 The old woman listened to these words, and then replied, 
 in a tremulous voice, and in a language which was entirely 
 new to the Justice and the Lawyer, but which their com-
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDEKFEL. 147 
 
 panion understood, for it was the language of his native 
 land the "Welsh of his childhood. 
 
 In the same tongue he addressed the old woman when 
 she had answered his first speech. She immediately 
 brightened up, said a few more words, and by voice and 
 gesture invited the men to enter. 
 
 Interpreting her speech to the others, Griffith explained 
 that she had said at first that her man was poor, and they 
 had little in the way of food to offer it was but a short 
 way to Llanderfel, where good accommodation could be had, 
 and the gentlemen had better proceed there. But on 
 hearing her native tongue spoken by one of the strangers, 
 she had changed her tone, and said that the party was 
 welcome to such poor provision as she could afford in the 
 way both of food and shelter. 
 
 Having ascertained this, the travellers' first care was to 
 provide a lodging for their horses, for which they had not 
 far to look, for at one corner of the house, built into the 
 side of the hill, was a stable, quite as good as the house 
 itself as far as warmth and comfort were concerned. Here 
 they placed their steeds in security, and forthwith re-enter- 
 ing the house, were conducted by the old crone to the room 
 which served both as parlour, kitchen, and general living 
 room for her and her husband. 
 
 The latter, a weather-beaten old man, with a face which 
 was one mass of wrinkles, so that you could hardly discern 
 one feature from another, was seated in a crazy old chair by 
 the side of the fireplace, and carefully watching a huge pot 
 which was resting upon the fire, and from which fast rising 
 bubbles told of hot food within. 
 
 This was a joyful sight to the hungry travellers, and 
 they signified as much forthwith, both by word and 
 
 L 2
 
 148 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 gestures. Their delight at first appeared to be hardly 
 shared by the old man, who probably -viewed with the 
 reverse of satisfaction the diminution of his own supper by 
 the application thereto of the appetites of these fasting 
 strangers. A few words, however, uttered to him in his 
 own tongue by John Griffith, and doubtless speaking of 
 payment certain to be made, reassured and comforted his 
 venerable soul, nor did he express himself otherwise than 
 cheerfully with regard to their arrival, so far as they could 
 judge from his voice and manner, for his words were not 
 only spoken in the same strange language as that used by 
 his wife, but were mumbled forth from a toothless and anti- 
 quated mouth in a manner which, had they been the purest 
 English ever spoken, would have gone far to render them 
 beyond man's understanding. 
 
 The old crone, who had disappeared for a few seconds, 
 now re-entered the room with a bundle of sticks, with 
 which she replenished the fire, and made the pot boil the 
 better. She then addressed herself to John Griffith, who 
 forthwith informed the others of the purport of her com- 
 munication. 
 
 There were no such things as beds, it turned out, in the 
 house. She and her man slept on a wretched pallet at one 
 corner of the only other room on the ground floor, but there 
 were two rooms above, and if the gentlemen would be 
 content with bundles of clean straw, they would be very 
 welcome to stay the night. 
 
 There being no alternative, so far as they could see, the 
 travellers expressed themselves satisfied, and even grateful 
 for the proposed arrangement, and whilst the old woman 
 continued to busy herself about the preparations for the 
 supper, they ascended the stairs and found the rooms as
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. H9 
 
 represented. One, which looked out over the valley of the 
 Dee below, was a large room in tolerable repair, though the 
 moonlight found its way in at more than one crevice at one 
 end. However, it was weather-tight for the most part, and 
 the weather was moreover fine, so the worthy Justice and 
 his friend resolved that they would appropriate this, whilst 
 Griffith prepared to occupy the other apartment, which was 
 smaller, and looked out into the small yard adjoining the 
 stable. Each of the two gentlemen carried a small closely 
 packed bag strapped to his saddle, and these they now 
 opened, and were able with the contents to make themselves 
 somewhat more comfortable, and presently to appear in 
 dry garments, and requiring nothing but food for the inner 
 man. 
 
 This was presently provided, for the old woman had 
 made such addition as she could to the supper, and a 
 savoury mess of potatoes and other vegetables, stewed up 
 together in a manner which rendered the food uncommonly 
 palatable to the hungry men, served for their repast, and 
 had ample justice done to it. 
 
 After a day which had been rendered fatiguing, as well 
 by the excitement as the labour which they had undergone, 
 the travellers were not sorry to retire to rest, and humble 
 as was the couch upon which they stretched their weary 
 limbs, it was not long before sleep overpowered them, and 
 they forgot their annoyances and difficulties in dreams 
 which we may trust were pleasant. 
 
 Davies was the first to wake. He could never exactly 
 tell what it was that Avoke him, but something did so, and 
 that most effectually. He started sat upright at once 
 upon his straw bed, and listened attentively. Surely a 
 voice had been speaking to him whispering in his very
 
 ISO OTHER STORIES. 
 
 ear. Impossible ! it was an idle dream, he would lie down 
 again, and compose himself to sleep. But sleep refused to 
 return at his command. Again he heard whispering 
 again he sat upright and listened. The moonlight was 
 streaming in through the window of the room, and also, it 
 the truth be told, through the crevices in the roof. The 
 night was calm, and still, so still that;, far away down in the 
 valley, the pleasant murmuring of the Dee came up to the 
 ears of the listener in the hill-side dwelling. But, as he 
 listened, other murmurings came up also, more and more 
 distinct, until at last it shaped itself into words proceeding 
 from a human mouth. 
 
 " Say, who has dared to make complaint 
 Against Holy Dderfel, Cambria's saint, 
 And who, more daring, here would bring 
 The ban of an apostate king ? 
 Saint Dderfel's fame all Wales can tell, 
 And all her children love him well, 
 For blessings on their flocks and kine 
 Oft \von by pray'r at holy shrine. 
 Back, back, ye men of Saxon breed, 
 Let shameless Harry change his creed, 
 And let each Southron shift his hope 
 From pope to king, or king to pope. 
 But if 'gainst Cambrian saint he turn 
 His new-born zeal, then let him learn 
 That he who questions Dderfel's might, 
 Must first o'ercome the River-Sprite ! " 
 
 As these words of direful import fell upon his ear, Davies, 
 remembering the experience of the River- Sprite which he 
 and his friend had already had, felt the reverse of comfort- 
 able, as, according to his view of the case, further proceed- 
 ings on the part of the individual in question (whoever or
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 151 
 
 whatever he might be) were undoubtedly threatened. Ho 
 lost no time, therefore, in endeavouring to arouse his com- 
 panion, which, however, was at first no easy matter, for, 
 overcome by the exertions of the previous day, Mr. Justice 
 Allen was sleeping the sleep of the just, and snoring the 
 snores of both just and unjust too, if the listener were to 
 judge by the volume of sound which proceeded from his 
 corner of the room. 
 
 At last, however, the difficult matter was accomplished, and 
 Serjeant Davies succeeded in making his companion aware 
 that something unusual had occurred. Sitting upright upon 
 his bed, with a last heavy snort, half awake and half asleep, 
 the poor Justice could not at first exactly comprehend the 
 reason of his being disturbed. As quickly as he could, 
 however, Davies explained the reason, and begged him to 
 listen, in case the words which he had just heard should be 
 repeated by their unseen visitor. Accordingly, both men 
 remained perfectly silent, straining every nerve in order to 
 catch the faintest possible sound. This lasted for about a 
 minute, when the same voice which Davies had previously 
 heard again broke upon their astonished ears in the follow- 
 ing words: 
 
 " River Dee, River Dee, 
 Speak thy mind out, fair and free ! " 
 
 The next instant, without the slightest warning of any 
 kind, and whilst the moon was still shining clear in the 
 heavens above, and no sign of rain or wind whatever, a low 
 rushing sound was heard, and in at the window, and at the 
 same time through the crevices of the roof, rapid streams of 
 water came dashing into the room, and flooded the place in
 
 152 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 a couple of seconds. Before they could leap from their 
 straw beds, the latter were saturated with wet, and the 
 water stood a foot deep on the floor, and was rising rapidly, 
 in such a manner as to threaten to fill the room. The two 
 gentlemen shouted hastily for help, for there seemed no 
 possibility of escape from drowning. 
 
 The old people of the house were some time before they 
 could hear ; but John Griffith was soon roused by the noise, 
 and came rushing from his room in some anxiety as to the 
 cause of the outcry. Scarcely had he opened the door than 
 a wonderful phenomenon ensued. Not only did the water 
 cease to descend, but not a drop of it attempted to cross the 
 threshold of the open door, but the whole body of water 
 stayed as if pent up in an iron cistern, presenting to 
 Griffith's eyes the extraordinary sight of a pool of at least 
 three feet in depth, in which stood his two companions 
 shivering and wretched, whilst various articles of their 
 clothing floated hither and thither around them. Then, 
 singular to relate, the water began to sink and disappear as 
 fast as it had come, and indeed performed this feat with so 
 much rapidity, that by the time the old woman of the house 
 had got upstairs and reached the room door, it was scarce 
 an inch deep, and in the space of another minute, damp 
 boards, moist straw, and men as moist and damp as either, 
 were the only remaining evidences of the strange and won- 
 derful event which had taken place. 
 
 Both Mr. Justice Allen and Serjeant Davies were tho- 
 roughly out of temper, which was perhaps not extraordinary 
 under the circumstances. Their language was in accordance 
 with the warmth of their internal, rather than the chilliness 
 of their external, feelings. They denounced the house, the 
 place, the country, and everything connected with it, espe-
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 153 
 
 cially the river and the so -called saint, for whom no epithet 
 was too opprobrious. 
 
 The old woman of the house, however, was so evidently 
 terrified at the occurrence which had taken place, that 
 although the two gentlemen were at first inclined to con- 
 demn her forthwith as a witch, and one that must have 
 been in league with those who had so injuriously treated 
 them, they speedily retracted their opinion, and became 
 mollified in their views of her behaviour. Anxious to con- 
 ciliate her guests, she hastened to fetch fresh bundles of 
 straw, which she deposited in the living-room down stairs ; 
 and having lighted a fire, hung all the wet articles of rai- 
 ment before it to dry, all the while bemoaning in her own 
 tongue the misfortune that had happened, and calling 
 Heaven and all the saints to bear witness that she would 
 rather have suffered any hardship in her own person than 
 that guests in her house should have been treated in so 
 scurvy a manner. 
 
 Yielding to her persuasions, and having dried themselves 
 as well as they could, and warmed their shivering limbs at 
 the fire, the travellers again sought repose upon the new 
 straw beds which had been provided for them, and suffered 
 no further disturbance during the remainder of the night. 
 When morning came, they took solemn counsel together 
 as to the course which they had best pursue in order to 
 carry out the King's orders, which might on no account be 
 neglected. 
 
 Upon the following day they were to meet the third Com- 
 missioner, Mr. Philips, who was coming from Ruabon, where 
 a small party of soldiers and certain officials were to assem- 
 ble, before proceeding to Llanderfel. To reach the latter 
 place, therefore, was still their object, and they desired to
 
 154 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 do so upon that same day. In fact, as Serjeant Davies wittily 
 observed, although great attempts had been made and not 
 altogether without success to throw cold water on their 
 proceedings, the enemy, be he who he might, had not suc- 
 ceeded in damping their ardour, and they were perfectly 
 resolved to do their duty. They, therefore, determined to 
 make one more attempt to follow the path from which they 
 had been driven on the previous day, and accordingly got 
 their horses ready, and, accompanied by honest John Griffith, 
 again set out. 
 
 They did not forget to reward the old woman for her 
 hospitality, although both Allen and Davies felt a kind of 
 shudder pass through them when, in mumbling out her 
 thanks, the crone expressed an earnest wish that "St. 
 Dderfel might have them in his care," which, judging by 
 past events, was precisely the thing which they would have 
 most desired to avoid. 
 
 They slowly descended the mountain side, and presently 
 found themselves once more in the road which led direct from 
 Bala to Llanderfel. Here John Griffith ventured mildly to 
 suggest that if they followed this road they would probably 
 find no trouble in reaching their destination. Serjeant 
 Davies rather inclined to the same opinion, but the stout- 
 hearted Justice objected to so simple a proceeding. In fact, 
 he was rather ashamed at the cowardice which he somewhat 
 unjustly imputed to himself with reference to the proceed- 
 ings of the previous day, and felt that his character was 
 more or less at stake. He, therefore, put it very strongly to 
 his companions that they ought not to be driven to alter 
 their course by even so much as one inch in consequence of 
 the events which had taken place. He reminded them that 
 he and the Serjeant were travelling upon the King's busf.
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 155 
 
 ness, that the King was supreme in England, both as re- 
 garded temporal and spiritual matters, and that as to dispute 
 his power and supremacy was undoubtedly rank high treason, 
 so to be influenced and swayed by those who evidently did 
 so must certainly be very nearly the same. Moreover, he 
 said, that since the King had proved strong enough to shake 
 off the Pope, who had claimed to be supreme over the 
 spiritual affairs of the kingdom, it would be an insult alike 
 to King and Pope if they allowed any one else, saint, sprite 
 or demon, to oppose and thwart his Majesty's royal will and 
 pleasure. Therefore upon their allegiance he demanded 
 that they should resume their yesterday's path, and ride 
 along the banks of the river to Llanderfel. 
 
 Not without some "hesitation did they comply, for although 
 John Griffith had no fears for himself, he did not wish to be 
 delayed in his journey upon his own private affairs by fur- 
 ther misadventures which might befall the two gentlemen, 
 whilst as for Serjeant Davies, he justly remarked that 
 although the King's orders enjoined them to proceed to 
 Llanderfel, they said nothing about getting there by any 
 particular road, and he did not see the force of braving un- 
 seen foes when there was nothing to be got by it. 
 
 Mr. Justice Allen, however, being an obstinate man, and 
 one that loved his own way, had the same good luck which 
 usually attends those of a similar temperament and dispo- 
 sition. He had his own way, and the three men once more 
 entered upon the path by the river side, and advanced along 
 the bank. 
 
 There was nothing unusual to be seen in river, mountain- 
 side, or meadow. The water gurgled round the stones, 
 merrily as usual, the ring-ouzel started from the rushes in 
 the shallow water, and fluttered across the river, as if
 
 156 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 alarmed by the approach of the invaders of his quiet home, 
 the kingfisher went by like a flash of lightning as usual, 
 but apparently quite intent upon his own business, and 
 nothing appeared at all likely to disturb or molest the 
 travellers. 
 
 They proceeded for some distance further than they had 
 done on the previous day, and had in fact arrived at a point 
 about half way between the bridge at which they had left 
 the high road and the village for which they were bound, 
 before anything unusual occurred. Then they came to a 
 small strip of green meadow, not twenty yards wide, beyond 
 which was a hedge, and a bridle-gate through which they 
 would be able to pass into a larger meadow beyond. But 
 exactly as they reached this strip of meadow, it suddenly 
 changed altogether its character and appearance. 
 
 From a pleasant looking pasture, which seemed to invite 
 a canter, it became a regular quagmire, shaking and shift- 
 ing as if only anxious to swallow up and engulf anybody or 
 anything which ventured upon it. So actively did its sur- 
 face heave to and fro, that the horses naturally became 
 alarmed, and refused to move a step further. Nor was it 
 only the land itself which had such a dangerous look about 
 it. From the mud peered up frogs, toads, snakes, and 
 other disagreeable and venomous-looking creatures, and the 
 frogs indeed set up a hoarse croaking, which was of itself 
 enough to frighten any well-disposed horse. 
 
 Mr. Justice Allea, however, was determined not to be 
 discomfited, and spurring his steed forward, raised his 
 riding-whip at the same time for the purpose of more 
 effectually enforcing his will. Horror upon horrors ! No 
 sooner had he done so, than the hilt silver of the whip 
 turned into a serpent's head, the rest of the weapon became
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 157 
 
 the body, and slipping from the hand of the astonished 
 Justice, wriggled away towards the marsh as if it belonged 
 to the place. Most men would have been utterly frightened 
 and overcome by this strange and alarming occurrence, but 
 the good Justice was not an ordinary man, and had, doubt- 
 less, for this reason been selected as one of the Commis- 
 sioners whose duty it would be to encounter and defeat 
 much local prejudice, and therein to display a firmness and 
 strength of mind without which the victory could not be 
 won. On the previous day Allen had been taken by sur- 
 prise, and certainly he was not free from wonder at the 
 present moment. But he had made up his mind to carry 
 the business through, and resolved within himself that ten 
 thousand sprites or saints, goblins or devilkins, should not 
 now turn him back. So he shouted aloud to his com- 
 panions 
 
 " Come on, come on ! In the King's name, come on ! 
 I warrant me that the King and my Lord Cromwell will 
 prove too strong for these knaves, an* we face them 
 boldly!" 
 
 Scarcely had the word Cromwell passed his lips when a 
 tremendous yell broke from the bed of the river ; such a 
 yell of mingled surprise, rage, and agony as had never 
 before been heard by any of the party. At the same time, 
 after one mighty heaving, which evidently agitated its 
 whole surface from end to end, the quagmire in front of the 
 travellers ceased to oppose any obstacle to their progress, 
 and returned to its former condition of a peaceful and 
 innocent meadow. Mr. Justice Allen's whip, moreover, 
 calm and quiet as if it had never misconducted itself at 
 all, came actually into his hand as if it had been there 
 all the time a sedate, respectable, everyday whip and
 
 158 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 every ugly and venomous creature utterly disappeared from 
 sight. 
 
 All, however, was not over. In the very middle of the 
 river, rearing itself up above the water, appeared the figure 
 of a man, or at least the head and shoulders of a man, 
 which led the casual observer to the conclusion that the rest 
 of the body and the legs were beneath the water ; though, 
 as everything connected with magic is wonderful and un- 
 certain, this might not have been the case, and it is quite 
 possible that there were no body and legs belonging to the 
 head and shoulders at all. Be this as it may, so much of a 
 man's form as I have described was certainly visible to all 
 three men, as each of them declared to his dying day. It 
 is true that they all differed somewhat as to its precise ap- 
 pearance, Justice Allen declaring that the head was covered 
 with dark grizzly hair, with a long gray beard, and singu- 
 larly handsome features, whilst Serjeant Davies maintained 
 that there was a wreath of weeds which almost concealed 
 the hair, and John Griffith stoutly avowed that the head and 
 hair were of a dark red colour. Still they all saw the head, 
 and all agreed that the breast and shoulders were covered 
 with something very like the scales of a fish. It is unim- 
 portant, however, to dwell upon these details, since by far 
 the most interesting part of the strange apparition was the 
 voice which issued from its lips. 
 
 Of course they all knew perfectly well that it was the 
 River-Sprite. No one else would be likely to be in the 
 middle of the river or to make such an unearthly noise 
 under the circumstances ; so they looked and listened, quite 
 prepared for something extraordinary, though not exactly for 
 what followed. Raising above his head a hand which firmly 
 grasped a salmon of considerable size, he hurled the fish
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 159 
 
 in the direction of the party, as if it was his manner of 
 giving vent to a curse upon them and their undertaking. 
 The fish, fortunately for itself, fell short, and disappeared in 
 a pool between the Sprite and those at whom he seemed to 
 aim. At the same moment he raised his voice, and in harsh 
 and discordant tones thus addressed them : 
 
 " Ride on, ride on, since River-Sprite 
 No more may check the royal might, 
 Nor Dderfel's sanctity avail 
 'Gainst those who would his shrine assail. 
 Ride on, ride on, base Harry's slaves, 
 To do the work of robber-knaves ; 
 Yet pause on sacrilegious way, 
 And list to my prophetic lay. 
 By Cromwell's aid and Cromwell's act 
 (Where hath the rogue a counterpart ?) 
 Conies o'er the land an hour of gloom, 
 And meek Religion hears her doom. 
 Through Cromwell works a king this sharne 
 Yet kings shall live to ciirse the name. 
 In ages yet to come shall spring 
 A Cromwell to confound a king, 
 For Dderfel's wrong shall king atone, 
 And Dderfel's vengeance shake a throne ! " 
 
 Having uttered these words, the River-Sprite threw up 
 both his arms once more, gave vent to another tremendous 
 yell, and disappeared with a splash which sent the water 
 flying right and left, and must have considerably disturbed 
 any fish which chanced to be in the neighbourhood. The 
 three men looked at each other in amazement, and then 
 John Griffith shook his head, and said he did not like this 
 sort of thing at all. The two gentlemen, however, thought 
 differently, inasmuch as they augured, from the appearance
 
 160 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and disappearance of the individual whom they had just 
 seen, that they would meet with no farther interruption on 
 their journey, and they neither understood nor cared for the 
 allusions of something which a Cromwell would, at some 
 future day, do to a king, so long as they were allowed to 
 proceed to the accomplishment of the business of their 
 King, which had caused their expedition. 
 
 We, of course, looking back upon the whole course of 
 events, understand all about the matter, and see what a 
 wonderful prophecy was that of the River-Sprite ; but the 
 persons who heard it were differently circumstanced. Yet 
 I have heard it whispered that some prophecy of this kind, 
 working upon the jealous fears of King Henry the Eighth, 
 was the beginning of the events which caused Lord Crom- 
 well's downfall, which was very hard upon him, since he had 
 nothing to do with the great river, and never killed a king 
 in his life. Indeed, as a matter of fact and history, the 
 King killed him, which was a totally different thing ; and, 
 considering the whole circumstances of the case, I think it 
 would have been a far more reasonable prophecy of the 
 River-Sprite if he had foretold that Cromwell should before 
 long (as was the case) fall out of favour with his Royal 
 master, and, as happened to a good many other people who 
 displeased King Henry the Eighth, lose his head in conse- 
 quence. This, I say, the River-Sprite might have foretold, 
 and, in ascribing it to St. DderfePs vengeance, would have 
 greatly raised both his own reputation and that of the Saint. 
 
 Perhaps, however, he didn't know it, or perhaps he was 
 bound not to prophesy about any person then alive, or per- 
 haps he did not choose to give Cromwell the warning. In 
 fact, river-sprites are such very curious people, that one 
 never knows the exact rules by which they go, and therefore
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 161 
 
 it is not of the slightest use to speculate upon the why or 
 wherefore of anything which they may chance to say or 
 leave unsaid. I only know what this particular Sprite did 
 say, and, as I had it direct from a water-ousel, who was de- 
 scended in a direct line from a bird who heard and saw the 
 whole occurrence, and had constantly told the story to his 
 children, to be handed down to the eggs yet unhatched, I do 
 not think that there can be any mistake about it. 
 
 At all events, Mr. Justice Allen and Serjeant Davies 
 found that no further obstacle was thrown in the way of 
 their journey to Llanderfel, and in a very short time they 
 arrived at that interesting village, and found comfortable 
 quarters at the "Horse-shoe." 
 
 As they reached the place in good time, they were able 
 to make a full inspection of the church and to visit the 
 shrine of the Saint. Several people followed and watched 
 them closely, but no one interfered with them ; and, having 
 viewed the figure of the Saint on his wooden horse, and 
 gazed upon the offerings which the piety of the neighbouring 
 villagers and the passing pilgrims had bestowed thereupon, 
 they returned to their inn and made themselves comfortable 
 for the night. 
 
 They required the services of John Griffith no longer, and 
 therefore dismissed him, with the offer of a liberal reward. But 
 this honest John refused, saying that since he had been 
 thrown in with them as comrades during a ticklish time, he 
 had stood by them as a "Welshman should, but that he had 
 now heard too much of their errand to care to touch their 
 money, and accordingly he took his leave without doing so. 
 This somewhat surprised the two gentlemen, but they did 
 not allow it to distress them, which was a sensible thing on 
 their part, though perhaps not wonderful, since people
 
 1 62 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 are seldom averse to saving their money when they can 
 conveniently do so. John Griffith, therefore, went on his 
 way ; and, although no longer protected by his presence, 
 neither the Justice nor the Lawyer suffered any further 
 inconvenience at Llanderfel that night. 
 
 Upon the next morning their work was to begin, and 
 their brother commissioner, Mr. Philipson, duly arrived 
 from Ruabon with a body of men who had been sent to 
 support the execution of the King's will. The inquiry 
 which they instituted was one of a sufficiently simple 
 character, it was merely to ascertain that miraculous 
 powers were commonly ascribed by the people of the neigh- 
 bourhood to the wooden figure of St. Dderfel, and this 
 would be held to justify its immediate destruction and the 
 plunder of a shrine which every true Protestant would of 
 course rejoice to see destroyed. 
 
 The belief of the people was not difficult to prove, for it 
 was universal throughout all North Wales. When sum- 
 moned to give evidence upon the subject, the poor creatures 
 thought they were called upon to bear witness to the power, 
 sanctity, and goodness of their beloved Saint, and testified 
 with great alacrity to the many cures which had been 
 effected through his agency. Sufficient evidence was soon 
 collected to have hanged half-a-dozen sinners instead of one 
 saint, who in those days had still less chance of getting 
 off, and it was soon clear enough that St. Dderfel must be 
 doomed. Hanging, however, was not to be his fate. 
 
 The people vainly endeavoured to save him by offering to 
 subscribe for his ransom. It might not be. There could 
 be but one place to which the image might be carried, one 
 manner in which it might be destroyed. 
 
 At that time Friar Forrest, having first maintained the
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 163 
 
 supremacy of the Pope and then that of the King, had 
 come back to his first love, and was opposed to the uproot- 
 ing of the papal power and the destruction of monasteries. 
 It was, therefore, determined that he should be "purified by 
 fire," which was the pleasant way people had of putting it 
 in those days when they burned a man, although I don't 
 suppose it made it any more pleasant for the fellow who 
 had to be burned. Friar Forrest was burned in Smithfield 
 market, and stuck up for the Pope to the last, just as many 
 stout-hearted Protestants held out against him, in Queen 
 Mary's reign afterwards, and were burned in the same 
 fashion. But in order to show that the Saint could not save 
 the Friar, they took his image, chopped it up, and made 
 it into firewood to burn the victim, which it did with 
 great success. 
 
 Mr. Justice Allen, Serjeant Davics and Mr. Philipson 
 thought it their duty to be present upon this occasion, being 
 determined to see the last of St. Dderfel, and saw his 
 remains used in this manner with much satisfaction. 
 
 Now the fragments into which the Saint had been split 
 were of considerable size, and as they spluttered and 
 cracked and hissed in the fire, the three Commissioners, in 
 common with other people, could plainly distinguish them. 
 Suddenly, from the middle of the crowd which pressed 
 around, eagerly watching the execution of the unhappy 
 victim, a tall man, wrapped in a long, dark cloak, stepped 
 swiftly, as it appeared to those who saw him, into the very 
 .fire, seized one of the largest pieces of St. Dderfel, blazing 
 as it was, quickly placed it under his cloak, whence came a 
 hissing noise as of water thrown on fire, and in an instant 
 the stranger had disappeared again, without any one 
 making an effort to stop him. 
 
 M 2
 
 164 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 All three Commissioners saw the thing plainly, but 
 Philipson was astonished at its effect upon his companions. 
 They turned deadly pale, trembled all over, and looked at 
 each other with terror written in the countenance of each. 
 After a time they recovered themselves sufficiently to 
 explain the cause of their strange emotion, when they both 
 informed their colleague and friend, that in the person who 
 had so boldly stepped into the fire, and performed the feat 
 which has just been told, they distinctly recognized the 
 features of the Sprite of the River Dee. . 
 
 It was in vain that Mr. Philipson endeavoured to combat 
 so foolish an idea, and to explain away so absurd a delusion. 
 Both the gentlemen stuck steadily to their story, Serjeant 
 Davies endeavouring, though with a melancholy face, to 
 perpetrate a joke after his own peculiar fashion, by declaring 
 that it was no De-lusion but a Dee-Sprite. 
 
 This, however, failed to amuse the company when dis- 
 cussing so serious a subject. Serious, indeed, it turned out 
 to be. Mr. Justice Allen was never the same man after- 
 wards ; he changed his religion three times, which was not 
 an uncommon occurrence in those days, but was never any 
 the better for it. The memory of his sojourn in "Wales 
 seemed ever with him : he continually fancied that he saw 
 the figure of the Spirit of the Dee following him, and at 
 last he took to drinking, and of course made a miserable 
 end of it. It is said, indeed, that when nearly at his last he 
 heard the doctor who was in attendance upon him, declare 
 that it was a clear case of " Delirium tremens." 
 
 "Dee, again?" he exclaimed in frantic horror "the 
 Dee the Dee always the Dee oh, that dreadful Dder- 
 fel ! " and with this name on his lips expired. 
 
 Nor did Serjeant Davies ever thrive after the events of
 
 LEGEND OF ST. DDERFEL. 165 
 
 which I have had to tell. He grew stout, and, strange to 
 say, the more corpulent did he become, the worse grew his 
 temper, until at last he was a perfect nuisance to every one. 
 Any allusion to his Welsh adventures at once excited him 
 to fury, and the names of Dderfel and the river Dee were 
 never suffered to be mentioned in his presence. At last, 
 when he had been enjoying a worse attack than usual of 
 the gout, to which he was a martyr, he so annoyed his 
 niece by his irritability and disagreeable remarks, that to 
 one of the latter she thoughtlessly remarked, " Fiddle-de- 
 dee." Scarcely was the word out of her mouth when he 
 flew into a violent passion, accusing the poor girl of having 
 used a forbidden word, and working himself up into such a 
 temper that he tried to rise from his chair to strike her. 
 The exertion and the excitement brought back the gout, 
 which flew to a vital part, and the learned Serjeant went 
 out of the world in this melancholy fashion. 
 
 This account of the end of the two Commissioners is that 
 which is commonly held to be correct in Llanderfel, and I 
 have therefore given it, although I believe that the families 
 of Allen and Davies have entirely different versions as to 
 the lives and deaths of their two respected ancestors. 
 
 There is, however, a striking corroboration of one part of 
 my story, the most of which, to tell the honest truth, I 
 learned from the water-ousel, whom I have already men- 
 tioned and whose acquaintance I recently made when on a 
 visit to North Wales. 
 
 Somehow or other, a large fragment of the image of St. 
 Dderfel on his horse did re- appear in the church of 
 Llanderfel, and may be seen in the porch thereof unto this 
 day. Now, how did it come there ? Is it likely that the 
 Commissioners, who were so zealous and earnest in their
 
 1 66 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 work of destruction, would have left the smallest vestige of 
 the abomination which they had come to destroy ? Is it 
 not certain, beyond all reasonable doubt, that every scrap 
 and fragment of the Saint and his horse was sent up to 
 Smithfield to help to burn Friar Forrest? If so, how can we 
 reconcile this with the undoubted fact of the presence in 
 Llanderfel church of a large fragment to-day ? There is 
 only one way of doing so, and that is by believing the story 
 of the gallant rescue made by the River-Sprite. 
 
 And when I walk along the banks of the old river, and 
 listen to its pleasant murmuring sounds, they seem to tell 
 me over again these old tales, and to impress on me that it 
 is just as well to believe them, for they lead me to feel that 
 there is an unseen and an unknown world, through, and by, 
 and in which we may be daily walking, although we see 
 and know it not, a world of spirits who protect the good 
 and pure, and who can do so better and more effectually 
 than the Spirit of the Dee was able to protect the shrine of 
 St. Ddcrfel.
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWAKF. 
 
 I DON'T like snow on the 1st of April. About Christmas 
 I hail it as a natural and not unpleasant thing, which 
 rather adds to one's merriment, and makes the fires look 
 brighter and the blackbirds more glossy and jet-like. In 
 January I don't object to it at all, especially if a bit of frost 
 comes after it. and makes the ground crisp and hard enough to 
 walk upon comfortably. Then, as to February and March, 
 no one who lives in England minds ichat kind of weather he 
 has then to encounter, or if he does, he is not fit to live in 
 England at all, and had better be off to southern lands at 
 once. February and March are months during which, 
 whatever weather we have, one is thankful that it is not 
 worse. But when April comes in, I feel that I have a 
 right to expect softer winds, more sun, birds singing and 
 nesting, lambs bleating, and all that tells one that spring is 
 really here. I said all this to myself when I looked out of 
 my window on this very 1st of April last past, and saw a 
 white world which would have been no disgrace to Christ- 
 mas. I said it much more when I walked out and found 
 what the snow in the night and the frost at early dawn had 
 done. My apricot blossoms were nipped to death, every 
 one of them ; all hope of wall-fruit was over for the year ; 
 the hares and rabbits, finding their usual food covered with 
 a white sheet, had visited my young plantations, and satisfied
 
 1 68 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 their hunger at the expense of my choicest shrubs, and half- 
 a-dozen thrushes' nests wherein, owing to the previous mild 
 weather, the young birds had broken the shells of the eggs 
 and come forth, earlier than usual, into being, were half full 
 of snow, and contained only the lifeless bodies of the little 
 innocents who had been so severely punished for prematurely 
 entering this wicked world. I said several times then and 
 I deliberately say it again, that I don't like snow in April, 
 and I do not like it for other reasons besides those I have 
 mentioned. I dislike it because it makes me dissatisfied 
 with my native country, its climate, seasons, and tempera- 
 ture : it makes me wish I was a native of some warmer 
 land, or that, if I still belonged to England, I might be as a 
 dormouse, or something of the kind, during this particular part 
 of the year. I have read of swallows clustering together in great 
 bunches to keep warm through the winter, and I feel as if 
 I should like to cluster too, as long as this weather lasts, 
 but instead of clustering, I am obliged to live on, and keep 
 myself warm as well as I can. But, do what I may, and 
 warm myself as I do, I repeat once more that I don't like 
 snow on the 1st of April. 
 
 These were the thoughts which passed through my brain 
 as I passed round a new gravel walk which I had lately 
 made at my house in the country, and looked with a sad 
 eye upon the mischief which the hares had done at one 
 place in particular. They are such tiresome creatures, 
 those hares : they do not attack one little tree and eat it 
 up in a respectable manner, but they nip off the heads of 
 half-a-dozen or more, invariably choosing the best and 
 rarest specimens. I have heard farmers say that they do 
 the same in a field of wheat, nipping along so recklessly 
 that they destroy a great deal more than they want to eat.
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 169 
 
 They had certainly done me a great deal of mischief in one 
 night, and I hegan to wish that they had all been jugged 
 before they had come into the plantation at all, and then I 
 tried if I could not make a joke about that expression, 
 founded upon the word "Juggernaut," but I failed to settle 
 it to my satisfaction, and so gave it up as a bad job. Then 
 I thought what a fool I had been not to have put down 
 wire netting all round the place, which I should certainly 
 have done only the length was so great that I thought 
 I would rather run the risk and save the expense. I 
 stepped on one side into the plantation to see whether a 
 particular tree which I knew of was safe or not, and as 
 I did so, up jumped a great hare and scampered off at full 
 speed. 
 
 If I had had my gun with me I do not think that any- 
 thing could have saved that hare's life unless, indeed, I 
 had missed it, which was certainly possible on a cold 
 morning like that, when one's hands could hardly feel the 
 trigger. I jnean that the season of the year would not have 
 stopped me, nor the fact that we do not like to shoot the 
 hares so near the house, nor the thought that the coursing 
 people might be coming that way : no consideration of this 
 kind would have stopped me. That which did so effectually 
 was the fact of my not having a gun with me, so that I 
 could do nothing but start (which I did at the sudden 
 bolting of the hare) and then stand gazing after her as she 
 cantered slowly across the meadow beyond the wire fence of 
 the plantation. 
 
 As I gazed, it struck me that the animal was not running 
 after the approved and natural manner of hares. Instead 
 of keeping straight on, as a hare pursued by man or dog 
 would have done, or, if unpursued, throwing up her hind
 
 170 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 quarters in a jaunty manner, like a young deer, this parti- 
 cular hare, immediately after creeping through the fence, and 
 passing some large, thick tufts of grass and rushes, ap- 
 peared to run after a zig-zag fashion, first on one side 
 and then on the other, as if unahle to steer her course 
 straight, and, in fact, not unlike a man considerably under 
 the influence of liquor. 
 
 As I knew, from long study of natural history, that this 
 was very unlikely to he the case with so well-conducted an 
 animal as a hare, I was somewhat at a loss to account for 
 the circumstance, until I put up my eyeglass and looked 
 more attentively at my friend. Then at once the wonder 
 was explained. The poor creature carried a hurden which 
 steered her course for her. A stoat had been lying in wait 
 for her, crouched beneath one of the tufts of rushes which I 
 have mentioned, and the instant she had crept under the 
 fence, he had sprung upon her back with the usual activity 
 of his race, and, lying at full length upon her, and grasping 
 her fur tightly both with hind and fore legs, was com- 
 mencing to operate upon her neck in the same manner as 
 that in which a schoolboy deals with an orange, namely, by 
 biting a hole in it, and leisurely sucking the juice. 
 
 Of course I knew how this little affair would end. It 
 could, indeed, only end in one way. "When sufficiently 
 exhausted by loss of blood, the unhappy hare would fall 
 lifeless upon the ground, and the stoat, when he had 
 satisfied the cravings of his appetite, would leave the 
 rest of the carcase there, and go forth in search of fresh 
 victims. Thus, then, I should very shortly be revenged for 
 the destruction of my shrubs, and the destroyer would have 
 expiated her offence with her life. But at that instant I 
 frankly confess that I thought no longer of my loss. I felt,
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 171 
 
 on the contrary, intense sympathy for the poor hare, and 
 disgust that her pure and innocent life should be sacrificed 
 to such a miserable little wretch as the stoat. I did not 
 hesitate for a moment, but dashing through the fence, 
 rushed in pursuit, shouting loudly as I did so. 
 
 The snow, against which I had been protesting all the 
 morning, now served me in good stead. It so much im- 
 peded the progress of the hare that, added to the ground 
 she lost in her wild attempts to run first one way and then 
 another, it enabled me to gain rapidly upon the flying 
 animals. I was scarce ten yards from them when the hare, 
 who had begun to squeak pitiably as she felt the sharp 
 teeth of the stoat in the back of her neck, stumbled and 
 fell on the snow, exhausted by pain and loss of blood. I 
 was quickly up with her, and had the satisfaction of catch- 
 ing my friend the stoat a crack over the back with my 
 walking-stick, as he tried to slink away, which effectually 
 spoiled any future eifort of his in the direction of amusing 
 himself by riding upon hare's backs. 
 
 Then I turned to poor Puss, who lay panting and 
 bleeding upon the ground, looking up at me with her large, 
 sad, frightened eyes, as if feeling sure that she had only 
 changed one destroyer for another. I lifted her gently in 
 my arms, for she was too much terrified and exhausted to 
 struggle or scratch, and I feared she would die before I 
 could get her to the house. Fortunately, however, the 
 stoat had not had sufficient time to work his wicked will 
 effectually upon the poor creature, and her hurts were not 
 mortal. I had the wound in her neck carefully washed, 
 and such remedies applied to it as my experienced house- 
 keeper deemed best. 
 
 The latter did mutter, certainly, at first, some foolish
 
 1 72 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 words about " stuffing " and " currant-jelly," with a little 
 roasting, being the best physic for hares, but after I had 
 rebuked her for her inhumanity, she behaved very well 
 about the business. Everything was done for our new 
 guest that was calculated to promote her speedy and com- 
 plete recovery, and in a very few days she was pronounced 
 to be as well as ever she had been in her life. I had 
 taken the fancy of having a box made for her in my 
 study, and there she lay, in nice clean straw, with only a 
 few bars placed over the box, so that she might not jump 
 out and run away before she was really well enough to go 
 out again into the wide world. 
 
 There she lay, and there I sat and wrote in my study, 
 I mean, not in the box and if that was all I had to tell 
 you, this story would never have been written. But, on 
 the third day, as I was writing a very particular letter, and, 
 for the moment, was thinking nothing at all about the hare 
 or her box, I was astonished at hearing a voice distinctly 
 coming from the corner of the room in which the latter 
 stood. It was a low voice rather weak, as it seemed to 
 me but the words which it pronounced were perfectly 
 clear, and there was no doubt about them. 
 
 " I don't like this box let me out ! " said the voice. 
 
 I turned round in my chair with the greatest astonish- 
 ment. 
 
 " Let me out, I say ! " repeated the voice. 
 
 I could hardly believe my own ears, but as they were 
 faithful old servants, never in the habit of deceiving me, I 
 gave credit to them as usual, rose from my chair, and 
 walked across the room to my hare's box. "When I got 
 there, the animal was sitting in the very middle of the box, 
 looking up at me through the bars. I regarded her for a
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 173 
 
 moment, and then still thinking that I must be mistaken, 
 was about to turn away and go back to my chair, when 
 again spoke the voice, and unmistakably it proceeded from 
 the hare. 
 
 " "Well are you going to let me out of this box ? " 
 
 I never was so staggered in my life. 
 
 "Let you out of that box!" I repeated mechani- 
 cally. 
 
 " Yes that's what I said," returned the hare. " Why 
 don't you do it? " 
 
 I confess that I knew not what reply to make. It was 
 not the question, of course, which puzzled me, so much as 
 the person who asked it. I have often been asked 
 questions by people whom I did not want to answer, and 
 questions, too, which I did not at all desire to have put. But 
 I never had been questioned by a hare before, and the idea 
 seemed to me so ludicrous, that after gazing at her for a 
 moment with a kind of stupefied look, I fairly burst into a 
 fit of laughter. At this Puss seemed somewhat annoyed, 
 and thumped with her forepaw upon the box. 
 
 " I don't know what you are laughing at," she said, " or 
 whether you think it becoming in a gentleman to burst out 
 laughing when a lady speaks to him. Why don't you 
 answer my question ? " 
 
 These words recalled me to my senses, or rather, if I may 
 say so, to my ordinary politeness. 
 
 " Really, madam," said I, bowing civilly over the box, 
 " I was so totally unaware that ladies of your particular 
 species were in the habit of holding conversations with 
 gentlemen, that I hardly know how to answer your very 
 unexpected question. But since you have asked me, I 
 cannot see any reason for refusing to comply with that
 
 174 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 which appears to be your request. I will certainly release 
 you from the box, and that with much pleasure." 
 
 So saying, I took a hammer from a ledge which was 
 near, easily wrenched out the screws which held down the 
 bars on the top of the box, and raising two of them, made 
 room for the hare to escape if she wished. As soon as I 
 had done this, she deliberately raised herself upon her hind 
 legs, placed her forepaws upon one of the remaining bars, 
 drew up her body thereby, and then jumped quietly down 
 upon the floor. 
 
 " I am much obliged to you," she then said (and all this 
 in perfectly good English), " for what you have just done, 
 and for the trouble which you have taken about my 
 concerns. Perhaps I ought to inform you (if, indeed, you 
 have not already guessed it) that I am no ordinary hare. 
 Indeed, I should have told you this long before, had I not 
 been bound by a vow not to speak until to-day. The pre- 
 scribed time of silence having now expired, I am at liberty 
 to disclose to you the truth." 
 
 Whilst the hare pronounced these words, in a grave and 
 deliberate tone of voice, I stood with my eyes fixed upon 
 her in the deepest astonishment. I had shot hares often 
 and often, and heard their sad cries of pain and terror 
 when woundecj. I had seen them pursued by greyhounds, 
 and heard the shriek uttered immediately before the lanky 
 jaws of the cruel foe were about to seize the hapless victim. 
 I had often seen them stealing from brake to brake in the 
 woods with graceful action, and I had frequently gazed upon 
 their forms after death, browned with roasting, and well- 
 supplied with " stuffing " pleasant to the taste of man. But 
 never before had I seen a hare, alive or dead, calmly facing a 
 human being and speaking to him in his own language, as
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 175 
 
 this animal was now doing. It was a startling mystery 
 an event so wholly strange and unexpected that I did 
 not know what to think, say, or do at the moment, 
 and consequently remained where I was, standing and 
 staring like a stuck pig, or any other creature whose 
 position at any particular time may be taken to indicate the 
 most extreme surprise. The hare, however, apparently 
 taking no notice of my confusion and embarrassment, thus 
 continued her discourse : 
 
 " Since you know that I am not a hare, you are doubtless 
 consumed with an earnest and unconquerable longing to 
 know who and what I am. That longing shall speedily be 
 gratified. I am a fairy, and one of some importance, 
 having authority over a considerable country and many 
 devoted subjects. Unfortunately, though, I am not without 
 my enemies, of whom the chief, the worst, and the most 
 malignant is the vile Dwarf Bamplukes, who reigns over the 
 Fen country, inhabited by little else than snakes and toads, 
 save the miserable ducks, geese, and wildfowl, over whom 
 he exercises a ruthless tyranny. This monster desires 
 anxiously both my kingdom and my life, and would gladly 
 sacrifice the latter in order to obtain the former. He is 
 up to every wile and dodge ever known or practised by the 
 abominable race to which he belongs, and is continually 
 inventing some new trick, or spreading some fresh net in 
 which to entrap me. By the rules of Fairyland, to which 
 all fairies of my class are subject, in a greater or less degree, 
 I am obliged to assume the form of a hare for one month in 
 every year, and during that period my magical powers are 
 suspended, and I am liable to be destroyed like an ordinary 
 hare. Unhappily for me, the wretch Bamplukes is aware 
 of all this as well as I am, and it is during this month that
 
 176 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 he sets in motion against me every engine which his fiendish 
 cunning can devise. More than once I have heen started 
 hy the fearful cry of harriers, and had to fly for my life for 
 hours together before those hateful creatures. The terrible 
 greyhound has before this time tried me to the utmost, and 
 I have several times been in danger from the fox and cat. 
 In each case I have known but too well that my enemies were 
 either paid emissaries of the dwarf, or that information of my 
 whereabouts had been given by him to those w r hose business 
 or pleasure it is to pursue hares. If the villain had power 
 to transform himself into one of these animals, I could never 
 have escaped his craft so long. This, however, he cannot 
 do, and can therefore only assail me by working upon others, 
 of doing which he never misses an opportunity. The stoat 
 who attacked me a few days ago, and who, thanks to your 
 generous and timely assistance, has paid the penalty of his 
 rashness by the forfeiture of his miserable life, was a paid 
 agent of my deadly and untiring enemy. This I know, not 
 only by the unfailing instinct which guides me in such 
 matters, but from the fact that the brute croaked into my 
 ear, just before he made his brutal teeth meet in my throat, 
 ' This is from Bamplukes, with best love and kiss.' Aye, 
 and but for you, a deadly kiss would it have been indeed. 
 You know now the circumstances of the case as well as if I 
 was to go on talking for a week, and I need, therefore, say 
 no more. But as the month is just up, I will, if you please, 
 resume my own shape, and appear to your eyes such as I 
 really am." 
 
 The creature ceased speaking, and almost as soon as she 
 had done so, the skin of a hare fell off from her, as if it had 
 been merely a loose cloak thrown over her shoulders, and 
 disappeared altogether, whilst there suddenly appeared
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 177 
 
 upon the floor as comely a little lady as you would see 
 in a long day's journey, be it where it might. I was 
 never much of a hand at describing, but I wish I could 
 make you understand what the fairy was like. Not above 
 six or eight inches high, I think, but with marvellously 
 well-proportioned figure, her head set jauntily upon her 
 shoulders, her limbs beautifully rounded, and in fact, she 
 looked "a fairy all over," if I may venture to use 
 so familiar an expression in speaking of so mysterious 
 and exalted a personage as a fairy queen. There 
 she stood, in all the glory of her royal beauty, on the 
 floor, and a prettier little creature I thought I had never 
 beheld. 
 
 " Now," said she, laughing merrily, as she perceived my 
 evident perplexity, " I must not forget the great kindness 
 which you have done me, and the service you have rendered 
 by saving my life. In old times I could have satisfied you 
 by giving you ' three- wishes,' as all respectable fairies used 
 to do for their friends ' in the good old times.' But alas ! 
 those times are changed, and I have not even the power of 
 providing that everything you touch should turn to gold, 
 or of sending a king's daughter, very beautiful and very 
 rich, to fall in love with and marry you without delay. 
 Shorn of our ancient rights and privileges, as we modern 
 fairies are, I confess (though reluctantly) that I can do 
 nothing of this sort. Nor can I, as I would gladly do if 
 possible, relieve you from the liability to those ailments and 
 diseases with which humanity is plagued. You must con- 
 tinue to put up with bad colds if you get your feet wet 
 without changing your socks as soon as possible afterwards ; 
 or if you sit in draughts, or go out in the east wind insuffi- 
 ciently provided with wrappers. You must still suffer from
 
 178 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 internal pains if you persist in eating unwholesome food, and 
 too much of it ; nor can I guarantee that you shall be free 
 from gout as long as you drink champagne and port wine, and 
 take so much sugar in your tea. But I will gladly do for you 
 what lies in my power, and I only wish that it were more. 
 You shall henceforth be able to understand the language of 
 all the animals, with and without feathers, that inhabit 
 your native land. Neither bird nor beast shall be able to 
 speak without your comprehending its meaning ; and even 
 the hum of the insects shall be intelligible to your ears. It 
 is no little privilege which I thus confer upon you, and it is 
 one from which you will be able to derive both pleasure and 
 advantage. In return, may I ask you to deal tenderly with 
 hares, and not to kill them unless either wanted for home 
 consumption or gifts, or in the case of their being especially 
 troublesome to the new plantations. And if at the recur- 
 rence of my month of trial (of which you shall always 
 have due and precise information) you would suspend and 
 stop all killing of hares in your shrubberies and gardens, 
 and keep down all vermin with redoubled care, you would 
 render me a service for which I should never be ungrateful, 
 and far more than repay any little advantage which I am 
 about to confer upon you at the present moment." 
 
 So saying, the Fairy tripped lightly from her position to 
 the place where I was standing, which was very near the 
 mantelpiece. Somehow or other I never knew how she 
 suddenly stood upon the latter, by which means she brought 
 herself upon a level with my face, upon which she struck 
 me a gentle blow across the mouth with a light wand which 
 she held in her hand, and uttered at the same time some 
 words of which I have not the slightest recollection, and 
 which it is therefore hopeless to attempt to chronicle. Im-
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 179 
 
 mediately a curious buzzing went through my head and 
 brain, and I knew that I understood the animal language, of 
 which I had been perfectly ignorant before. The Fairy then 
 tripped forward gracefully to the window, and rested there 
 for a moment. Then she turned and looked smilingly at 
 me 
 
 " Farewell," she said. " You are a good fellow, that I 
 must say for you, whatever anybody else may say to the 
 contrary, and if ever you are in danger or difficulty, and 
 want the best advice that a true friend can give you, do not 
 forget that such an one you have, and always will have, in 
 the Fairy Kimmelina." 
 
 Then she waved her hand in the air towards me, with a 
 friendly and pretty gesture, and the next minute had 
 vanished from my sight. I stood there rubbing my eyes, 
 and wondering whether I was asleep or awake, for some 
 minutes after this strange interview. Then I walked out 
 into the garden and looked about, but saw no signs of either 
 hare or fairy. So I took a stroll round the new walk again, 
 partly to collect my confused and scattered ideas, and partly 
 because I had nothing else to do. I pondered gravely over 
 what had just occurred, and wondered whether such a 
 thing had ever happened to anybody else, and whether 
 there were other fairies about, disguised in other animal 
 forms, and playing their part in the drama of fairy life, un- 
 known to and unsuspected by the race of man. I do not 
 know how long I might have gone on pondering and 
 wondering, if I had not been suddenly interrupted by a 
 brace of partridges, which sprang up almost under my feet, 
 and bustled off in a great hurry, as if terribly frightened. 
 To my intense surprise, instead of hearing merely the sharp 
 but cheerful note with which a partridge expresses his feelings 
 
 N 2
 
 i8o OTHER STORIES. 
 
 when thus roused, I distinctly heard and understood what 
 the birds said, and it was this : 
 
 " Confound the fellow, what does he mean by startling a 
 bird like that, coming up so quietly on the grass. Hang 
 him ! the season has been over these two months and more. 
 "What right has he to disturb us ? " 
 
 And they were still talking in the same strain when the 
 swiftness of their flight carried them out of ear-shot. 
 
 I stood for an instant transfixed with astonishment, and 
 then all at once recollected the words and promise of the 
 Fairy Kimmelina. It was evident that she had not de- 
 ceived me, nor given a promise which she was unable to 
 perform. 
 
 If I could thus understand the language of the partridges, 
 doubtless I should be able to understand other birds and 
 animals equally well, and a leaf of Nature's book, hitherto 
 (so far as I knew) closed to mankind, would lie open before 
 me. 
 
 In an instant it flashed across my mind that I should 
 now enjoy an advantage and a privilege which might be of 
 great use to me in many ways, and, if properly employed, 
 would sweeten the evening of my days, and enable me to 
 feel more like the companion and friend of what we arro- 
 gant members of the human race are pleased to call "the 
 brute creation," but what I consider as a part of creation in 
 very many respects superior to those who thus term them 
 in contempt. 
 
 I pictured to myself moments, minutes, nay, hours of 
 pleasure in listening to the conversations of the various 
 creatures which dwelt in and around my house. I fancied 
 myself sitting on the lawn, under the arbutus-tree, on a 
 warm summer's evening, listening to the blackbird's last
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 181 
 
 song before his bedtime, and hearing the praises he doubt- 
 less poured out on such occasions for all the happiness of his 
 pleasant, easy life ; the robin, too, long noted for his piety, 
 would doubtless chant his evening hymn in such a manner 
 as to leave me in a very proper frame of mind after hearing 
 it, and, with equal certainty, I should glean something 
 amusing, or even instructive, from the twittering of the 
 sparrows around the eaves of my house, and in the ivy which 
 crept up and around it in such graceful luxuriance. 
 
 Then I would have conversations with the domestic ani- 
 mals, too. My two daughters had at the time two beautiful 
 " collie " puppies, " Meg " and " Mona," which were kept 
 tied up in the stables, but which the girls daily took out for 
 a scamper in the meadows and gardens, scarcely, I fear, 
 with the approval of the head-gardener, who liked things to 
 be tidy, and had a prejudice against rampageous puppies 
 upon his flower-beds. How pleasant it would be to hear 
 the ingenuous remarks of these animals upon things and 
 people ! Their rough, honest judgment would certainly be 
 valuable. 
 
 Eva had a cat, too : a famous'cat ; a beautiful cat ; a re- 
 markable cat with an enormous brush (it really was rather 
 a brush than a tail), and ways more fascinating than the 
 ordinary ways of a cat. It was devoted to my child, and I 
 smiled to myself as I thought of all the pretty things it 
 doubtless said to and of her, as it purred out its disinterested 
 affection upon her knee, or rubbed its head lovingly against 
 her cheek. 
 
 These, and a great many other thoughts of a similar 
 nature passed quickly through my brain as I stood musing 
 over the words which I had just heard fall from the part- 
 ridge's beak, and I promised myself much future pleasure,
 
 1 82 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 both in connection with the tamer animals at home, and the 
 wilder creatures of the woods, whose feelings I thought I 
 should now he ahle more accurately to ascertain with 
 regard especially to sportsmen in general and gamekeepers 
 in particular. 
 
 I had often wondered, whether the tame pheasants which 
 a keeper has reared with tender care from their earliest 
 infancy, regard him as a ruthless and cruel traitor when 
 they see him, at a later period of the year, conducting and 
 directing the forces which are about to be employed to take 
 away their innocent lives, or whether they have any idea 
 that he is only engaged in the performance of a manifest 
 duty, and that, but for the love of killing them cherished by 
 the sporting master, he would have had no employment and 
 they no existence at all. This point should now be cleared 
 up on the earliest possible opportunity, and there seemed to 
 be no limit to the useful information which I might acquire 
 thenceforward, if I only made a proper use of my ears, and 
 threw myself in the way of those animals who possessed it. 
 Full of these thoughts, and with an internal feeling of ela- 
 tion, which can be more easily imagined than described, I 
 proceeded to complete my stroll round the new walk. 
 
 Full of love towards all creation, I entertained a great 
 longing to know and be assured of that, which I felt to be the 
 case, namely, that the birds and beasts had the same kind 
 of feeling towards me, and indeed towards the whole race of 
 man, and that all which I should hear, and, henceforth, un- 
 derstand as well as hear, would prove to me more and more 
 the harmony of creation, and the appreciation entertained 
 by the animals of the kindness and wisdom with which man 
 had exercised that power over them which his reason enabled 
 him to possess.
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 183 
 
 It was true that this appreciation had not been distinctly 
 perceptible in the remarks of the partridge, but there was 
 much to be said in his defence. I could not say that, as a 
 rule, either mankind generally, or I in particular, had dealt 
 with his race in a spirit of excessive kindness or forbearance 
 upon the farm immediately joining the spot from which he 
 and his companion rose : my son and I had shot no less 
 than fifty-four brace of partridges one day in the last Sep- 
 tember. Probably many of these had been his relations, 
 certainly his friends and acquaintances, and he might per- 
 haps be excused if, looking at it from a partridge point of 
 view, he did not precisely see the kindness or wisdom of that 
 special exercise of human power. Then, I certainly had 
 come suddenly upon him, when he was doubtless making 
 nesting arrangements with his mate, and when my sudden 
 arrival was trying to the temper of a respectable bird. 
 Evidently, it would be unfair to judge by this exceptional 
 case, of the general 'opinion of mankind cherished by the 
 breed of partridges, and even if further inquiry should lead 
 one, however unwillingly, to conclude that opinion to be 
 unfavourable, one must own that these birds, together with 
 pheasants and some others, must be included in a different 
 category from the general race, as being peculiarly adapted 
 at once for the sport and the food of man. 
 
 So I put the partridge's remarks aside as irrelevant and 
 inconclusive, and quietly continued my walk. 
 
 Presently I came to the older and higher part of the 
 plantation, where larch and spruce, Scotch and silver firs, 
 copper-beeches, sycamores, coloured thorns, hollies, and a 
 variety of other trees were growing, and where the birds 
 found the most charming positions for their nests, securely 
 sheltered from wind and rain by the dense foliage. Half-
 
 1 84 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 way through this, there is an open green space, with a large 
 oak in the midst of it, around which I have had a wide and 
 comfortable seat placed, upon which I love to sit and listen 
 to the songs of the hirds, and watch the beauties of the trees 
 as the summer steals gently upon us day by day. 
 
 As I sauntered quietly along towards this seat, out 
 dashed two pigeons from the oak. They are never fired at 
 there, and know, I think, that they are quite safe, so I was 
 not surprised to find that they only flew across to a clump 
 of tall trees underneath which our dogs are always 
 buried, and there gave vent to a few quiet " coos." Now 
 there has always been something both soothing and attrac- 
 tive to me in the cooing of a woodpigeon. I suppose this 
 partly arises from its association with my boyish days, when 
 I spent a great portion of my time in wandering amid the 
 woods in my father's park, in which these birds abounded. 
 But even without such associations, I think any one who 
 has anything tender about his heart must be touched by 
 that soft, pleasant sound, and it had always given me simple 
 and real pleasure to hear it. Moreover, considering that 
 we have always held the woodpigeons as sacred birds in our 
 shrubberies and fields near the house, I felt certain that 
 now, when I understood their language, I should hear some 
 special sentiments of gratitude towards myself and my 
 family, in addition to that general friendly feeling towards 
 mankind which these gentle birds would undoubtedly ex- 
 press. Judge, therefore, my surprise and regret to use no 
 stronger word when the words of the woodpigeons were 
 thus distinctly wafted to my ears from the branches of the 
 tall elms before mentioned. 
 
 "What a tiresome man that is, always walking about 
 our fields, and coming right under our trees ! He behaves
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 185 
 
 just as if the place belonged to him. Men are so trouble- 
 some and inconsiderate." 
 
 "Well," thought I, "these pigeons are certainly either the 
 most ungrateful or the most ignorant of birds. Belong to 
 me, forsooth ! I wonder to whom they think the place 
 does belong : I have built the house, one may say (it was 
 but a cottage when I came here), made the gardens, planted 
 most of the trees, and now to have it hinted that the place 
 belongs to somebody else. The bird must be a fool," and I 
 felt quite indignant at the observations which I had over- 
 heard, and strode forward on my way with a rising doubt 
 in my mind whether woodpigeons had really any claim to 
 be spared as we had spared them hitherto. They did a 
 considerable amount of damage to the corn, and were not 
 bad in a pie, when killed, and if they did not appreciate 
 forbearance, why hold one's hand? when it would be so easy 
 to show them the difference that might, if I pleased, exist 
 in our mutual relations. 
 
 I calmed down, however, after a few strides, and began 
 to make excuses for the poor birds. As we (with the one 
 exception of my privileged self) could not understand their 
 language, so they were doubtless ignorant of ours, and, this 
 being so, they might not be acquainted with the fact that 
 the country belongs to men and not to birds, and might 
 also be ignorant of our kindly feeling towards their own 
 tribe. Besides, it was but a casual observation ; it might 
 not have expressed the real, matured opinion of the 
 speakers, and even if it did, these were but one out of 
 many pairs of woodpigeons which frequented the place, 
 and were not to be taken as expressing the opinions and 
 feelings of all the rest. So I comforted myself with these 
 reflections, and continued my walk, hearing no other conver-
 
 1 86 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 sation which bore upon the particular point which I had 
 been considering, although several creatures amused me by 
 the remarks upon other topics which they incidentally let 
 fall. 
 
 A sheep was complaining of the number of daisies in the 
 grass, in the same sort of way that you hear people com- 
 plain that the cook has put too much salt in the soup. A 
 woodpecker groaned out his complaint that the trees were 
 much harder than they used to be, and wished for a return 
 to the " good old times," by which he forcibly reminded me 
 of several of my human acquaintances, who are very much 
 in the habit of making the same remark, with probably not 
 an atom of better reason for it than the woodpecker. I 
 heard a squirrel, too, telling his mate how that he had 
 found a jay's nest in a very comfortable situation, and, 
 fancying it for his dray, had driven the birds out and taken 
 possession. He described with much humour the com- 
 plaints, the rage, the dismay of the old jays, imitated their 
 harsh screaming, and roared with laughter as he told the 
 story, from which I learned that tyranny and oppression 
 are not confined to the human species or even to ravenous 
 wild beasts, but that in many, even the smaller, animals, the 
 rule obtains that the strong have things their own way, and 
 " the weakest go to the wall." 
 
 I finished my walk and came in through the little iron 
 gate from the wood on to the lawn, and then I met my two 
 daughters with the collie puppies, which were gambolling 
 about them with much enthusiasm and delight, much to the 
 detriment of their dresses, to place their dirty paws upon 
 which seemed to be one of the principal amusements of the 
 puppies. 
 
 As they jumped about, they gave vent to their pleasure
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 187 
 
 in several short barks, which I knew well enough, and had 
 always interpreted before as their manner of testifying 
 frantic delight at being let out. Now, however, that I was 
 able to gather their exact meaning, I found that there was 
 something more. 
 
 " Here we are," barked Mona, quite distinctly, "and we 
 don't at all object to having a romp with you girls, for you 
 are not a bad sort by any means. But what a thundering 
 shame to keep us tied up three parts of the day in that 
 horrid old stable ! Why should not we be free to run about 
 as well as you ? We don't like being tied up I say it's a 
 shame ! " 
 
 And they barked the same sentiments in chorus. 
 
 Then Eva tried to teach Mona to jump over a stick, which 
 she did once or twice, and then stopped and whined, by 
 which, if it had happened only the day before, I should have 
 understood that she meant a meek and gentle protest. No 
 such thing ! What she really said was this : 
 
 "No, no ; I've had enough of this for to-day. You 
 stupid girl ! What fun do you think an honest and well-bred 
 dog can find in jumping over a stick ? Do it yourself if you 
 want it done /won't." 
 
 This palpably disrespectful language, addressed to her 
 own mistress, a young lady who invariably treats her with 
 the greatest kindness, and to whom she owes most of her 
 pleasant walks and runs, struck me as being ungrateful as 
 well as unpolite, and I felt considerably annoyed, and turned 
 away in some disgust. 
 
 I did not think it necessary to tell the girls what opinions 
 had been expressed by their favourites, lest it should in any 
 degree spoil the pleasure they found in their company, and 
 I must say that I rather wish I had not myself been unde-
 
 188 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 ceived, and my opinion lowered respecting animals of which 
 I had hitherto thought highly. 
 
 Worse, however, was in store for me within the house. 
 If there was one animal from whom rather than from an- 
 other I should have expected affection towards the whole 
 human race, and especially towards the mistress who so 
 fondly loved her, it was Eva's Angola cat. The creature 
 slept in her room, was her constant companion in-doors, 
 and always manifested its regard for her in what we all 
 supposed to be an unmistakable manner. So when I went 
 into the dining-room at luncheon time, and saw Miss Puss 
 stretched upon the hearth-rug, I thought to myself that I 
 should hear from her some pretty and touching sentiments 
 before long. 
 
 When luncheon was nearly over, she rose from the rug, 
 walked demurely round the table, and then, receiving a 
 little encouragement to do so, sprang upon Eva's lap, rubbed 
 her head against the young lady's cheek, and began to purr 
 complacently. ^ 
 
 Alas, for my new privilege, and alas, for my old theory 
 of the love of animals for man ! The cat's purr, hitherto 
 believed by me to be expressive of a personal contentment 
 and a general benevolence towards everybody, said, as plainly 
 as words could say 
 
 " Scratch my head, now, Miss Eva, and tickle me gently 
 behind the ears. That is what I like, and that is about all 
 you are good for. I dare say you think I am very fond of 
 you, but it is only myself for whom I really care. I should 
 l)e no true cat if it were otherwise. You do very well to 
 live with, because you have a nice room, and give me tit- 
 bits to eat, but, I like the garden cat better than you to 
 play with, and what is more, I don't like your plan of
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 189 
 
 having me shut into the house at night. It is impudence, 
 that's what it is, Miss, and though I let you scratch my 
 head, because it's nice, I do not mean to be treated as if I 
 belonged to you instead of you to me, which is the real state 
 of the case. Bless you, I don't care for you or Kate, or any 
 of them, only I like the place, and get plenty to eat there ! 
 go on scratching ! " 
 
 I was at once stupefied and disgusted at the selfish and 
 ignoble sentiments thus uttered by the cat, and have seldom 
 felt so inclined to throw any animal out of the window. As, 
 however, we happened to be on the ground floor, the pro- 
 ceeding would have been useless as regarded harm to the 
 cat, and might have occasioned unpleasant scratches to my- 
 self. Moreover, I felt bound in honour not to disclose the 
 animal's secret, nor did I desire to embitter my child's 
 existence by destroying her good opinion of her favourite. 
 So I said nothing, but made an excuse to leave the room 
 early, and walked down to my study, much less certain than 
 before that the gift of the Fairy would be so wholly produc- 
 tive of pleasure as I l^ad anticipated. 
 
 When a delusion is pleasant, it is not always desirable to 
 have it dispelled ; and having held the views which I have 
 expressed with respect to the mutual relations between man 
 and the other animals, I began to doubt whether I was not 
 rather happier before I found that I had been to some 
 extent mistaken. I smoked one cigarette while I thought 
 this, and then I remembered that, after all, I had heard the 
 opinions of very few animals, and that it was very possible 
 that a wider experience and longer trial of my new power 
 might result differently. 
 
 So I consoled myself for what had passed, and was not 
 annoyed by the expressions of impatience and anger which
 
 190 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 now proceeded from a bee who had got shut into the room, 
 and, whilst buzzing against the window-panes in hopeless 
 efforts to get out, vented, in language now perfectly intelli- 
 gible to me, his wrath against man and his doings, espe- 
 cially as concerned the making of windows and consequent 
 illegal detention of insects who were desirous of going about 
 their daily work. So the afternoon passed, and I occupied 
 myself in reading and writing until I thought I had earned 
 a little fresh air. 
 
 Then I walked through the folding-doors of my room on 
 to the gravel- walk in front, and took a turn in the shrub- 
 beries, finally sitting down in a shady spot to give myself 
 up to that calm enjoyment which insensibly steals over one 
 at such moments. The weather was much milder now than 
 on that morning when I had had rny adventure with the 
 hare. One of those sudden changes had occurred which 
 make the climate of England at once so pleasant and so 
 dangerous to persons of weak constitutions. The snow and 
 frost had disappeared, the wind had got round to the south, 
 the sun was shining brightly, and it was warm enough to 
 sit with comfort upon the garden chair which I had with 
 me. So down I sat, and listened to all the cheery sounds 
 in which I had so often rejoiced before. 
 
 Hark to that blackbird. He is singing, doubtless, to his 
 tender mate whilst she sits upon her eggs in the nest below, 
 and listens to his melodious voice with grateful delight. At 
 least, this has always been my idea of a blackbird's song at 
 this time of year. No ! What is the rascal saying ? Just 
 listen : 
 
 " Sit tight, Mrs. Blacky. If you leave those eggs before 
 I give you leave, I'll peck your eyes out ! I fancy I've got 
 a good deal the best of it up here, ma'am, but don't you
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 191 
 
 complain. Just you do your duty, or you'll hear more of 
 it by-and-by. Don't imagine tbat I'm singing here for your 
 sake. Not a bit of it. I'm singing partly because I like 
 it, and partly because I've got nothing better to do. How 
 I wish the fruit was ripe ! Then I could go and enjoy my- 
 self, whilst you watched the nest, which is the duty of a 
 hen-bird." 
 
 I listened with perfect horror. Was the fidelity of the 
 bird, then, only a romantic invention of some fanciful mor- 
 tal ? Was neglect and ill-treatment of wives as common 
 among birds as among men ? Did my ears deceive me ? 
 Again, and this time more strongly than ever, did I doubt 
 the value of the Fairy's gift, and felt a sense of sadness 
 spring up within my heart. 
 
 At this moment, however, the clear notes of the robin 
 broke upon my ear, and looking in the direction from which 
 they appeared to proceed, I saw the songster sitting upon a 
 thorn-tree near the billiard-room window. I smiled to my- 
 self with a comfortable feeling that now at least I was about 
 to enjoy to the utmost the privilege which I had acquired. 
 From this bird, the pious fervour of whose feelings has so 
 long been celebrated, and whose affection towards mankind 
 has been so frequently proved, I should certainly hear 
 something which would elevate my soul from all the little- 
 ness of earth, and teach me what beauty was ever to be 
 found in simple purity, such as would doubtless be expressed 
 in the religious melody with which robins habitually begin 
 and close each day. 
 
 Alas ! this, too, was but one more delusion to be roughly 
 dispelled. The robin, contemplating the ivy which grew 
 thickly against the wall at the back of the kitchen, which 
 from his position he could well see, thus sang his song for
 
 192 OTHER STORIES, 
 
 I really cannot term it an " evening hymn," though that is 
 the designation commonly applied to a robin's effusion at 
 this particular time of day : 
 
 " Very thick the ivy looks : yes, but though I have built 
 my nest there for three years running, I have not found it 
 safe. Eight enough it was the first year, but the second I 
 was grossly deceived by the weather, and the nest filled with 
 snow and the eggs spoiled just before my mate was going to 
 sit. Then, last year, a confounded boy came and took the 
 nest, eggs and all. I have began to build once again now ; 
 but the weather is horribly uncertain. It really isn't fair 
 upon a bird. I wish it was warm, so that the currants 
 would get ripe. I do love to steal currants. When there 
 is snow on the ground, it is quite true that those fools of 
 people in the house are obliged to throw out crumbs for me, 
 but they are a lazy set, and don't do it often enough. I 
 don't think much of them, and should never trust myself 
 near them, only that many of them have an absurd preju- 
 dice against killing a robin, and that is the only reason why 
 I feel safe. They are a horrid set, though, and keep cats 
 who have no more respect for a robin than for a common 
 sparrow I don't think much of people who do that 
 brutes ! " 
 
 " What ! " thought I to myself, as I listened to these 
 words with as much pain as surprise : " Can it then be 
 that I have been deceived in the robin also ? The partridge, 
 the woodpigeon, the dog, the cat, and the blackbird have 
 all belied my expectations, but now that the robin does the 
 same, my cup of sorrow is full indeed." 
 
 With these words I turned away heavily to the house, 
 having risen from my chair, utterly bewildered and dis- 
 appointed at the sentiments of the robin. He had shown
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 193 
 
 no gratitude either to Providence or man, abusing the 
 weather in an irreverent manner, and evidently holding the 
 human race in supreme contempt. By this time I had 
 come to the conclusion that the gift which the Fairy had 
 bestowed upon me liad by no means added to my happiness. 
 I was contented and satisfied when, judging of the meaning 
 of the voices of the different animals only by the intelligence 
 which nature had given me, I affixed to each a certain 
 reasonable meaning and interpretation. Alas ! the reality 
 had produced upon me two disastrous and humiliating 
 effects. It had lowered my opinion of my own intelligence, 
 since I had been so lamentably mistaken in my previous 
 interpretations, and it had also made me think infinitely 
 worse of the whole animal creation, and created in my 
 mind a feeling that there was a great deal more selfishness, 
 ignorance, and ingratitude in the world than I had pre- 
 viously imagined. So I retired to my study, and kept to it 
 for some time, reading and writing, thinking and idling, 
 according as the fancy seized me. I eschewed the society of 
 animals, turned cats and dogs equally out of the room 
 whenever either one or the other essayed to enter it, and 
 made up my mind to see as little of any animal as I could 
 help until I had the opportunity of getting rid of a power 
 which I had already found monstrously disagreeable, and 
 which I devoutly wished that I had never possessed. I 
 began to wish I had never known that the hare was 
 other than a common hare, and I really fear that a thought 
 once or twice would creep into my heart that I should have 
 been better off if I had let the stoat work his wicked will 
 upon her without any interference on my part. 
 
 It was whilst I was in this frame of mind that a knock 
 came at my door one evening, and upon my bidding the
 
 194 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 person knocking to come in, an object which I have never 
 before seen presented itself before me. It was the figure of 
 a little man, whom I should take at a guess to have been 
 about two feet and a half in height. His head was large 
 for his body, and was covered with thick and shaggy hair, 
 surmounted by a black hat, which seemed to have been 
 just taken off some scare-crow in the fields. His beard, 
 dishevelled and innocent of a comb for at least a month, 
 hung down over his breast, whilst his face, besmeared with 
 mud and dirt, had not one redeeming feature, the lips 
 being thick and coarse, the nose red and protruding, and 
 the eyes bloodshot and set far back in the head, under heavy 
 and lowering eyebrows. His dress was that of the most 
 ordinary day-labourer, his hands were large and rough, his 
 boots old and clouted, and his whole appearance disreput- 
 able and unprepossessing in the extreme. 
 
 As soon as this strange creature had entered my room, 
 he advanced a few paces, and then stopping, pulled one of 
 his shaggy locks much after the fashion of a ploughboy 
 saluting the squire or parson of his parish. 
 
 " What do you want ? " I asked in surprise, " and who 
 are you?" 
 
 The little man made a violent effort to speak, showing 
 me at once that he stammered fearfully. Now there are 
 two things in the world which annoy me more than any 
 other two which I can think of at the moment, the one is a 
 deaf man and the other a man who stammers. Not but 
 what I pity both of them immensely ; bat the first obliges 
 me to exert my throat, which is my weakest part, and 
 exertion of which is trying and painful, whilst the latter 
 causes me an amount of nervous irritation which makes me 
 ong to run away in the contrary direction as soon and as
 
 KLMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 195 
 
 fast as possible. So when this small man began to stammer, 
 and that, too, when, having intruded upon the privacy of 
 my apartment, he had me at a disadvantage, and running 
 away was out of the question, I was very much annoyed 
 and vexed. I felt myself getting angry ; I knew I should 
 be angry, and it required the greatest effort to preserve my 
 self-control for the short period during which our conver- 
 sation lasted. That conversation, however, was so inter- 
 esting, and had such important results, that I must perforce 
 retail it, although I cannot give any adequate, or nearly 
 adequate, idea of the little man's tone and manner, or of 
 the excessive irritation and annoyance which the two to- 
 gether produced in me. To put the matter briefly, my 
 strange visitor informed me that he was none other than 
 the Dwarf Bamplukes, king of the Fen country, and here- 
 ditary enemy of the Fairy Kimmelina. He said that (as I 
 must doubtless be aware) it was a most unusual thing for 
 fairies, or witches, or dwarfs, or any other beings of the 
 same kind, to disclose themselves unnecessarily to mankind, 
 or to seek the assistance and co-operation of the latter in 
 managing their own affairs. As, however, this course had 
 been pursued by his enemy, he felt that in justice to him- 
 self, as well as to me, he could not do less than pay me a 
 visit, in order to open my eyes to the real character of the 
 Fairy, and, if possible, to enlist my sympathies on his 
 rather than on her side. So far as he was concerned, he 
 declared himself to be a person whose interests could never 
 clash with mine, or indeed with those of ary other human 
 being. He was content to live in his own fens, miles away 
 from my place, and to govern his own people after his own 
 fashion. It was hardly necessary to state the grounds of 
 the quarrel between him and the Fairy. It was one of 
 
 o 2
 
 1 96 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 long standing, and arose entirely from her imperious temper 
 and habit of constantly interfering with other people's busi- 
 ness. But what he wished particularly to call my attention 
 to was the entire want of any common interest between the 
 Fairy and myself. Her proper shape was that of a hare, 
 and she ought to be nothing else. But what was a hare ? 
 One of the most destructive animals to young wheat and 
 young plantations that we have in this country ; a wasteful 
 animal, too, that spoiled more than it wanted to eat, and 
 was really a positive enemy to civilization. Now would it 
 not be well either to extirpate such animals, or, at least, 
 greatly to reduce their numbers ? In accordance with this 
 view, he confessed that he had endeavoured to destroy a 
 fairy who patronized these noxious animals, and he could 
 not but think that it was as much or more for my interest 
 as for his own to accomplish this. 
 
 He did not venture to blame me for having saved her life. 
 I had acted from a generous impulse (the little chap knew 
 how to flatter), and he might have done the same under 
 similar circumstances. But now that I knew all, were not 
 my sympathies really with him ? What reward had the 
 Fairy given me in return for the services which I had 
 rendered her ? He put it to me, whether it had been the 
 slightest advantage to me to understand the language of 
 those with whom, in the order of nature, it was never in- 
 tended that I should converse upon equal terms, or, indeed, 
 upon any terms at all ; and he asked me plainly if I did 
 not think those inust be wrong who attempted to invert 
 that order, and to effect a complete and radical change in 
 the relations which had hitherto existed between man and 
 the inferior animals. 
 
 I confess that I was somewhat staggered by the clearness
 
 KLMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 197 
 
 and cogency of the little man's remarks, albeit that liis 
 stammer deprived them of some of their force. I therefore 
 paused a few seconds to consider my reply, and then, 
 without committing myself upon one side or upon the 
 other, calmly asked what it was which he wished me to 
 do. 
 
 He replied at once, that he should like me to form an 
 alliance, offensive and defensive, with him, and endeavour 
 to get rid of the Fairy once for all. I expressed some doubt 
 as to the desirability for either of us of such an arrange- 
 ment ; and further said, that even if we established friendly 
 relations, and took the same view of hares generally as that 
 which he had expressed, I did not see what there was to be 
 done of a practical nature. 
 
 As soon as I had said this, my visitor put on a look of 
 inexpressible cunning, and went on to develop his plan. 
 He said that what he desired of me was this That I should 
 patiently await the next communication from the Fairy, 
 which would, without doubt, be made when the time ap- 
 proached for her temporary resumption of the form of a 
 hare, and her consequent exposure to his attacks. He pro- 
 posed that I should receive her communication with ap- 
 parent friendliness, and show every readiness to concert 
 plans with her whereby his machinations might be defeated. 
 Meanwhile, I should in reality have a secret understanding 
 with him, in accordance with which I should inform him of 
 these plans, and, at a time to be agreed upon between us, 
 should deliver her into his hands, so that he might make an 
 end of her for ever. 
 
 This proposal the D \varf made to me with the utmost 
 calmness, as if such vile and odious treachery as it contem- 
 plated on my part were an every day occurrence with him,
 
 198 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and there was nothing either unusual or abominable about 
 it. His manner, no less than his words, threw me into a 
 tremendous passion. 
 
 " Contemptible wretch ! " I cried, boiling over with indig- 
 nation. " How is it that you dare propose to me such a 
 nefarious project ? Are you not ashamed even to harbour 
 within your breast, much more to express in words, a 
 scheme so utterly repugnant to any person possessed of the 
 most ordinary feelings of self-respect? What! Win a 
 poor creature's confidence and that creature a lady, too ! 
 by pretending friendship, when your real object is to destroy 
 her ? What is there in my countenance or appearance 
 which could lead you to suppose it possible that I could be 
 guilty of such cruelty and so great a crime ? No ! Never 
 will I be a party to such wickedness ! " 
 
 As I spoke, the little man's face fell at first, but before I 
 had concluded, an expression of fiendish malignity stole over 
 it ; and I had scarcely finished before he again addressed 
 me 
 
 " There is no need," said he, " of so much violence. I 
 have only proposed to you what one landed proprietor may 
 fairly enough propose to another, namely, to join him in 
 getting rid of vermin which injure the property of both. 
 If you prefer having your shrubs destroyed, and the young 
 shoots of your choicest trees nipped off, it is certainly no 
 affair of mine, though I confess that I think you have a 
 somewhat singular taste. But think once again. What- 
 ever may be the merits of the quarrel between the Fairy and 
 myself, there can be no doubt that it is she, and not I, 
 whose interests are opposed to your own. If you aid me as 
 I propose, not only will your plants and shrubs be secure, 
 but I promise you that all things shall go well with your
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 199 
 
 farm and flock. No mischief that I can prevent shall occur 
 to you ; and you little know how much is done by my little 
 men at night to those who are my enemies. There shall be no 
 stealing of your fruit and garden produce ; your hens shall 
 hatch their chickens safely; your ducks waddle about in 
 perfect security ; your sheep shall do better than they have 
 ever done before ; and general prosperity shall rest upon all 
 that belongs to you." 
 
 I listened to these words with some surprise, as I had 
 no idea that dwarfs were responsible for the sort of damage 
 to property alluded to by the speaker ; but I could not get 
 over the indignation caused by his first suggestion, that I 
 should employ foul treachery against the hare, nor was that 
 sentiment diminished by this barefaced attempt to secure 
 my compliance by bribery. So I scarcely let him finish 
 before I broke forth again 
 
 "You impudent little scoundrel!" I shouted; "how 
 dare you offer me bribes to induce me to join you in your 
 shameful schemes ? This only makes matters worse, and 
 confirms me in the belief that you have been wrong from 
 beginning to end in your quarrel with the Fairy. I will 
 have no more to do with you, and want none of your aid. 
 Hence ! Begone ! Darken my doors no more with your 
 hateful presence ! " 
 
 The little wretch scowled frightfully upon me as I 
 pronounced these words. 
 
 " What fools men are ! " he hissed out between his 
 clenched teeth. " You are like the rest of them, I see, and 
 are not to be convinced by reason. But since you decline my 
 alliance, and elect to take part with my enemies, look out 
 for the consequences. See how your lambing will go on 
 this year. "\Vatch your hens and ducks, your pears and
 
 200 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 apples, and all the portable property about your place. No 
 one ever yet offended Bamplukes without suffering for it. I 
 can promise you that you shall be no exception to the rule ; 
 and the Fairy shall not escape me after all." 
 
 So saying, the Dwarf turned on his heel and made for the 
 door, having reached which, he wheeled round, made one 
 of the most frightful grimaces which I have ever seen, spat 
 contemptuously in my direction, and shambled off, leaving 
 me in as great a passion as I had been for several years 
 past. 
 
 After a while, however, I cooled down, and, on considering 
 the matter, was satisfied that I had acted rightly in re- 
 jecting the advances of the little man, and consoled myself 
 with the reflection that although I had probably made him 
 my mortal enemy for life, his power of injuring me was 
 doubtless limited ; and I had only his own word for it that 
 he had any such power at all. I was rather horrified, it is 
 true, at finding my yard-dog dead in his kennel, apparently 
 poisoned, a couple of hours after the Dwarf had left ; and, 
 as the latter must have passed close to the kennel on his 
 way out, the thought came across me that he might have 
 had a hand in it. I dismissed the idea, however, after 
 further consideration, set the black deed down as the work 
 of some tramp or travelling tinker, whom the dog might 
 have annoyed, and thought no more about the Dwarf or his 
 threats. 
 
 But the next few months gave me serious cause for 
 uneasiness. My lambing had begun well, and I had been 
 in good spirits about my farming prospects generally. 
 Somehow or other, things now began to go wrong. I lost a 
 larger number, both of ewes and lambs, than I had ever 
 done before ; I had more barren sheep than common, and
 
 KIMMELINA * AND THE DWARF. 201 
 
 the lambs were decidedly less fine and more feeble than 
 usual. Then I lost a valuable cow, one of my carriage- 
 horses fell lame, and the old donkey died, which had been 
 for twenty years about the place, and was consequently 
 valued as an old friend. As for the ducks and chickens, 
 there never was anything like it. So many rotten eggs 
 were never known, I should think, since the days when 
 tithe used to be taken " in kind." Then, indeed, when the 
 parson was unpopular and strict, and the farmers' wives 
 had to lay out their eggs to be " tithed," I have heard that 
 it was perfectly marvellous how often the tenth egg was 
 rotten ; but since that time I am sure there had been 
 nothing like it in any farmyard or poultry-house until this 
 time of which I write. When the chickens were hatched, 
 too, they came out such little puny things as you never saw, 
 and the extraordinary number which were carried off by 
 rats was perfectly astounding. We had no rats, we thought, 
 and I firmly believe, on looking back, that the work of 
 destruction was not performed by ordinary rats, but by 
 dwarfs. I know that the yard-man, who understood the 
 rearing of poultry thoroughly, could not account for the loss 
 we sustained at this time by any ordinary method of 
 reasoning. The season had been unusually healthy, no rats 
 were ever seen, and although the worthy man knew nothing 
 of the Dwarf's threats, I am sure that he suspected that a 
 witch, or evil creature of some kind, was spiting him or me, 
 or both of us, and that no care or attention on his part 
 could prevent the mischief. The latter was not confined to 
 the poultry -yard, but prevailed also in the garden depart- 
 ment, where things went on in a most uncomfortable 
 manner. The wall-fruit was for the most part nipped by 
 an untimely frost, although indeed this event was, I am
 
 202 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 sorry to say, of no such rare occurrence as to require that 
 we should attribute it to supernatural agencies. But as the 
 summer advanced other things went wrong. 
 
 Never did the currants and raspberries disappear in such 
 quantities, the cherries failed, the pears suffered from hand- 
 blight, as the saying is, in an unexampled degree, and the 
 hand that plucked them could never be detected. Then the 
 potatoes rotted, the cabbages had no heart, the onions lost 
 their flavour, and the very carrots were bad and insipid. 
 I never had such a bad season, before or since, and it was 
 only too evident to me that malicious influences were at 
 work. 
 
 So things continued for some time, and meanwhile I 
 received no news of any kind from my friend the Fairy, 
 which I felt the more, inasmuch as I could not help being 
 conscious of the fact that, but for my loyalty to her, 
 I should in all probability have had a much more pros- 
 perous year. I must say for myself, however, that I never 
 repented having acted as I did towards the Dwarf, and often 
 thought to myself that I should do just the same if the 
 scene had to be played over again. I only hesitated once 
 in this opinion, and that was when our favourite old collie, 
 Jock, was run over by the express train and killed on the 
 spot. To have saved this old friend, I felt that I could 
 almost have tried to conciliate the Dwarf ; but then I had, 
 after all, no evidence to connect the latter with the accident, 
 and if dogs will wander, and get upon railway-lines where 
 they have no business, of course evil consequences are likely 
 to ensue. So, upon the whole, I felt satisfied that I had 
 acted rightly, and bore all my misfortunes with the best 
 grace I could. 
 
 Months rolled on ; the hot sun of summer had been mel-
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 203 
 
 lowed by the autumn mildness, and this again had given 
 way to the cold of winter. The shooting-season was in full 
 swing, and ever and anon I was asked to shoot with some one 
 or other of my neighbours. This caused me some difficulty. 
 As far as my own estate was concerned, I was able to avoid 
 the chance of injuring my fairy friend by avoiding the 
 slaughter of hares, which I did under the pretence of 
 leaving them for the harriers. But my neighbours, having 
 no such reason, and wishing to swell their " bag " by the 
 addition thereto of as many hares as could be shot, it would 
 have been impossible for me to refrain from firing upon 
 these animals, if I had joined the various shooting-parties 
 to which I was invited. I therefore made up my mind to 
 decline all such invitations, and thus forego a pastime of 
 which I was exceedingly fond. I kept, however, to my 
 determination, and lost several good days' sport in conse- 
 quence. 
 
 So time passed on, until spring again dawned upon the 
 world, and nature began once more to revive from the 
 deadening influences of the winter frosts. 
 
 I have omitted to mention that, during the whole of this 
 time, I had continued in the possession of the privilege 
 bestowed upon me by the Fairy, and, to tell the truth, had 
 become heartily tired of it. 
 
 As I sat alone in my study of an evening, the uncompli- 
 mentary whisperings of the mice were anything but agree- 
 able. They spoke as if the house had been built for them 
 and for no one else, and made remarks upon the impropriety 
 of my allowing cats to be on the premises, which I thought 
 impertinent in the extreme. 
 
 No less so was the twittering of the sparrows on the roof, 
 when rightly understood, and I was excessively annoyed
 
 204 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 when I discovered that what is called the " homely cawing" 
 of the rooks really consists for the most part in idle vaunts 
 of the superiority of rookdom over the condition of human 
 beings, and fierce denunciations of the rook-shooting habits 
 of some of the latter. 
 
 In fact, it was not only the disagreeable sensation of 
 discovering the ill-will towards one's race which was enter- 
 tained by many creatures from whom one had expected 
 an opposite sentiment, but there was also considerable 
 discomfort in being no longer able to listen to the song of 
 the birds, as music which lulled one's senses and soothed 
 one's feelings, but in being compelled to detect in every 
 note a meaning, and being forced to exercise one's brain 
 in thinking over often with surprise and regret the sense 
 and intention conveyed by the singer. 
 
 The privilege was one with which I would gladly have 
 parted long before the time came round when I was likely 
 to sec the Fairy again, and although I became used to it after 
 a fashion, I own that I never quite got over the unpleasant 
 sensation of being criticised by my domestic animals, and 
 occasionally sneered at by the very mouse which fed upon 
 my crumbs. 
 
 At last, one fine morning I went out as usual and took 
 my favourite course round the new gravel walk. I went all 
 round it from the eastern end, along the southern side, 
 through the higher plantation with the oak seat in the 
 middle, and so to the wood at the north-western end, 
 joining the shrubberies at that point. 
 
 It was a bright, fresh morning, and I felt remarkably 
 well and cheerful, as one frequently docs under the 
 influence of genial weather. At the moment, I think, I had 
 forgotten the misfortunes which had annoyed me throughout
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 205 
 
 the year, and was really oblivious of the existence either of 
 my friendly Fairy or the hideous Dwarf. Suddenly the 
 latter stood before me ; he stepped from behind a holly 
 bush as if he had sprung out of the ground, and stood a 
 few yards off, looking quite as ugly as at our previous 
 interview, and wearing no more friendly expression upon 
 his repulsive countenance. 
 
 " Well," said he, in the same harsh tone of voice as that 
 in which he had formerly addressed me, " have you repented 
 of your folly yet ? How have you prospered since you 
 rejected my proffered alliance? Have your dogs, cows, 
 horses and sheep done as well as usual ? Has the crop of 
 fruit been good ? Have the hens laid good eggs ? Has 
 there been any trouble with the vegetables ? You despised 
 my power when we last met, have you learned better now ? 
 If so, it is not too late to repent. I will give you another 
 chance. The day after to-morrow it will be useless to ask me. 
 To-morrow the pig of a Fairy takes again the shape of a 
 hare. It will go hard but that I get hold of her before the 
 month is out, but as I do not want to have more trouble 
 about it than I can help, I will still accept your aid, if you 
 will give it, and will pay well for it into the bargain. All 
 your affairs shall assuredly prosper during the coming year 
 as much as they have done the reverse during the past, if 
 you will only consent to let bygones be bygones and agree to 
 my proposal." 
 
 As the Dwarf spoke, swift thoughts chased themselves 
 through my brain, one after the other. Although my 
 readers may doubt it, in truth I am not quite a fool, as it 
 struck me very forcibly that in coming to me again this 
 second time, and pressing me so strongly, after the decided 
 refusal I had previously given him, and that in no very civil
 
 206 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 language, the little man must have some powerful motive 
 of which I knew nothing. 
 
 Whether he had done his uttermost against me, and, being 
 unable to do more, thought he would now try another tack, 
 or whether his power of injuring the Fairy was nearly 
 exhausted, I could not tell, but felt certain there was some- 
 thing behind. However, I had but one answer to give, 
 and I gave it, more calmly than before, but in a tone 
 equally determined. 
 
 " Sir," I said (for I deemed it well to be respectful to a 
 person who had shown his power to injure me, and felt that 
 perhaps I had increased his desire to do so during the past 
 year by the strong language I had applied to him when so 
 enraged by his first advances), " sir, I am not to be tempted 
 from a course which I believe to be right, either by threats 
 or promises. I know nothing of your quarrel with the 
 Fairy Kimmelina, and do not consider it any business of 
 mine to pronounce an opinion upon it. But when you ask 
 me to betray a lady, that is a thing which I never have done 
 and never will do, and although you may be able to injure 
 me for doing my duty, I hope you will be unable to make 
 me swerve from it." 
 
 At this speech the Dwarf bit his lips and scowled 
 hideously. 
 
 " Do you know," he replied, " that what I have done 
 to injure you hitherto has been nothing to what I can and 
 will do if you persist in being my enemy ? I can lay poison 
 for your dogs ; I can ruin your sheep ; I can give foot-and- 
 mouth disease to your cows ; I can make your garden as 
 unproductive as it has heretofore been the reverse, and 
 I can destroy all the hopes of your poultry-yard. Do 
 not be such a besotted idiot as to tempt ire to do all
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 207 
 
 this, when, despite the ungracious manner in which you 
 have treated me so far, I am still ready to be your friend, 
 in return for the small service which I ask of you." 
 
 The pertinacity of the little man began to annoy me, and 
 I was still more hurt at the low estimate which he had 
 apparently formed, both of my firmness and morality, since 
 he still imagined that he could win me over to his wicked 
 purpose. I regarded him fixedly while he spoke, and, in 
 his fidgety manner and the earnestness with which he 
 pressed his point, I felt more than ever certain that there 
 was something more in it than met the eye. 
 
 " It is useless," I replied, " for you to persist in making 
 to me a request 'with which honour and good feeling alike 
 forbid me to comply. Your continuing to do so, however, 
 convinces me that you must have some other reason than 
 that which you put forward. "What is it ? I believe that 
 you cannot hurt the Fairy without my aid (which you 
 certainly will not hare), or that she is about to have power 
 over you unless you obtain some assistance from a human 
 being." 
 
 At these words the Dwarf's face k became perceptibly 
 agitated, and he stammered more than ever, as he protested 
 that I was entirely mistaken. 
 
 "Do you think for a moment," he said, "that such a 
 pig as the Fairy Kimmelina can ever have power over me, 
 except under circumstances that are never likely to occur. 
 No, no. Her power expires to-morrow for a month, and 
 until to-morrow is but a short time. She is many leagues 
 away now, for she is not bound to take the hare's shape 
 until after twelve o'clock to-night, and as it is here that she 
 is to take it, you may depend upon it she will not be here 
 u ntil the very last moment."
 
 208 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 " Do not be too sure of that ! " said a clear little voice 
 like a crystal bell, which just then sounded close by, and, 
 looking round, I perceived a little figure standing by the 
 side of a small yew-tree, in which I instantly recognised my 
 fairy friend. 
 
 She looked steadily at Bamplukes as she spoke, and 
 never in all my life did I witness such an effect upon any 
 human being, as that produced upon him by her appearance 
 and look. His face assumed an ashy paleness ; his teeth 
 chattered in his head ; his arms fell, limp and loose, by his 
 side ; his legs appeared to give way under him ; and he 
 seemed ready to sink with horror and affright. A low 
 moan broke from his lips, and he made a movement as 
 if to get away, but the Fairy simply waved her hand, 
 and he remained motionless. Then Kimmelina turned 
 to me. 
 
 " Kind and trusty friend," she said (and I felt a burst of 
 pleasure mantling on my cheek as I was thus addressed), 
 "I see that I was not wrong in the judgment which I formed 
 of your character when I first saw you, and since you have 
 indeed proved yourself in every way worthy of the confi- 
 dence which I reposed in you, it is due to you to let you 
 know the exact position of affairs now, and the circum- 
 stances under which we meet. This wretch " (and here she 
 cast a look of deadly hate at the shivering Dwarf) "has told 
 you a part of the truth, but such part only as he deemed it 
 desirable that you should know, in order that he might the 
 better tempt you to join in his wicked and detestable 
 schemes. It is quite true that at dawn of day to-morrow, 
 had he come upon me as he hoped, he would have had me 
 in his power. I am thankful to say this danger is now 
 past for ever, and the villain has completely outwitted
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 209 
 
 himself. He knew that your friendship and allaince with 
 me would have been a great hindrance to his wicked 
 designs, because I should have asked you to place me 
 during the next month in a place secured by charms of 
 which I should have told you, against the inroads of witch, 
 dwarf, or demon of any kind. Such charms can be obtained 
 by human beings, but by them alone, and when used as I 
 should have directed you, my safety would have been 
 secured and his vengeance baulked for the coming month. 
 Moreover, after two more months of taking a hare's shape, 
 in the two next years, I should have served my time in 
 that capacity, and should either have been allowed by our 
 laws to retain my own form altogether, or for a few years 
 longer, to assume for a short period the shape of any 
 animal which I might choose. Of course, I should have 
 chosen one with fewer enemies, and less likely to be hurt, 
 than a hare, and thus the wretch Bamplukes would again 
 have been foiled. It was, therefore, an immense object 
 with him to secure your alliance at all hazards, so as to 
 accomplish his wicked purpose before it should be too late. 
 For this purpose he ran a great risk in coming here to- 
 day. He has not only no power in this part of the country, 
 but my power over him is entire and unlimited, save only 
 during the months in which I am a hare. Had he waited 
 till to-morrow, he feared I should be safe with you. There- 
 fore he ventured here to-day, and has, of his own act, de- 
 livered himself into my hands and he knows it ! " 
 
 The Fairy turned round in triumph as she uttered these 
 words in an exulting tone, and the unhappy Dwarf sank all 
 in a heap upon the ground. 
 
 " Oh, dear Fairy ! " he mumbled out, as he tried to 
 creep towards the spot on which we were standing, "oh,
 
 210 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 sweet, beautiful, kind, good, charming Fairy, have pity 
 upon a miserable wretch who owns that he is not good 
 enough to kiss the ground you walk upon ! " 
 
 " He does, does he ? " replied the Fairy with bitter 
 irony, " does he think he is good enough to be whipped 
 to death with stinging-nettles by the little elves of the 
 wood ? " 
 
 "Oh no! oh no! oh, please don't say so, "roared the terrified 
 Dwarf, half-distracted with fear as the arbitress of his fate 
 hinted at this unpleasant sentence. " Oh, spare me, beau- 
 tiful queen, no one who is so lovely as you can possibly be 
 so cruel ! Let me kiss your feet, and humble myself in 
 whatever way you please. I am your slave. I own it. I 
 repent of all my sins indeed I do oh mercy, pray mercy ! " 
 and he raised his voice in a kind of half- whine and half- 
 howl, which was inexpressibly ludicrous. 
 
 The Fairy, however, maintained the same tone, and 
 seemed in no degree moved by his prayers and en- 
 treaties. 
 
 "Perhaps," she said, even more bitterly than before, 
 "since you object to the doom which I suggested, you 
 would prefer being boiled to death in vinegar, tied up 
 in a sack full of vipers, or eaten alive by rats. You can 
 have your choice of these three methods of ending your 
 days." 
 
 The wretch rolled upon the ground and groaned in abject 
 misery as Kimmelina spoke. 
 
 " I wish," she continued, musingly, " that I knew the 
 precise fate which he had intended for me, in order that I 
 might deal out the same to him, which would be in accord- 
 ance with the ancient laws and traditions of Fairyland. 
 Speak, wretch ! " she added, spurning the prostrate Bam-
 
 KIM. ME LIN A AND THE DWARF. 2it 
 
 plukes Avith her foot, " say what you had intended to do 
 with me, had Fate placed me in your power." 
 
 The poor wretch could make no reply, but moaned out 
 again 
 
 " Oh, lovely Fairy ! oh, great Fairy ! oh, glorious Kim- 
 melina ! " 
 
 " Ha ! " said the latter, " this is a wonderful alteration 
 from the words I overheard just now 'Pig of a Fairy ! ' I 
 think it was. 'Pig,' indeed! And now a happy thought 
 strikes me, sir," she continued, turning to me ; " I 
 noticed just now that a look came over your countenance 
 as I was threatening this little monster, which I inter- 
 preted to mean that you thought I was too cruel in my 
 intention of putting him to a terrible and painful death. It 
 may be so, although I think he has certainly deserved it. 
 But a happy thought has just entered my head, the follow- 
 ing up of which, while it rids me of my enemy, will, at the 
 same time, relieve me from the imputation of having acted 
 with any unnecessary cruelty. Bamplukes, you are, as you 
 are well aware, wholly and absolutely in my power at this 
 moment. I can jump upon you, kick you, beat you, torture 
 you, nay, kill you, without your being able to escape. "Well, 
 I will do none of these things. But since you have called 
 me a pig, I will give others a right to call you the same. 
 Not, however, a good, respectable farmyard pig, from which 
 Kentish pork or Hampshire bacon can be made ; not an 
 animal whose feet and ears, properly dressed, may delight 
 the epicure ; whose liver and crow may make the farmer 
 relish his breakfast, and whose boiled leg may furnish a de- 
 lightful dinner to the family. No, no ; I will not allow 
 you to be anything so often praised by mortals as that 
 worthy animal. A hedgehog shall you be, and as such
 
 2i2 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 drag out the remainder of your miserable existence. Pur- 
 sued by terriers, thrown into water by boys, suspected and 
 persecuted with dire perseverance by gamekeepers, you 
 and your race shall have no rest nor peace from this 
 moment." 
 
 As Kimmelina spoke, she waved her wand over the 
 wretched Dwarf, who was vainly endeavouring to interrupt 
 her with renewed praises of her beauty and power inter- 
 mixed with the most piteous supplications for mercy. As 
 she concluded, he burst into a frantic yell of misery and 
 anguish, which died away in a sound which appeared to 
 me to be something between a squeak and a grunt. 
 
 In the very moment that the Fairy waved her wand, a 
 sudden and fearful change came over the features, form, 
 and appearance of the miserable Bamplukes. His hair, 
 clothes, and boots fell off, sharp bristles came out all over 
 him, his nose changed into a regular pig's snout, and in an- 
 other instant he stood or rather sat before us a veritable 
 hedgehog. Kimmelina contemptuously kicked him aside, 
 and as she did so, pronounced over him some cabalistic 
 words which, as she informed me, would infallibly prevent 
 his ever taking any other shape than that which he now 
 had, unless two Christmas days should happen to come 
 together, or a whole school of boys decline to have any 
 midsummer holidays. As neither of these contingencies, so 
 far as I could judge from my limited knowledge of the 
 world, were at all likely to occur, it seemed to me that 
 the Dwarf had very little chance of being ever again in 
 a condition to do any harm either to the Fairy or to 
 myself. 
 
 I confess I felt some pity for the wretch who had had to 
 undergo so terrible a punishment as was involved in this
 
 KLMMELIXA AND THE DWARF. 213 
 
 transformation ; but an innate feeling of satisfaction arose 
 and prevailed within my lieart, as I recollected that now 
 his powers of doing mischief were removed, my poultry-yard 
 might he expected to prosper again, my sheep would he 
 healthy and lambs numerous as before, and my garden 
 would be no more exposed to the blighting influence from 
 which it had suffered so much. 
 
 So I turned to the Fairy with the feeling that she had 
 really rendered me a service as well as herself, and congra- 
 tulated her very sincerely upon the result of the whole 
 affair. She, on her side, thanked me warmly for the part 
 which I had played throughout the business, and offered, 
 by way of an additional recompense for my services, to 
 enable me to understand what the wind said when it 
 whistled through the keyholes, when it softly agitated tho 
 leaves with a light gentle breeze, and when it roared through 
 the top of the high elms, and rocked them to and fro with 
 the violence of its blasts. 
 
 " My dear Fairy," I said, in a voice of earnest entreaty, 
 " I must beg you on no account to give me any such power 
 as that which you mention. Do not think me ungrateful 
 when I tell you that I very much regret that you ever gave 
 me the power of understanding the language of the animals. 
 I have been cruelly undeceived in my previous notions con- 
 cerning several of them, and I am sorry for it. I would 
 far rather not know what the winds say. When they blow 
 from the south they are generally so soft and agreeable that 
 no words are required to make their presence welcome ; 
 when they come from the west they mean rain, but pleasant 
 and timely rain, and this I know without their telling me 
 so ; the north wind is an honest, homely fellow, against 
 whom I button my great coat, and feel that I understand
 
 14 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 him, as well as if he told me he meant sno\v and cold ; and 
 as for the east wind, the less conversation I ever have with 
 him the better I shall be pleased. I know he means to in- 
 jure me if he can. He generally gives me a sore-throat, 
 face-ache, rheumatism, or something of the kind ; and it 
 would not be the slightest satisfaction for me to know that 
 he rejoiced in doing so, or to understand that he was 
 threatening me when he blew his bitter blast." 
 
 The Fairy laughed as I told her this, and at once offered 
 to withdraw from mo the power of understanding the ani- 
 mals, to which I readily assented. Nor have I ever re- 
 pented the step which I then took. Now again I can hear 
 the chirrup of the partridge, the cooing of the pigeon, the 
 cheerful song of the blackbird, and the notes of all the 
 other songsters of tbc grove, and listen to them with the 
 same delight I had before that fatal power was bestowed 
 upon me. Indeed, I love to make myself believe that I 
 was mistaken in the interpretation which I put upon their 
 words ; and that, after all, their feelings towards mankind 
 are really more in accordance with that love and friendliness 
 which I myself cherish for them. But the gracious Kim- 
 melina did not leave me without further conversation. 
 
 She apologized very much for having left me for so long 
 a time exposed to the petty persecutions of the Dwarf, and 
 explained that nothing but dire necessity had induced her 
 to do so. For the future, however, she promised that she 
 would herself watch over my household, farmyard, and 
 garden, making the well-doing and prosperity of every 
 department her own peculiar and especial charge. We had 
 a long and pleasant talk together, and she told me many 
 things about Fairies and Fairyland which I never knew 
 before and had never even suspected.
 
 KIMMELINA AND THE DWARF. 215 
 
 Some of these I shall probably tell to my friends before 
 very long, but I cannot say anything more about them just 
 now, partly because they do not properly belong to this 
 story, and partly because the dressing-bell has just rung, 
 and if I am late for dinner, the Fairies that sit around me 
 at that meal will want to know the reason why; and, 
 although they cannot change me into a hedgehog for this or 
 any other shortcoming on my part, yet none the less do I 
 feel a desire to avoid giving them any offence, and therefore 
 I will leave off at once, and postpone until another time the 
 wonderful stories told me by the Fairy Kimmelina,
 
 THE HISTOKY OF A CAT. 
 
 "DROWN 'em all, say I," were the first words which 
 greeted my infant ears, and I think it will be allowed that 
 they were not calculated to make my first impressions of 
 the new world into which I had entered as agreeable as 
 might have been the case. Fortunately for me, I did not 
 understand them, and they therefore made no difference 
 whatever to my feelings upon the interesting occasion. 
 
 I was one of four kittens, the children of an eminently 
 respectable cat of a superior breed, who resided in a large 
 and convenient house in one of the southern counties of 
 England, which was of course claimed as their own by some 
 of that human race who fancy that the whole world is 
 theirs, and was created for their pleasure ; but which in 
 reality belonged to my mother, who enjoyed all its ad- 
 vantages, whilst the people who thought it was theirs 
 kept it in repair for her, paid the rates and taxes, and 
 maintained an establishment, apparently to serve them, 
 but in reality to provide, from the remnants of their meals, 
 food for the dogs and cats belonging to the place, and 
 principally for my mother, the acknowledged queen of the 
 cats aforesaid. 
 
 I was born on a fine spring morning, in an outhouse 
 belonging to the mansion which I have already mentioned ; 
 and the ominous words which fell upon my ears must have
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 217 
 
 been spoken before I had been many hours in the world. 
 They proceeded from the lips of Joe Dennis, one of the 
 under-gardeuers, who, being but a boy, was naturally fond 
 of sport, and had that mistaken notion about it which 
 leads a certain class of people to think that sport consists 
 ia killing inoffensive creatures. 
 
 That, at least, is the only excuse I can make for his 
 brutal speech ; I do not think he was guided by any desire 
 to reduce the number of cats on the premises ; I do not 
 believe that he cherished any animosity towards our race 
 in particular : it was merely the transient idea that it would 
 be sport to see us all drown, and for the momentary 
 gratification of this idle and passing fancy he would 
 readily have put an end to the existence, scarcely yet 
 begun, of four innocent creatures. 
 
 Happily for us, however, such wholesale murders were 
 not tolerated in the civilized community into which we 
 had been born. A softer voice replied, in sweet and 
 touching accents 
 
 " Oh, no, Joe ! that wouldn't never do, not to drown all 
 the pretty innocents. Whatever would Miss Mary say, 
 I wonder ? Such dear little things, tco ! " 
 
 This voice, as I afterwards discovered, proceeded from 
 Ellen, the kitchen-maid ; and it was succeeded by one 
 who evidently had more authority than the previous 
 speaker, and who turned out to be Baker, the yard-man, 
 who had the general control of the various out-houses 
 about the premises, and under whose caro were the cows, 
 pigs, and other creatures which submit to the authority 
 of man. 
 
 "It wouldn't do to drown 'em yet," he said; "not till 
 Miss Mary has seen 'em ; and then I think, if we was to
 
 2i8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 get rid of two, and keep two, that would be about the best 
 job." 
 
 The start which my mother gave on hearing this pro- 
 posal with respect to her beloved offspring was attended 
 with certain results which it is well to chronicle, inasmuch 
 as I shall thereby show what great events may be produced 
 by causes apparently small and trivial. In her start of 
 indignant surprise at hearing half her young family 
 doomed to destruction, she caught her fore -paw in the 
 ear of the kitten next her, and tore it so that it hung 
 down on one side : now this kitten, my baby brother, 
 and I, were exactly alike a kind of beautifully marked 
 tortoise-shell like our mother ; another of us was black ; 
 and the fourth a peculiarly lovely kitten of an inde- 
 scribable colour, not unlike my brother and me, but some- 
 what darker. 
 
 So when Miss Mary came to see us next day, she fixed 
 upcn this kitten directly as one to be saved, and then 
 said 
 
 "One of the other tortoise-shell kittens, please, Baker; 
 I think they are the prettiest." 
 
 And as soon as she had gone away, and Baker, taking 
 the opportunity of my mother's momentary absence, came 
 to carry off two cf us to our doom ; he took up the black 
 kitten first, and me, luckless me, next. Something, how- 
 ever, prompted him to look again before he made his 
 final choice between the two kittens of similar colour; 
 and on a closer inspection he perceived the wound in my 
 brother's ear. 
 
 " This won't turn out so pretty as t'other," he muttered, 
 " along o' that ear t'other seems all right ; " and with 
 these words he replaced me in the straw bed in which we
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 219 
 
 had been lying, and taking up my unhappy brother instead, 
 carried him away to a watery grave. 
 
 Young as I was, the incident impressed itself upon my 
 memory ; and I think that the narrowness of my escape has 
 had a chastening and sobering effect. upon the whole of my 
 future life. 
 
 "When my mother returned to find that two of her 
 children had been taken from her, I cannot say that she 
 exhibited either as much surprise or regret as I should 
 have expected. Kittens are expensive luxuries to keep, 
 and I suppose she took into account the fact that two 
 would entail upon her less trouble and anxiety than double 
 that number. Besides, it must be borne in mind that this 
 was not her first family ; she had more than once gone 
 through the same process, and was not only in some 
 measure used to it, but was a cat of too philosophical a 
 nature to sit down, and lament over occurrences which 
 could not be helped, and which no effort of hers could 
 have altered when once they had taken place. 
 
 She deemed it right, however, to take measures to 
 prevent, as far as she could, the repetition of kitten- 
 murder in the persons of my remaining sister and myself. 
 That same evening she removed us from the outhouse and 
 the custody of Baker. She was what human beings call 
 " an indoors cat," or, as I should rather say, she favoured 
 the inside of the house with frequent visits, and did not 
 confine herself to those outdoor regions which are inhabited 
 by stable cats, garden cats, and others of a class inferior to 
 that to which she belonged. 
 
 The kitchen was one of her favourite haunts, and she 
 was always on the best of terms with the cook, who 
 happened to preside over that department. Now in our
 
 220 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 kitchen there were a number of large drawers on one side, 
 in one or other of which, according to my judgment, 
 everything one can imagine was kept. At least I have seen 
 the cook take from these drawers such an infinite variety 
 of articles that I find it difficult to believe that there 
 is anything in the world of cookery of which a specimen 
 was not there. 
 
 But in this great range of drawers there chanced to be 
 a second drawer from the bottom which had at this time 
 only scraps of paper in it, and this my mother selected 
 as our residence for the present. How she persuaded the 
 cook to open it, I do not know, or whether she found it 
 open and took forcible possession. It is, however, a fact 
 that she carried us to this drawer ; and that, as it could 
 remain a little bit open without causing any inconveni- 
 ence to any one, there being plenty of room in that 
 large kitchen, so it was left, and no one ever thought 
 of interrupting us while we remained there. Our mother 
 brought in a soft old slipper, a torn pocket-handkerchief, 
 and two or three other things, which made us a com- 
 fortable nest ; and there for many days we abode in 
 peace and happiness, passing a pleasant, dozy, dreamy 
 kind of existence, and growing bigger and stronger every 
 day. 
 
 As the days swelled into weeks, a change came over us, 
 and we began to find the inside of a drawer too limited an 
 area for our enjoyment. First, we began to stand on our 
 hind legs, and try to peer over the sides at the world 
 beyond : gradually, we got bolder, and attempted to climb 
 up on to the dresser ; and after a little while, we managed 
 to descend upon the floor of the kitchen, and soon found 
 ourselves quite at home there,
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 221 
 
 The kitchen had two doors, one of which led to the 
 interior of the house and the other offices, whilst through 
 the other you passed into the scullery. This was an 
 outside room, although the kitchen wall, the continuance 
 of which formed its hack wall, continued still further 
 beyond the house, forming the west side of the kitchen- 
 yard. The north side was occupied by larders; beyond 
 these came a bake-house, and a dairy standing back in 
 a shady angle, beneath some high fir-trees ; next came the 
 large gates, through which was the entrance to the yard 
 and back of the house, and from a point just beyond these 
 gates the high kitchen wall ran to the house again, having 
 a large coal-shed built against it, and forming therewith 
 the east side of the yard. 
 
 So the pantry door which opened into the yard, faced 
 due east, end thus, whilst completely protected from the 
 wind by the coal-shed and garden wall, had the full 
 benefit of the glorious morning sun, in which we kittens 
 used to revel with delight. Oh, what games of play we 
 have had upon that dear old scullery floor, and upon the 
 stone-paved yard just in front of the door! Our dear 
 mother often joined in those games, although in a some- 
 what dignified manner, allowing us little ones to run round 
 and round after our tails, to hide in various corners and 
 scramble up into all kinds of queer places, whilst she sat 
 upon the floor watching us with maternal love and interest, 
 and now and then darting at one or the other of us, 
 playfully knocking us over and giving us gentle pats with 
 her soft, velvety paw. 
 
 But, oh ! to see her if any strange dog wandered into 
 the yard and approached the scullery door during these 
 performances. Her whole demeanour changed, her bristl e g
 
 222 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 stood erect, her back went up at once into the form of an 
 arch, and there she remained, her eyeballs glistening like 
 fire and fixed with a threatening gaze on the intruder, 
 whilst a warlike sound of suppressed fury proceeded from 
 her throat, which generally had the desired effect of 
 making the animal against whom her demonstration was 
 made, take himself off in double quick time. 
 
 On one occasion I remember a spaniel pup of the most 
 innocent character had followed its master, the eldest boy 
 belonging to the house, from the keeper's lodge ; and, 
 entering the yard at his heels in the most unsuspecting 
 manner, approached the scullery door where we kittens 
 chanced to be playing. So engrossed were we in our 
 amusement that we did not perceive the little fellow until 
 he was close upon us. No sooner did my mother catch 
 sight of him than she went through all th.e form which I 
 have just described, and then, bursting into a fit of spitting 
 in which I had never seen her indulge before, rushed at 
 the puppy with fury, and struck him a sharp blow with 
 her paw. You never saw an animal so taken aback in the 
 whole course of your existence. He positively howled 
 with fright, put his tail between his legs, and fled for 
 dear life. In fact, I do not believe he could ever again 
 be enticed to the scullery door, and I am sure it must 
 have been long before he ventured to look a cat in the face 
 again. 
 
 "Well, those were childish, happy days which will never 
 return again. This remark, however, is one which applies 
 to every day of a cat's life. No day, childish or not, 
 ever docs return again ; and the wise cat is she who basks 
 in the sunshine whenever there is any to bask in, gets on 
 the hearth-rug when the weather is cold or wet, and
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 223 
 
 strives to make the best of each particular day when it is 
 there to make the best of, instead of waiting till it has 
 passed by for some time, and then regretting it. Re- 
 gretting the past is very little better than speculating on 
 the future, except it teaches you to avoid mistakes once 
 committed, and to employ present time in a better and 
 more profitable manner than the time which is gone. 
 However, I am not here to moralise, but to relate my 
 history, simple and uneventful as it may be. 
 
 The days of scullery play passed away quickly, and the 
 time soon came when our drawer, being required for other 
 purposes, was closed to us. We were driven, I may say, 
 from our early home ; which I believe frequently happens 
 to other creatures besides cats, under more or less aggrava- 
 ting circumstances. In our case, we had not much reason 
 to complain. The kitchen was still open to us ; we were 
 general favourites, both with the children of the house and 
 also with the servants, upon whose kindness and con- 
 sideration the happiness of domestic cats and dogs depends 
 not a little ; we roamed freely about, and amused ourselves 
 after the ordinary fashion of our race. 
 
 I shall never forget my first sparrow. I caught him in 
 front of the house : he was a young bird, lately fledged, 
 or at all events not quick enough in his flight to escape my 
 rapid dart upon him. I have heard people say that we 
 cats are cruel with birds and mice. I don't know how that 
 may be, or what the world calls cruel, but the fun I had 
 with that bird was rare indeed. I knocked him over with 
 my paw so that he should not fly again ; then I patted 
 him ; then he fluttered and chirped ; then I patted him 
 again ; and thus I played with him for full five minutes 
 before hunger suggested that I should finish him off, which
 
 224 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 I forthwith did, and never was sparrow more tender and 
 delicious. 
 
 There were quantities of birds always in our garden : 
 the people of the house did not allow the nests to be taken, 
 in consequence of which the little creatures multiplied 
 considerably, and the place became a first-rate hunting- 
 ground for cats. Starlings built in the chimneys, of which 
 there were a goodly number ; for it was a long, low, two- 
 storied, rambling kind of house, only breaking out into a 
 third story here and there, where the necessity for more 
 accommodation for an increasing family, and the greater 
 strength of the walls, tempted its addition. 
 
 Not only a rambling, but what I may call a fragmentary 
 house was it, as if several different houses different in 
 size, shape, and architecture had been joined together at 
 separate times, so that the effect of the whole was curious, 
 though not otherwise than picturesque. Anyhow, the 
 irregularities of the roof and the number of the chimneys 
 were advantageous in their way; for while the latter 
 tempted starlings and sparrows to build their nests there, 
 the former afforded great facilities for an honest cat 
 desirous of obtaining a meal off the young of the aforesaid 
 birds, and many a fluttering victim have my relations and 
 I secured and enjoyed upon the pleasant gutters and sunny 
 ledges which abounded thereupon. 
 
 There -was another circumstance connected with this 
 house which rendered it a desirable habitation for cats. 
 It was covered over with ivy to a very considerable 
 extent so considerable that there was room for a perfect 
 multitude of birds to build and to roost therein ; and as 
 there is no better authenticated fact in history than that 
 birds were created purposely, or at least especially, for the
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 225 
 
 benefit of our noble and illustrious race, it is evident that 
 cats were always intended to inhabit this pleasant locality. 
 Established in such quarters as these, I should have been 
 a worthless and ungrateful kitten indeed if I had not 
 been happy. I was so. In fact, I should imagine that a 
 happier kittenhood than mine has seldom been passed by 
 mortal cat. 
 
 Under these circumstances it is not by any means a 
 matter of wonder that I grew up sleek and comely, and 
 was a general object of admiration to the human beings 
 who lived in our house, as well as to the other animals 
 who dwelt around ; with the exception always of those 
 ill-conditioned and evil-minded dogs, who can never see 
 anything to admire in one of that race which they feel to 
 be so far superior to their own, although a base jealousy 
 forbids them to own it. 
 
 The next stage of existence into which my sister and I 
 passed was one of a comparatively trifling importance, had 
 it not accidentally led to a result which certainly could not 
 be so described. We were banished from the house to the 
 yard and outhouses on some foolish pretence or other ; and 
 although cats are of course superior to men and women, 
 yet by some means the latter have obtained a temporary 
 ascendancy in this wicked world, and we were unable to 
 resist the decree. 
 
 It did not, however, greatly interfere with our enjoyment. 
 The cow-yard was a pleasant and convenient place; there 
 were plenty of birds and mice there, and an occasional rat to 
 afford us diversion by way of variety. Chickens innumerable 
 pervaded the place, but we knew better than to touch them ; 
 for they were under the care of our friend Baker, the 
 yard-man, with whom we should have got into terrible 
 
 Q
 
 226 OTHER STORIES, 
 
 disfavour, had we exercised our sporting propensities in 
 this direction. There were large stones, too, with which 
 part of the yard was paved, and which formed splendid 
 basking-places for us, whenever there was sufficient sun to 
 tempt us to engage in this delightful solace of a cat's 
 existence. Moreover, at the end of the cow-lodge, beyond 
 the seven stalls which had been placed there for the 
 accommodation of the cows, there was a large space shut 
 off, in which calves were confined when necessary, and 
 herein was constantly a good supply of straw, in which we 
 could romp to our hearts' content ; whilst at the other end 
 there was even a larger space, between the last stall and 
 the door of the lodge nearest the house, in which a variety 
 of articles were stowed, but which still afforded ample 
 space for us to perform all the antics which a kitten could 
 desire. So we were as happy as the day was long, and 
 might so have continued but for the circumstance which I 
 am about to relate. 
 
 One fine Sunday afternoon, the Rector of the parish and 
 his wife walked home after church with some of our house 
 people, came in at the back gate, and stood talking near the 
 lodge door. My sister and I had been playing together, 
 and I had left her but for a moment, and was inside the 
 yard watching a young robin who appeared to me too 
 innocent for this world, whilst she remained playing by the 
 door. Now the Rector's wife was a very nice person, so 
 I have heard people say. Of course, 7 don't know, only 
 that she had a pleasant face and voice, and her eyes were 
 as large and beautiful as a cat's. Nice or not, however, 
 there she was on this eventful day, and I heard her say in 
 an admiring tone : 
 " Oh, what a dear little kitten ! "
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT, 
 
 227 
 
 " Yes/' said the voice of the lady who pretends our house 
 is hers. " It is one of Mary's. I told her to give them 
 away, and thought she had done so ; but they do not seem 
 to have got further than the cow-yard." 
 
 Then the two ladies laughed, and a little more conversa- 
 tion passed, wherein the Rector's wife said she should like 
 to have a kitten, and the other lady calmly observed that 
 she might have iliat one if she liked. There was no 
 appeal to Mary, and, what was worse, no inquiry as to 
 what might be my sister's own feeling in the matter. 
 
 "Without more ado, the robber, having coaxed the poor 
 little thing to come to her, seized her in her hand by the 
 scruff of the neck, lifted her from the ground, and, in a 
 word, carried her off before my very eyes, as I sat on the 
 paving-stones of the yard peeping through the open fence 
 which separated it from the lodge. I never was more 
 amazed and more disgusted in my life ! My only playmate, 
 my friend, the companion of my childhood, was thus ruth- 
 lessly snatched from me, and I was left to face the world 
 alone. Oats, however, are not sentimental fools, like dogs, 
 nightingales, and human beings. Our lives are regulated 
 by wise maxims and precepts handed down from a long line 
 of illustrious ancestors ; and, among others, there is one 
 which teaches us to submit quietly to that which we cannot 
 avoid. Another wise saying of the ancients enjoins upon 
 each individual cat the propriety of making herself as com- 
 fortable as she can under any circumstances in which she 
 may chance to find herself. I found it infinitely more com- 
 fortable not to bother myself about my sister's departure, 
 and, therefore, went on just the same ; and though I felt 
 rather lonely for a few hours, the feeling soon passed away, 
 and I did very well without her. 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 I saw very little of my mother after our banishment from 
 the house, of which she still remained an inmate. She 
 rarely came towards the cow-yard, and seemed to have 
 but little concern for me ; whilst, for my part, having seen 
 her with another litter of kittens before I should have 
 thought she could have forgotten her former offspring, I 
 felt my affection for her sensibly diminish, and looked upon 
 her as a being to be rather avoided than sought after. 
 There was no one to dispute my sovereignty over the cow- 
 yard and lodge, although there were others of my race 
 established at no great distance from my domain. Now 
 and then a stable-cat appeared ; but the chief resort of our 
 tribe was the garden and the house of the gardener, old 
 Shrimptou, who always had several cats about, and especi- 
 ally one which was popularly reported to have had as many 
 as a hundred and fifty kittens and grand-kittens, and was 
 a personage of almost as much authority and importance in 
 the shrubberies as my mother in the house. 
 
 After a very short time I began to get tired of my cow- 
 yard life. Advancing age brought with it new thoughts 
 and associations, and an increasing desire to see the world 
 beyond the gates of our place. I saw the birds fly merrily 
 over the walls and buildings around me, whilst far above 
 my head in the blue sky, I noticed the rooks flying steadily 
 onward, as if for a long journey ; and now and then 
 the harsh note of a heron called my attention to the still 
 higher flight of that ungainly bird. All these things showed 
 me that there must be a world outside our domain much 
 larger than I had yet seen, and the desire to make myself 
 acquainted with it became stronger and stronger. I knew 
 there was a large green field just outside the cow-yard, 
 because the great gates of the latter opened into it, and the
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 229 
 
 cows came in and out that way ; but hitherto I had never 
 gone further than a yard or two over the threshold of the 
 gates, for there was nothing particular to tempt me, and 
 dogs were very often to be seen in that direction. Also 
 I knew of the high road which ran past the premises at a 
 very short distance from the door at the end of the lodge, 
 but into that I had never yet ventured, remembering how 
 in earlier days my mother used to purr into the ears of us 
 children stories of kittens run over, stolen, worried by dogs, 
 and meeting with various other melancholy fates, all because 
 they icould go out into roads without their mothers. 
 
 These tales were no doubt told us in order to prevent our 
 straying from the scullery door in our first yard, and they 
 certainly had that good effect. So I knew nothing of the 
 world at all, until the spirit of enterprise became altogether 
 too strong for me, and I felt that I must venture forth at 
 any risk. So on one pleasant evening in the summer time 
 I clambered up on to the roof of an unused pig-sty (the pigs 
 having been banished to a locality further off from the 
 house) on to the wall which ran from the cow-lodge to the 
 stables, which formed the south side of my cow-yard, their 
 back being towards it, and their front facing to the south. 
 Along this wall I crept until I came to the gate, which was 
 about midway between cow-lodge and stables, and which 
 had now been closed for the night, so that I had to scramble 
 down it, which I easily did, and found myself in the green 
 meadow outside. 
 
 All was still and quiet : a kind of bewitching stillness 
 which was indescribably delightful, and seemed to tempt me 
 on into the night with a magical inlaence which I had no 
 desire to resist. It was dark, but the moon was beginning 
 to put forth her soft sweet light, which made everything
 
 230 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 appear more beautiful than in the staring, glaring rays of 
 the sun, which, as I have since learned, are very unfavour- 
 able for sporting purposes, although they have their use, 
 no doubt, and make basking delightful. I stole across the 
 meadow until I reached the hedge on the other side, a 
 hedge I had sometimes contemplated with wonder from the 
 cow-yard door ; it seemed such a thick, strong hedge, with 
 brambles over it, and lots of blackberries, which tempted 
 children to tear their clothes and scratch their hands in 
 getting them. It was a real, good old-fashioned hedge 
 that, and linnets, chaffinches, hedge-sparrows, and all kinds 
 of birds were to be seen plying their various trades upon it 
 during the day. Now, however, bird-life was hushed, and 
 I heard not so much as the chirp of a solitary sparrow as I 
 crept softly and stealthily along the hedge. Presently, 
 all of a sudden, a swift flapping noise seemed to pass 
 close over my head, and a low but shrill cry smote upon 
 my ear, which, young and inexperienced as I was, filled 
 me with affright, and made me cower down in the grass 
 as if I had seen a dog. But nothing hurt me ; and when 
 I ventured to look up, I perceived a large white owl 
 flitting quietly along the meadow on her peaceful journey 
 in search of the mice to whom she looked to furnish her 
 with a supper. I felt quite ashamed of myself for having 
 been so easily alarmed, and determined to be wiser in 
 future. 
 
 On I went, and, after a little while, arrived at a hole 
 in the fence, through which some other animal, probably 
 a hare, had evidently been in the habit of creeping. I 
 thought I would do the same ; and after performing this 
 feat found myself in another grass field, along which I pro- 
 ceeded, cautiously looking around me, until I arrived at a
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 231 
 
 small hill, upon the face of which I perceived several 
 animals moving, which from having seen them in the 
 larder at home when the door happened to be open, I knew 
 at once to he rabbits. They were sporting in the moonlight, 
 and among them were some remarkably nice-looking young 
 ones, with whom I longed to make better and closer ac- 
 quaintance. So I squeezed myself down as close to the 
 ground as I could, and gradually crept nearer and nearer 
 to a corner where some four or five young rabbits were . 
 dancing round a hole. They were quite young, and 
 therefore, I suppose, not so cautious as rabbits of a more 
 mature age would have been. At all events I got so 
 near, that I was presently able to spring in suddenly among 
 them. 
 
 " Let me dance, too ! " I cried, and seized the nearest 
 rabbit in my loving paws, whilst the others squeaked and 
 disappeared down the hole. " Now we will dance, my 
 pet," said I, and the rabbit replied ; but as he spoke in 
 his own language I am not very sure what he said, and 
 therefore will not hazard a guess. I only know that 
 we had a dance certainly, and I hope the young rabbit 
 enjoyed it thoroughly, for I expect it was his last at- 
 tempt. He teas a tender young fellow, and I was not a 
 little proud of having done so well on my very first night's 
 hunting. 
 
 I did not go home directly after supper, but crept about 
 in the shadow of the hedges, and listened to the noises of 
 the night for some time, until I thought it would be better 
 to return, so that I might be seen in the cow-yard in the 
 morning, and my absence be undiscovered. This I safely 
 accomplished ; and you may well believe that the success of 
 this night's adventure encouraged me to try another and
 
 232 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 another, until it became my usual habit to have an evening 
 ramble by myself. I had very good luck in my hunting, 
 and life in the cow-yard soon began to appear tame and 
 insipid ; so that I wondered how so many cats could endure 
 to be confined to houses, stables, and barns, and occupied in 
 the low pursuit of catching the domestic mouse or the 
 casual rat, when such superior amusement was possible, 
 and such far nobler game was within their reach. A warn- 
 ing, however, was ere long given me of the danger which 
 attended my new pleasure. 
 
 One evening I had gone out as usual, and had crept 
 along several hedges in the direction of a neighbouring 
 plantation, about which I knew that young rabbits and 
 hares were in the habit of playing in fancied security. It 
 was rather earlier than usual, for I happened to be hungry, 
 and thought I should like a slight repast about sunset, if I 
 could manage to obtain it. 
 
 I was not far from the plantation, and already had my 
 eye upon some tender young animals who appeared to be 
 likely to suit my purpose, and towards whom I was about 
 to creep with my usual cunning, little doubting of success. 
 All of a sudden a bright flash shone for an instant between 
 the branches at one particular spot ; then came a loud 
 roaring noise, which I have since learned to have been the 
 report of a gun, but which was at that time as strange as it 
 was alarming to me, and the next moment one of the young 
 rabbits rolled over in the agonies of death. The game- 
 keeper had been hiding to get a shot, and had just secured 
 his victim. Most fortunate was it for me that he had done 
 so, for otherwise, as I was quite unaware of his presence, I 
 should certainly have come within his sight and ken within 
 a very few seconds, when nothing could have saved me
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 233 
 
 from destruction. As it was, I was most terribly frightened 
 indeed : for a moment all the blood seemed to rush from 
 my heart, and I felt as if something horrible must have 
 happened to me. The next instant the sight of the man 
 scrambling over the fence to seize his prey, recalled me to 
 myself, and, without further hesitation, I turned and fled 
 swiftly along the hedge, never stopping until I was far out 
 of gunshot. I then slackened my pace, but continued my 
 course in a homeward direction, and did not breathe freely 
 until I found myself once more safe within my own cow- 
 yard. That night I contented myself with supping off a 
 couple of miserable mice, and so impressed was I with the 
 scene which I had witnessed, and the danger to which I 
 had been exposed, that I vowed within myself that I would 
 henceforth become a reformed character, attend to my home 
 duties like a respectable cat, and leave hedge-prowling 
 and rabbit-hunting to .the wilder and less polished of my 
 race. 
 
 Good resolutions, however, are but too frequently made 
 only to be broken.' AVarnings are soon forgotten; dangers 
 seem less terrible when not actually in sight or near to one ; 
 and the cat who has tasted the flesh of rabbits and sipped 
 the blood of game, can scarcely find herself able to return 
 to the coarser viands afforded by the house and cow-yard 
 preserves. So, before long, I found the temptation too 
 strong for me, and again I sallied forth upon my evening 
 rambles. 
 
 The very first night was one of great good fortune, for I 
 stumbled across a fine hare, which had been fool enough to 
 be caught in a wire which some poaching rascals had set in 
 a hedge. Somehow or other the poor wretch had only 
 been caught by the leg instead of the neck ; how she had
 
 234 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 managed to be so clumsy I cannot tell ; but there she was 
 fast enough, with a wire tightly clasped round her leg, in a 
 state of terrible perturbation. 
 
 " Dear me, Madam Hare," said I, close in her ear all 
 of a sudden, " you seem very much out of sorts this 
 evening." 
 
 She gave a little start and squeak of affright at my 
 address, and made a great spring forward, but was pulled 
 backwards at once by the wire. 
 
 " What a hurry you're in," I remarked quietly. "This 
 is hardly neighbourly." 
 
 Then she turned her large eyes upon me, liquid with the 
 tears which had been wrung from her by mental and bodily 
 anguish, and implored me by our common catdom to save 
 her. "We were of the same race, she alleged, alike called 
 " Puss " by mankind, and having many points of similarity 
 in our bodies, habits, and dispositions. If I would but help 
 her to get herself free from that horrible wire, there would 
 be no end of her gratitude, and she would do anything she 
 could to please me at any time. 
 
 Whilst she spoke in these pathetic tones I kept licking 
 my lips in anticipation of my coming feast, and purring 
 meanwhile comfortably to myself, for I had fully made up 
 my mind that she should please me very shortly, although 
 not exactly in the manner which she might herself have pre- 
 ferred. When she had finished I accosted her in a gentle 
 tone, as follows : 
 
 " Dear, pretty, tender Puss " (and I laid especial em- 
 phasis on the word tender}, " you are mistaken in supposing 
 that I am able, however willing I might be, to set you free. 
 The wire which holds you tight can only be loosened by the 
 hand of man, and that will probably not be until the time
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 235 
 
 when, after you have been in a state of suffering for many 
 hours, the person who set it up comes to see what success 
 he has had. If you wait for that, you will be savagely 
 knocked on the head, or have your graceful neck ignomini- 
 ously wrung. How much better then, since, as you say, 
 we are kith and kin, to gratify one of your relations, as you 
 are now able to do, and escape from him who has ensnared 
 you." 
 
 The poor creature knew but too well what I meant, and 
 as I crept closer to her, set up one of those sad cries to 
 which hares give vent when in pain or distress. This did 
 not suit me at all, for the sound would soon have brought 
 either some man or boy, or an animal who might have dis- 
 puted with me over the prey. Without more ado, there- 
 fore, I seized my would-be relative by the throat with 
 so much affectionate goodwill, that she soon found it 
 unnecessary to make any more noise, and I kissed her to 
 death, as I may say, in a very few moments, and purred 
 a requiem in her ear as she yielded up her last breath in 
 my loving embrace. I forbear to say more upon this topic, 
 as the secrets of relations should never be disclosed to 
 strangers, but I am very much mistaken if the poacher 
 got much out of that hare when he came to look at his 
 wires, whilst, for my own part, I felt extremely com- 
 fortable and well satisfied, and when I got home, which I 
 did very soon after supper, I fell asleep, and had a long 
 nap in the corner of the cow-lodge, awaking in the morning 
 with only half my usual appetite for breakfast, so good had 
 been my meal overnight. 
 
 The success of my marauding expeditions by night en- 
 couraged me to become more and more venturesome. 
 Very soon I was no longer contented with the hedge s
 
 236 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and rabbits' earths, but began to make my way to the 
 more distant and (though I knew it not) more dangerous 
 woods. Up to this time, I had never known the taste 
 of pheasant or partridge, save, indeed, when any of the 
 cooked bones of one of these birds had found its way 
 to me from the kitchen or scullery, and that was very 
 seldom. 
 
 But in one of my rambles I had met a very pleasant 
 Tom-cat from a neighbouring farm, who had paid me 
 some attention, and with whom I had exchanged the 
 experiences of our past lives. From him I learned that, 
 although partridge nests were not easy to find, on ac- 
 count of the bird having no scent by which she 
 might be discovered when sitting upon her eggs, yet the 
 thing was not impossible, and that by carefully creeping 
 along the hedges and banks from end to end, in -places 
 where the birds were plentiful, there was sometimes sport 
 to be had. In the woods, he told me, the fun was even 
 better, for there were many pheasants' nests where those 
 gaudy-coloured creatures were preserved, and it was rare 
 fun to leap in upon one of them when you were lucky 
 enough to find it. He said, however, that there was 
 certainly more danger there than in the open fields, as 
 keepers were a class of men who would not be prevented 
 from setting traps, and took altogether a wrong view of 
 the proper position and privileges of a cat. Still, a 
 cautious and clever Puss (such as he kindly insinuated 
 that I was) would not easily be caught in a trap, and, 
 after all, the excitement of a little danger increased and 
 intensified one's pleasure in any hunting excursion. So 
 Master Tom offered to show me the way to the woods, and 
 I readily promised to go with him.
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 237 
 
 Something or other, however, delayed our visit for some 
 little time. During the early spring it was too early to 
 find a bird in her nest, and there was not much food to be 
 got anywhere away from home. Then, as the summer 
 advanced, I must needs go and have kittens tiresome 
 little wretches who were speedily drowned, but who pre- 
 vented my excursion for some weeks later than I had 
 intended and desired. By this time the nesting season 
 was far advanced, and one fine evening, when I had met 
 my friend Tom behind the hay-rick, he proposed that we 
 should go for a real partridge hunt, to which I readily 
 agreed. 
 
 Oh, that was indeed a merry ramble which we had 
 together ! We crossed one or two fields, keeping in the 
 shadows of the trees and hedges as much as we could, 
 until we arrived at a field which upon one side was fenced 
 in by a real good, old-fashioned, rough hedge, with a good 
 thick bottom of long grass, and thick with brambles and 
 bushes above. Each of us took one side, and we crawled 
 along gently and quietly, carefully looking into each corner 
 and scrutinising every tuft of grass as we passed along. 
 For some time we found nothing to reward our labour, and 
 I got a great shock at one moment when, softly placing my 
 paw upon a lump of leaves before me, I found that I 
 had unwittingly disturbed a large hedgehog, whose bristles 
 were too sharp to be pleasant, and who need not having 
 given the start and grunt which he did, in order to ensure 
 my leaving him to his quiet nook as soon as I could. We 
 had crept on in this manner for some time, when all of a 
 sudden I heard a rush and a flutter on the other side of the 
 hedge, and peering cautiously, but quickly, through, per- 
 ceived my mate triumphantly stretched upon a partridge
 
 238 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 whom he had surprised and seized on her nest. She, poor 
 bird, trusting to her scentless condition, and little knowing 
 the sure and systematic manner in which we did our work, 
 had sat perfectly still upon her eggs, no doubt cherishing 
 many hopes as to the young hrood which would shortly be 
 hatched, and picturing to herself much future pleasure in 
 their nurture and education. The poor wretch, however, 
 was literally "counting her chickens before they were 
 hatched," for her hopes were never to be realized. In vain 
 she fluttered, gave vent to a cry of misery, and sought to 
 escape from the forepaws of my crafty companion. In vain 
 she begged for mercy, and urged her present condition as 
 one which should secure her from harm, since she would 
 soon give to the world and to cats among its other inhabit- 
 antsa number of birds who, in the lowest point of view, 
 would be useful to us and to other animals, as wholesome 
 and nutritious food. By killing her, indeed, we should be 
 cutting off our own supplies. 
 
 Such considerations, however, had no weight with us, 
 and our present need of supper was our first thought. So, 
 in spite of her protestations, we first silenced her with 
 playful pats which effectually prevented her escape, and 
 having comfortably seated ourselves by the side of her nest, 
 proceeded to dispose of her in the manner most congenial 
 to our tastes. "VVe left little of her but the feathers, and 
 however she may have suffered at the moment in the loss 
 of hopes and life together, she may at least have experienced 
 the satisfaction of knowing that she was about to make two 
 honest cats happy. 
 
 We enjoyed her thoroughly, and feeling indisposed for 
 further exertion after so hearty a supper, returned to our 
 several homes after an affectionate " good-night." This
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. ' 239 
 
 success so encouraged us both, that it was not long before 
 we made another appointment of the same sort, and sallied 
 forth for a supper-seeking expedition which we hoped would 
 be attended with as pleasant results. As we crossed the 
 first meadow, my companion observed to me that although 
 a partridge was, as we had recently proved, a tender and 
 delicious bird, he had twice tasted the flesh of one which 
 he preferred. " The hen pheasant," he remarked, " is a 
 bird which tastes even better than a partridge in my opinion, 
 and possesses this great advantage, that there is more of 
 her. To tell you the honest truth, I felt the other night 
 that I could have managed another leg and wing, although 
 politeness forbade my saying so. Now a pheasant forms an 
 ample repast for two cats, and is in every respect as 
 nutritious as a partridge." 
 
 He then proceeded to inform me that there were many 
 of these birds in the wood which lay nearest to our house, 
 that is to say, within little more than half-a-mile, and 
 suggested that, as we had plenty of time before us, we 
 should go there at once. I readily consented, and we crept 
 as usual along the hedges until we arrived at the wood. 
 Quietly we stole along the dry ditch which encircled it, and 
 presently crawling up the bank, entered the wood under- 
 neath the huge root of a tree which stood in the hedge on 
 the top of the bank, and soon found ourselves in a small 
 track, which had been well brushed-out, and which ran near 
 the hedge the whole way with the same, enabling the 
 keeper to pass along on his rounds. We knew well enough 
 that this was no safe place for us to stop in, since keepers 
 are so sly and wicked that one never knows where they 
 may be, and they carry constantly with them their dreadful 
 guns, and think no more of the life of a cat than of that of
 
 240 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 a common rabbit. So we speedily crossed the track, and 
 buried ourselves in the wood beyond. It was a glorious 
 place. The underwood grew scantily at the particular spot 
 at which we had entered, and thick flags abounded, forming 
 the most suitable places for the nests of the pheasants, and 
 consequently a splendid hunting-ground for us. We stole 
 along very cautiously, peering into the flags and rushes 
 right and left with great care, and feeling confident that 
 the prey we sought could not be far off. Nor were we dis- 
 appointed in our expectations, for after a few minutes' 
 search, Tom laid his paw on my shoulder, and bade me look 
 into a thicket of brambles and flags intermixed in a strangely 
 wild manner, and asked me in a low whisper whether I saw 
 anything. 
 
 I looked as hard as I could, and for an instant failed to 
 discover what it was that he meant. Then, all in a moment, 
 I caught the eye of a hen pheasant, sitting fast on her nest, 
 and apparently looking straight at us. Tom smiled a grim 
 smile at me, and we both withdrew to concert measures. 
 Just beyond the thicket in which the bird sat, was a small 
 ditch, which in wet weather no doubt served to help the 
 drainage of the wood, but which at this season of the year 
 was entirely dry. My companion proposed that he should 
 go round, creep up this ditch, and so get well behind the 
 pheasant, whilst I kept watch in front. Then, whilst the 
 eyes of the bird were steadily fixed upon me, he would 
 suddenly spring upon her, and if by any accident he missed 
 his stroke and she fluttered forward to escape, I should 
 be there, ready to receive her in a close and loving 
 embrace. 
 
 The plan appeared to be excellent, and accordingly I 
 took up my position at once, and waited, with a heart
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 241 
 
 beating fast with anxiety, and a mouth already watering at 
 the thought of our coming feast. But all mortal calcula- 
 tions are empty and vain, and whilst I was full of hope and 
 joyful expectation, I was, without in the least suspecting it, 
 upon the eve of a sad misfortune. My dear friend stole 
 round the thicket with his accustomed skill, entered the 
 ditch several yards beyond the thicket, and disappeared 
 from my sight. I knew he was creeping up the ditch, and 
 expected every moment to see him re- appear in the thicket 
 behind the bird. Suddenly there was a kind of sharp click, 
 a rush, and a wild cry of agony from my poor friend, which 
 woke the stillness of the night in a manner awful to the 
 nerves of a female cat. On the impulse of the moment I 
 rushed in the direction of the ditch, and beheld a sight such 
 as I had never seen before, and hope never to see again. 
 In the bottom of that ditch, where the pheasants were 
 never likely to walk, as they would naturally hop over it, 
 but where a fox, cat, stoat, or any other woodland animal 
 would be most likely to creep along if on a hunting excur- 
 sion, the cruel keepers had with fiendish art concealed a 
 huge steel trap. Full of thoughts of the pheasant whom 
 he hoped to surprise, my poor mate had forgotten the 
 probability of such a wicked act, and whilst stealing along 
 the bottom of the ditch had set his fore paw exactly upon 
 the trap, which had instantly sprung, and enclosed his poor 
 leg in the deadly and cruel grasp of its sharp teeth, crushing 
 the limb sadly, and holding it like a vice. No wonder that 
 the sudden and terrible pain drew forth a yell of anguish, 
 although his sense of the danger he ran was so acute that 
 he gave no second cry, but writhed on the ground in silent 
 agony. Oh, it was a grievous sight to see ! But half a 
 minute ago, a young, agile, strong, active fellow he was, as
 
 242 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 spruce and handsome a Tom-cat as ever mewed upon the 
 leads of a brick house and now wounded bleeding 
 maimed he lay in the ditch, a mere wreck of what he had 
 so lately been, and but too evidently destined to a cruel 
 death. I rushed to the edge of the ditch and regarded him 
 with horror and dismay. 
 
 "Tom," I said, "my dear Tom, speak to me come to 
 me- oh dear ! what has happened ? " He could only 
 moan in reply, and I was about to give way. to a transport 
 of grief, when I perceived a fox standing on the other side 
 of the ditch and regarding the scene with a calm look 
 which, I remember thinking at the moment, did not 
 express as much sorrow as I should have expected, seeing 
 that the fate of my companion was one which might with 
 equal probability have been his own. 
 
 " Miss Puss," said he, addressing me as coolly as if he 
 had known me all his life although perhaps this was 
 excusable under the peculiar circumstances of the case 
 "Miss Puss, if I was in your place I should be off; you 
 can do your friend no good. He has met with a fate which 
 cats must expect if they come into woods, which properly 
 belong to foxes, and to them alone. He has been caught 
 in the keeper's trap, and will be held where he is until the 
 early daylight brings the keeper upon his rounds, who 
 will speedily knock your friend upon the head, if indeed 
 he does not leave it to his dog to settle him, as is some- 
 times the case. At all events, you can do no good here, 
 and I hope this will be a lesson to you to stay quietly at 
 home." 
 
 I heard the heartless words of the fox, but was too much 
 overcome with grief and horror to make any reply. I sat 
 on the edge of the ditch in dumb misery, until my poor
 
 THE HISTORY OF A' CAT. p. 243
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 243 
 
 mate turned his eyes up towards me, and gave vent to a low 
 moan of agony. 
 
 "Fly," he said " fly whilst you can I am a lost 
 cat ! " These were the last words I ever heard him 
 speak, for I felt that what he had said was true, and that 
 not only was he lost, but that I might not improbably 
 share his fate if I remained where I was. So although 
 I was reluctant to leave a friend in distress, I did what 
 any other cat of sense would have done under the circum- 
 stances, and fled from the spot as fast as I could lay legs to 
 the ground. 
 
 Poor Tom ! I never saw him alive again, and I have no 
 doubt the fox's words were true, and that he met with the 
 sad fate which that animal foretold. Indeed, I may say 
 that I am but too certain that such was the case. Some 
 fortnight after this occurrence, having overcome the fears 
 which possessed me for a time, and having a strong desire 
 to taste what the flesh of a pheasant was really like, I 
 sallied forth again on one fine moonlight night, and made 
 my way to the same wood, which I entered at another 
 point. I had not gone far before I came to an open space, 
 in which, among the scattered trees, stood a large oak. I 
 was about to pass near this tree, when the creaking of a 
 branch attracted my attention, and looking round quickly I 
 perceived that the noise was occasioned by the weight which 
 the branch had to carry beyond its natural burden of twigs 
 and leaves, of which indeed it had few or none. But it 
 bore an awful burden nevertheless. Dead stoats, weasels, 
 and other animals which men hate, because they share their 
 own love for game, were hanging from this melancholy 
 limb of the old oak, and I had not to cast a second glance 
 in order to perceive that among the others were several of 
 
 R 2
 
 244 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 my own queenly race, and conspicuous among them hung 
 the body of my murdered mate. Regardless of the possible 
 consequences to myself, I uttered a long wail of misery, 
 which was answered in a meet strain by the doleful hoot of 
 an owl from a neighbouring tree. 
 
 It had come to this, then ! The true, the noble, the 
 tender-hearted Tom-cat, who had been mine own, was 
 hanging, like a common felon, upon the branch above my 
 head. Our brief intercourse had been sweet ; our com- 
 panionship agreeable ; our mutual love delightful : but it 
 had come to this. Alas, for the instability of all feline 
 happiness ! Nothing can avert doom. When it must fall, 
 it falls with a certainty which no power of cat can resist, 
 and the best and wisest of us must yield to it, as well as 
 the most foolish and simple of our race. Our great and 
 illustrious ancestress, Puss-Cat Mew, lived and died after 
 her splendid and glorious career. Where is she now ? 
 Gone like my poor Tom ! and gone where ? This was 
 a terrible reflection. 
 
 There was an old white stable-cat once who had a theory 
 that when an honest and good cat died, who had never 
 willingly spared mouse or bird, but had done his or her 
 duty catfully in the world, it was not an entire annihilation 
 of the animal, but that it passed on to another sphere, 
 where cats no longer oppressed by cruel enemies dwelt 
 in unmolested happiness, with never-ending supplies of the 
 best cream, and tender mice and young birds as common as 
 blackberries. She went so far as to surmise that our race 
 would, in that new state of existence, be predominant, 
 and that men, dogs, and other inferior beings, would be in 
 our power, and compelled to serve us. I had never thought 
 much about the matter, not being fond of speculative
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 245 
 
 opinions when so much practical work had to be done in 
 the world, but I thought of it now. If that time ever really 
 arrives to cats, and we are as we doubtless ought by 
 rights to be supreme, won't there be vengeance taken for 
 past persecutions ? Won't there be scratching ? And I 
 know one good hearty scratch which shall be given to a 
 certain keeper with the full force of an honest paw, for the 
 sake of my murdered Tom. Yes, men, and especially 
 keepers, will have a rough time of it if the white cat's 
 theory turn out to be true. All furies (and especially 
 He-cat-e, a most appropriate avenger for a slaughtered 
 Tom-cat) will be let loose upon them, their cat-astrophe will 
 be terrible ; they will curse the con-cat-enation of events 
 which has placed them in the power of those to whom they 
 have given such just cause of dire and inexpiable hatred. 
 But I must not forget the thread of my story, even for reflec- 
 tions so consoling as these. 
 
 On the night of the murder I reached my cow-yard in 
 safety, and, as I have already hinted, it was a fortnight 
 before I ventured again to the scene of that horrid tragedy. 
 As, however, the affections of a cat are too ardent to be 
 restrained, I did not think it necessary to remain long 
 faithful to the memory of the departed, and before many 
 days were over I discovered that there were other Tom-cats 
 equal in beauty and sagacity to him I had lost. In their 
 society I gradually consoled myself for my loss, and one or 
 other of them constantly accompanied me in my nocturnal 
 rambles ; or, if unable to do so, gave me friendly hints as 
 to the best places to find game. 
 
 One afternoon, however, I had gone out for a ramble 
 over the fields by myself, not waiting for night, and not 
 indeed intending to hunt, but tempted by the brightness of
 
 246 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the sun, and feeling inclined for air and exercise. On the 
 other side of the road which ran near our house, were one 
 or two cottages where the people were not hostile, and the 
 cats agreeahle. Immediately behind these was an arable 
 field there were turnips in it that year, I remember and 
 on each side of this field was a good thick hedge, a very 
 favourite place for birds, and not unfrequently a safe find 
 for a partridge-nest hunter. Along one of these hedges I 
 crept, now and then stopping to bask for a while in the 
 sun, and then creeping on a little further, listening to the 
 cheerful twitter of the small birds, and wishing they were a 
 little tamer. I was some forty yards from the gate at the 
 other end of the field, when all of a sudden it was swung 
 open, and into the field ran a black retriever, closely fol- 
 lowed by two men, one of whom had a gun in his hand. 
 I had scarcely time to notice who they were, but, as 
 subsequent events will show, it was none other than the 
 master of the house which belonged to us, who, with a 
 keeper, was coming home from partridge shooting through 
 this field. 
 
 At the first glimpse of the retriever, it is needless to say 
 that I fled at best pace, being moved to do so by my natural 
 instincts. I suppose I had got twenty yards, when there 
 came a sharp whizzing noise all round me, followed by the 
 loud report of a gun. It was fortunate indeed for me that 
 I had taken flight at once; for had it been a matter of 
 forty instead of sixty yards, it might have gone hard with 
 me. However, I must have been quite sixty yards off 
 when the sportsman fired, and the shot had so scattered in 
 that distance, that only a few struck me in the back, and 
 though they smarted somewhat unpleasantly, did me no 
 serious injury. You may well believe that I made the best
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 247 
 
 of my way to the cow-yard, and did not venture out again 
 that day. 
 
 A thrill of horror, however, was sent through me next 
 morning when the master of the house came sauntering 
 through our cow-yard at the time of their milking the cows. 
 After remarking that it was a fine morning (which I 
 thought very stupid of him, as everybody could see that for 
 themselves without his telling them), he went on to say : 
 
 " I think we have got too many cats about, Baker," 
 
 "Perhaps we have, sir," replied that worthy man. 
 " There's a good many about the garden, I know." 
 
 " Yes," rejoined the master, " and they do a great deal 
 of mischief with the partridges ; before nesting-time comes 
 round again I must have them thinned. By-the-bye, I 
 saw a cat uncommonly like your cow-yard cat at the bottom 
 of the Green Lane yesterday. I hope she isn't a poacher. 
 I shot at her, the one I saw, but she was too far off to 
 kill." 
 
 My heart was in my mouth with fear as to the reply, 
 and you may fancy my delight and gratitude when the 
 excellent Baker replied, touching his hat, as was his habit 
 when he spoke. 
 
 " No, sir, I don't think our cat never gets out. She's a 
 good cat, she is, and I most times see her about at home 
 here. I don't believe she goes away from home, not at all." 
 
 " I hope not," said the other, as he slowly turned on 
 his heel and went away ; and so ended the conversation. 
 
 I was curled up in some hay at tho corner of the 
 lodge, and heard every word, and thus I knew for certain 
 who it was who had fired at me the day before, and how 
 much risk I had run of being detected, and perhaps de- 
 stroyed.
 
 248 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Influenced by the reflections which naturally followed 
 this knowledge, it was some time after the occurrence which 
 I have just mentioned before I moved from off the premises 
 where I knew that I was secure from such dangers as I 
 had lately encountered. I devoted myself to mouse and 
 bird-catching ; slew one rat of an enormous size, whose 
 destruction gained me much credit with Baker, and became, 
 to all intents and purposes, a regular quiet, domestic cat. 
 But the old spirit still lurked within me, prompting me to 
 deeds of daring, and suggesting to me that my present life 
 was tame and spiritless. Now and then, as I crept along 
 the slip of shrubbery up the back of the cow-yard, I saw 
 the master of the house, or some of his friends, returning 
 from some shooting expedition. The keepers who followed 
 them had generally game-sticks over their shoulders, in 
 which, secured by the neck, hung pheasants of gorgeous 
 plumage, horse-shoe breasted partridges, and sometimes 
 other birds, whilst the soft sleek form of a dead hare was 
 often apparent also, grasped by its hind legs in the hand of 
 its arch-enemy, man. As I watched the procession, my 
 mouth used to water at the sight of the game, and my heart 
 to swell with a sense of the burning injustice which per- 
 mitted the inferior animal, man, to follow these creatures 
 for his pleasure, and exult in their destruction as " sport," 
 whilst any similar attempt on the part of one of my own 
 noble race was met with an outbreak of indignation which 
 vented itself in the abominable devices of steel traps, guns, 
 dogs, and other engines of vile and intolerable oppression. 
 It was shameful, I thought, that this should be the law of 
 the universe, and I cherished much animosity against those 
 who obeyed it. 
 
 These thoughts recurred to me again and again, and they
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 249 
 
 naturally led to my forming a resolution to act upon what I 
 believed to be the right and true principle for a cat, to 
 deceive man and share in the plunder which he selfishly 
 wished to keep for himself. So I gradually lapsed from 
 the path of virtue, and began to slide back into my old 
 practices of expeditions by night. I managed these so well 
 that I was never detected, and kept my good character with 
 Baker throughout the whole time. I must not forget, 
 however, to chronicle an event which occurred at this 
 period of my existence, and which might have been 
 attended with very serious and even fatal consequences. 
 
 There were, as I think I have already mentioned, 
 many dogs about the place of various sorts, sizes, and 
 ages. 
 
 I have never been able to understand the reason why 
 men aye, and ladies, too have such a partiality for dogs, 
 and so frequently make pets of them, when there are cats 
 to be obtained who would serve the same purpose infinitely 
 better. Take him at his best, a dog is generally a snarling, 
 noisy, bone- crunching, rackety animal, seldom, if ever, 
 worth his keep, and of no use in catching mice, whom 
 he commonly affects to despise. In my opinion he is 
 an over-rated animal altogether, and occupies a position 
 in the world to which he is by no means entitled on his 
 merits. 
 
 Look on the other side at the cat. Soft, smooth, gentle 
 in manner and appearance, clean in her habits, graceful in 
 her movements, stealing with velvety tread over the ground, 
 and giving vent to her feelings in a voice which neither 
 alarms you by its sharp and sudden utterance, or deafens 
 you with its clamour. Here, indeed, is an animal worthy 
 of all consideration ; and if the superiority of man over the
 
 250 OTHER STORIES, 
 
 rest of the creation were anything else than an idle and 
 wicked fable invented by himself, it would certainly be 
 shown by his honouring and preferring cats above all other 
 animals in the world. Unfortunately, however, this, toge- 
 ther with woman's rights, the abolition of drinking ale and 
 spirits, and the making of all men equal in every respect, is 
 among the blessings reserved for future generations ; and 
 we can only deplore, without seeking to alter, the existing 
 folly of the world in not seeing things with our eyes as they 
 ought to do. 
 
 Dogs, I say, were allowed about our premises, and were 
 sometimes very tiresome and inconvenient, coming suddenly 
 into the cow-yard when least expected, rushing at one with 
 hostile demonstrations, which might or might not be se- 
 rious, and altogether behaving in a manner truly canine ; 
 disturbing the peaceful serenity of existence, and constantly 
 making one wish most devoutly that they had never been 
 invented. One fine day, about the time in my life of which 
 I am now telling, a little white terrier was given to the 
 eldest sou of the house, which I once heard him say was of 
 a very pure breed, and which apparently thought it neces- 
 sary to vindicate the purity of its descent by the most ob- 
 noxious behaviour towards cats. I knew by instinct that it 
 was an enemy, and avoided it whenever I could, especially 
 since upon one morning I saw it, from my seat on the top of 
 the cow-yard wall, chase, overtake, and miserably destroy a 
 kitten belonging to the gardener, and I felt sure that it 
 was quite capable of dealing in a similar manner with a 
 full-grown cat. 
 
 I was very near having the experiment proved upon 
 myself. On one of my quiet, good, well-behaved days, 
 when I had remained at home without once leaving the
 
 THE HISTOR Y OF A CAT. 251 
 
 premises, and had discharged my household duties with 
 satisfaction to all concerned, I was sitting in front of the 
 cow-lodge, lazily devouring the carcase of a robin whom I 
 had surprised and slain during the afternoon. Baker was 
 milking the cows, and when I heard the door at the end of 
 the lodge open, I thought it was either opened by him in 
 order that he might take the milk up to the house, or by 
 some other of the men about the place. 
 
 Not a thought of evil had I, when sitting peacefully and 
 quietly in my own domain, and it was a burning shame 
 that any evil should have been allowed to approach me. 
 Nevertheless, so it was. The aforesaid vile little white 
 terrier, " Venus " by name, but brute by nature, sidled 
 into the lodge at his master's heels, saw me through the 
 fence of the cow-lodge, and, without a word of " with 
 your leave " or " by your leave," sprang through the 
 little gate of the fence, which happened to be ajar, and 
 was upon me before I knew where I was. Oftentimes, 
 when thus attacked by a cur, I have set up my back 
 in a stiff arch, glared with the eyes of a demon at my 
 opponent, and by these demonstrations, supplemented, if 
 necessary, by a little spitting, have easily repulsed the 
 attack. 
 
 But none of this would have been of the least avail with 
 my present foe, even if I had had time to prepare myself, 
 which indeed I had not. She was upon me in a moment, 
 made nothing of my feeble attempt at resistance, and before 
 I had time to put myself in an attitude of defence, rolled 
 me over and over, and would have had me in the death 
 grip in another moment. Most fortunately, her very im- 
 petuosity defeated its own object : she stumbled over her 
 own fore -paws in her rush, and consequently went clean over
 
 252 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 me as I rolled in the dust ; instantly recovering herself, she 
 seized me as I rolled, but failed in gripping a mortal part. 
 One furious blow I struck her in the face with my full 
 force, and then darted up the side of the pig-sty; the 
 murderous wretch sprang after me, but fortunately jumped 
 short by a couple of inches, so that I had time to make for 
 the roof, where I thought she could not follow me. So 
 impetuous was the creature, however, that at the second 
 spring she got her fore-paws over the side of the sty, pulled 
 herself up, and scrambled on to the sloping roof in frantic 
 pursuit of me. But by this time I had been able to reach 
 the top of the wall, and thence the roof of the cow-lodge, 
 which, being higher and of a steeper incline, could not be 
 climbed by a clumsy dog, and therefore afforded a secure 
 refuge to one, like myself, of a nobler race. Upon the 
 roof I sat in security, scowling down upon my vile foe, 
 until her master called her off, and I was relieved from her 
 persecution. 
 
 My escape had indeed been miraculous, and to this hour 
 I cannot imagine how I managed to escape at all. Had 
 that beast of a terrier been a little more cool and collected 
 in her first assault, nothing could have saved me, and 
 although I might have had the melancholy satisfaction 
 of scratching one of her eyes out, that would have been 
 no consolation for my own loss of life. 
 
 I was very shy for some time after this adventure, for I 
 never saw a man or boy without fancying that he had a dog 
 at his heels, and I started with a nervous shudder at the 
 sound of every distant bark. My nervous system had 
 indeed received a severe shock, from which I did not 
 recover for some time, and my doctors the stable and 
 garden cats, for I consulted them both strongly advised
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 253 
 
 change of air and exercise. This I could obtain in no 
 way so well as by resuming my nocturnal rambles, and 
 I found the fields and woods so pleasant that I not 
 unfrequently stayed away for a whole day, and only 
 crept back to the cow-yard when I was afraid that an 
 absence too much prolonged might lead to injurious 
 suspicions on the part of Baker, which, if they once took 
 possession of that good man's mind, might lead to serious 
 consequences. 
 
 On one of these expeditions I was the witness of a deed 
 of blood which impressed itself upon my memory in vivid 
 colours, showing, as it did, at once the cruelty of man and 
 the levity with which he inflicts suffering upon less power- 
 ful animals. 
 
 At the distance of little more than half-a-mile from our 
 house was a large plantation, or rather a group of several 
 plantations which joined each other, surrounded by pasture 
 fields. There must have been fifteen or twenty acres of 
 this planted wood, and it lay in a hollow for the most 
 part, and on the side of the hill or sloping ground on each 
 side of it, the pasture was covered with thick fern, so 
 that in summer it appeared almost as if it was part and 
 parcel of the wood below. One of these plantations 
 was of chesnut, another of ash, and a third of willow, 
 and on the side banks were larch fir in great abundance, 
 so that there was plenty of variety, and, as if there 
 was not enough of this, at the end was a rough piece of 
 gorze, part of which had been grubbed, and a few Scotch 
 and silver firs planted, which towered above the other 
 trees in all the grandeur and self-consciousness of superior 
 beings. 
 
 It may easily be supposed that in such a place as this
 
 254 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 there was an abundant supply of game. The rabbits had, 
 I regret to say, been killed down somewhat closely for the 
 sake of the growing wood, and the hares usually preferred 
 higher and drier ground, but the partridges nested there 
 in quantities, and there were always a great number of 
 pheasants. In fact, the gamekeeper's house was within 
 a short distance of the spot, though upon the other side 
 of the hill, and he always turned out a number of 
 young pheasants in the plantations. These were, of 
 course, delicious food for a hungry cat, and, near as 
 they were to the abode of a deadly enemy, there was 
 an element of danger in their pursuit which rendered 
 it still more enticing to an animal of an enterprising 
 disposition. 
 
 To this retreat, then, I used to betake myself in the 
 late spring and summer months, and although great care 
 was necessary as regarded traps, the place was not without 
 its advantages, especially as at this time of the year it was 
 extremely thick, and afforded admirable hiding-places in 
 the brambles, rushes, and long grass, with which it was 
 abundantly supplied by nature. 
 
 Now it chanced that some one had given a doe to one of 
 the young ladies of our house, at some time or other. I do 
 not know the ins and outs of the story, but this doe had 
 a fawn, and as the creatures did mischief when loose, they 
 were shut up in a lodge in our cow-yard, with bars in front 
 through which they could peer at the outer world, but 
 through which they could not pass. 
 
 Naturally impatient of such unnatural restraint, I imagine 
 that the poor animals were glad enough when they were 
 now and then let out into the yard, and sometimes into the 
 adjoining field ; and I only wonder that they did not take
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 255 
 
 right off into the open country at once. They did not, 
 however, for some time; and the young buck was two 
 years old before he became so tired of this miserable 
 kind of life, that he fairly bolted. He lay about in the 
 shrubberies for some time, annoying the owners of adja- 
 cent gardens by nightly inroads of a character destructive 
 to their vegetables. At last he thought he might as well 
 go further a-field, and accordingly betook himself to the 
 plantations of which I speak, and took up his abode there 
 as soon as the foliage was sufficiently thick to afford him 
 concealment. 
 
 I saw him there several times ; and a handsome, graceful 
 creature he was. He came out in the very early mornings, 
 before the world of man was awake, and fed with the sheep 
 on the neighbouring pastures ; then, during the heat of 
 the day, he couched in the long grass and the plantations, 
 or made himself a comfortable lair in the thick fern. 
 When night came on he sallied forth again ; and when the 
 year was sufficiently advanced for the keeper to put a 
 stack of corn for the pheasants into the wood, our gay 
 young friend took advantage thereof, and had many a 
 pleasant meal there. 
 
 By this means, indeed, his place of retreat was dis- 
 covered ; for Croughty, the keeper, found his corn-stack 
 knocked about night after night, and told the shepherd 
 that his sheep had been getting into the plantations. This 
 accusation having been denied, the two men kept watch, 
 and soon found out who was the real culprit. News having 
 been taken to our house, those in authority there deter- 
 mined that the buck could not be allowed thus to trespass 
 with impunity upon a domain sacred to the all-important 
 pheasants, nor to devour the corn appropriated to those
 
 256 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 noble birds. So more than once the master of the house, 
 in his shooting excursions, visited the plantations, and strove 
 to get a shot at the daring intruder. 
 
 It was in vain that he did so, however; for the buck 
 was as wary as his pursuers, and either remained hid in 
 some thick lair, into which they did not happen to enter, 
 or ran back between the men who walked down the wood 
 to drive him out, as if he knew quite as well as they did 
 that the enemy with a gun was standing in front, expecting 
 him to go forward. 
 
 At last, one day when I happened to have stayed out 
 all night, the hour arrived when the gay young buck was 
 no longer able to elude the savage arts of those who had 
 vowed his destruction. It happened that I had captured 
 a young pheasant that morning, and had so much en- 
 joyed my repast, that I felt disinclined to leave the place. 
 Upon a bank, where formerly there had been a hedge (but 
 this had long since been grubbed when the fields were 
 thrown together and planted), several huge old pollards 
 reared their mighty frames, throwing out large branches, 
 which formed excellent roosting places for the pheasants, 
 although they rather hindered the growth of the underwood 
 below. 
 
 Now there is no more comfortable hiding-place than a 
 good hole in the crown of an oak pollard ; and into such 
 an one I crept this day, curled myself round as snugly as 
 possible, and went off into a sweet sleep. I was roused 
 by the sound of voices near me, and, peeping out from my 
 nest, looked down upon the plantations below, and saw 
 the whole of what occurred upon that eventful day. The 
 master of the house was there, but he was not the only 
 person who carried a gun. A young fellow, of some one
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 257 
 
 or two-and-twenty years of age he cannot have been 
 more was similarly armed ; and I think I never saw a 
 youth whom I would less desire to meet under such cir- 
 cumstances. He was not ill-looking; but there was a 
 cat-killing look about his short, black moustache, which I 
 misliked from the first; and I was very sure that any 
 animal which moved past him slowly enough to allow of 
 his taking a deliberate aim, would run a great danger of 
 being destroyed. 
 
 I saw him, indeed, miss several partridges that morning, 
 but I do not for a moment believe that he did so designedly, 
 as the sequel will but too clearly prove, that he was a 
 blood-thirsty monster. Well, this boy, whom I heard the 
 other call " Charlie, 1 ' was placed on the bank, not far from 
 my tree, where there had formerly been a gateway, so 
 that the bank was cut down, and it was the passage by 
 which an unsuspecting animal would be likely to pass from 
 one plantation to another. Here he was to await the 
 possible coming of the buck, whilst the master of our house 
 went elsewhere, and three or four men proceeded to drive 
 the plantation down. 
 
 Presently there was a shout : the animal of whom they 
 were in pursuit darted from some low planted wood, crossed 
 an open space in the angle of two of the plantations, lightly 
 bounded over the wire fence, which stood in his way, and 
 buried himself in the thickest part of the wood before him. 
 The position of his pursuers was at once changed, and the 
 beaters shifted their plans, in order to drive him from his 
 new refuge. 
 
 I sat and watched with breathless interest. Presently a 
 partridge rose and flew within gunshot of the elder sports- 
 man, for whom the temptation proved too strong, and he
 
 258 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 fired upon it, with fatal result to the helpless bird. I 
 suppose that the buck, hearing the report of the gun on 
 one side, thought himself safe on the other, for he now 
 crept quietly down the plantation, and came straight down 
 towards the spot at which Master " Charlie " had taken his 
 stand. Slowly he moved along through the young trees, 
 and could scarcely be said to be moving at all, when at a 
 distance of barely fifteen or sixteen yards, the youth 
 poured upon him a murderous volley. The poor animal 
 plunged and staggered forward, when the second barrel 
 was instantly discharged also, and he fell forward in his 
 tracks. 
 
 Still the youth, for some mysterious reason, or from 
 habitual taciturnity, preserved an unbroken silence, and 
 the men were about to beat steadily through the wood, 
 when a small boy, the son of the keeper, who had witnessed 
 the foul deed, raised his shrill voice in notice to his father, 
 and screamed aloud, "He's dead ! " 
 
 In another moment the men came rushing to the spot, 
 crying, " "Where is he ? " And I heard the keeper eagerly 
 asking for a knife with which to cut the throat of the 
 wounded animal. Two men were upon the buck in another 
 moment ; and, in spite of the energy of his dying struggles, 
 the cruel deed was speedily effected, as I learned from the 
 keeper's reply to the inquiry of the master, if it was 
 "All right?" 
 
 " Yes, sir," said the man ; " we've unbuttoned his shirt- 
 collar for him." 
 
 And this was the requiem of the slaughtered deer ! Poor 
 little creature ! No more would he sport with graceful 
 action among the sheep ; no more bound lightly over the 
 fence, and couch himself in the brakes and grass; no
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 259 
 
 more take his humble share of the food provided by the 
 superior animal, man, for his petted birds : he lay there, 
 with his life's blood bedewing the ground ; his innocent 
 existence cut short by the cruel hand of the tyrants of 
 creation. My heart died within me at the sight ; and I 
 shuddered as I beheld the monsters standing in exultation 
 around their murdered victim. Oh, that I could have 
 scratched their eyes out, beginning with that blood-thirsty 
 " Charlie," and going the whole round of them before I 
 had done ! 
 
 However, as they were the stronger party, such thoughts 
 were useless, and I had to think of my own safety, which 
 was not beyond doubt, whilst the murderers remained so 
 near my place of concealment. Happily, they were too 
 much occupied with the removal of the body of the 
 slaughtered deer to look out for fresh objects on which 
 to vent their murderous spleen, and ere long they had all 
 left the place. I remained in my tree for some time longer, 
 until everything was quiet, and the shades of evening had 
 begun to fall, then I cautiously descended, made my way 
 through the plantations, in the direction of our house, and 
 returned to the cow- yard a melancholy and an altered 
 cat. 
 
 The sight which I had that day witnessed had filled 
 me with many strange, and some desperate thoughts. I 
 thought of the masterful nature of man ; of his tyranny, 
 his cruelty over the other animals, and the impossibility of 
 always escaping him if his hand was turned against me. 
 From such ferocity, mingled with such intense cunning, 
 not even a cat's life could be safe, as indeed had been 
 proved by the experiences of my own existence. Was there 
 no method by which one could escape from his power ? 
 
 s 2
 
 260 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 No ; I knew of none ; could imagine none. Would it 
 not then be better to submit, to acknowledge his sway, 
 to give up seeking for my food the animals which he 
 desires for his own, and content myself with acting as 
 his dependent and slave, keeping his house and lodges 
 free from rats and mice, and eking out my miserable exist- 
 ence upon such food as is afforded by these wretched 
 creatures, varied only by a small bird or two, too insignifi- 
 cant for his wants, and therefore to be destroyed without his 
 interference ? 
 
 These thoughts often crossed my mind whilst meditating 
 in the sun, and musing over the events of the past. But 
 the spirit of a cat rose against the baseness of such sub- 
 mission ; and the bloed of my noble race boiled and fumed 
 in my veins, as I thought of the noble deeds which had 
 been performed by the cats of old, reckless of man's 
 authority. Who had not heard of " Puss-cat Mew," whose 
 exploits in daring the heat of the burning coal, even though 
 her best garment suffered in the performance ; whose self- 
 denial in abstaining from the delightful juice of the cow, 
 until that garment had been restored to its former state ; 
 whose fame, in short, throughout her whole existence has 
 been sung by nursery bards continuously," and chronicled 
 in the legends by which kittens and children are ever 
 taught to respect the memory of the great ? Who, again, 
 has not read of " Puss in Boots," and the benefits which 
 she bestowed upon the human being who was wise enough 
 to trust her ? Beyond all, who has not dwelt again and 
 again upon the doings of the celebrated cat of Whitting- 
 ton ? And who that has read of these noble, these glorious 
 animals, but must feel that they belonged to a race which 
 was born to rule rather than to obey ?
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 261 
 
 Fired by such thoughts as these, no base considerations 
 of possible danger, no craven fears for my safety, could 
 longer deter me from roaming forth once more as a free 
 cat. For a day or two I hesitated, but only because I 
 doubted whether to bid the cow-yard an eternal farewell, 
 or to reserve it as a place to fall back upon, and only 
 absent myself during such short intervals of time as might 
 allow the belief that I was never far away. 
 
 On the whole, I thought the latter the better plan, but I 
 gave the question several days' consideration ; and during 
 this time I avoided all association with the men and women 
 about the place : even set up my back at Baker when he 
 wanted to stroke me, and spit at the gardener, who at- 
 tempted to take the same liberty. 
 
 At the end of the third day my common sense had 
 prevailed, and I determined to keep up the appearance of 
 being what human creatures call a " domestic cat," although 
 there reigned within my breast the spirit of the wildest of 
 my race. So I purred complacently about the place all the 
 morning; rubbed myself against Baker's leg as he sat 
 milking the cow, and stretched myself in the sun, opposite 
 the cow-lodge, as if I desired nothing better, and was at 
 the very height of feline enjoyment. But when the shades 
 of evening once more fell, I stole quietly out of the gates, 
 over the field, and down the hedge, away to the big wood 
 as fast as my legs would carry me. I had no settled plan 
 of action ; but I thought I should do well to seek an alli- 
 ance with some other animals, so that we might assist each 
 other in our attacks upon the creatures which Heaven has 
 given to cats for food, and at the same time guard ourselves 
 against the tyrant man who seeks to claim these animals 
 for his own exclusive use.
 
 262 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Had there been a colony of polecats in those woods, I 
 should have expected to find in those creatures my natural 
 allies, but they were rarely to be seen, and indeed I only 
 knew of them by report. Stoats and weasels were too 
 small and insignificant, badgers too slow and heavy, and in 
 fact the fox was the only animal whose skill might be of 
 much service to me in the life which I desired to follow. 
 But the remarks of the fox who had witnessed the melan- 
 choly fate of my poor mate had not afforded me much hope 
 that my advances would be received with favour by others 
 of his kind, and I had really begun to doubt whether it 
 would be desirable to make an attempt which might be 
 repulsed with rudeness, when accident led me to encounter 
 one of the very animals upon whom my mind was running. 
 He was a fine fox a very fine fox and had the manners 
 of a gentleman too, for he bowed with the greatest civility 
 as I met him in the run of a hare in the thick brakes which 
 occupied a large space in the wood. 
 
 " Good morrow, madam," said he. 
 
 " Good morrow to you, sir," replied I, not to be behind 
 in manners. 
 
 " There will be a good moon to-night, and we shall be 
 able to see the pretty birds roosting on the trees," said he, 
 in a sweet but somewhat sad tone. 
 
 "Yes," replied I, trying to imitate his voice and manner, 
 " and how sad that the plump little beauties of pheasants 
 should sit so high above the ground." 
 
 "Sad indeed," responded he. "It shows a sad want of 
 trust in woodland society." 
 
 (i Alas ! it does," said I ; " and I have observed the same 
 feeling in hares and rabbits, as well as in the partridge, and 
 other kinds of game."
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 263 
 
 "Madam," observed the fox, with another polite bow, 
 "it is easy to see that you have studied nature. These 
 beasts and birds are, as you say, shy and timid, but we 
 must cure them of such absurd feelings by treating them 
 tenderly whenever we have the chance." 
 
 " It is they who should be tender to us," replied I, with 
 a smile, to which the fox responded by another, and in this 
 way we soon struck up a friendship which we hoped might 
 be mutually beneficial. We agreed to go a-hunting to- 
 gether, and to share whatever plunder we might be fortu- 
 nate enough to get, dividing it equally between us as honest 
 partners. 
 
 My new friend's name, which I discovered by the not 
 unusual method of asking him, was Peter, and at first I 
 was much pleased with him, as his conversation was amus- 
 ing and his manners polite. His address in hunting was 
 also considerable, and I thought that I had done a very 
 wise thing in forming the alliance which I have mentioned. 
 All went on smoothly and well for several weeks; we 
 hunted together when we could, meeting by moonlight and 
 assisting each other in the capture of such unhappy creatures 
 as chanced to come in our way. My skill in tree climbing 
 here proved useful, and the pheasants had to choose their 
 roosting places with caution, as Peter was a capital hand at 
 discovering and pointing out to me any straggling bird who 
 had foolishly gone to sleep upon a bough which would bear 
 my weight. In that case, if I could not actually seize him 
 alone, a blow from my paw, well directed at the wing, more 
 than once knocked the wretched bird off his perch in a state 
 which enabled my companion to seize him before he could 
 recover, and so we obtained suppers which we enjoyed with 
 a rare good appetite.
 
 264 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 When the shooting season came on, our success was still 
 more delightful and encouraging. We more than once 
 managed to discover, generally by the sound of the guns, 
 which one or other of us had been fortunate enough to hear, 
 when the sportsmen had been shooting in one of the neigh- 
 bouring preserves. On these occasions, the evening of the 
 sport was pretty sure to find us in the wood, looking after 
 the wounded game, off which we made many a pleasant 
 supper. 
 
 " Oh, spare me, spare me," cried an unhappy hare, which 
 we one night caught with a broken fore leg after one of 
 those days in which men had enjoyed themselves by 
 murdering a number of defenceless creatures which 
 their keepers had reared for the purpose of furnishing 
 victims to their bloodthirsty masters. "Spare me, kind 
 creatures! what harm have I ever done to you? I 
 will be your slave for ever, if you will only give me my 
 life." 
 
 " My {lear madam," replied my friend the fox, in his 
 politest tones, "we would gladly comply with your request, 
 did the laws of the country permit it. Slavery, however, 
 is, as you will doubtless remember on further reflection, 
 illegal in England, and we must therefore endeavour to 
 make you of use to us in another way. What consoles us 
 under this painful necessity is the thought that, with your 
 fractured limb, you could scarcely enjoy life as you have 
 hitherto done, and would probably ere long become a 
 burden to your relations." 
 
 The wretch, on hearing these words, cast a piteous look 
 upon me, appealed (as those foolish hares always do on 
 such occasions) to our common descent and blood-relation- 
 ship, and in earnest and piteous tones begged for her life.
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 26$ 
 
 My answer, however, was to the same effect as that of the 
 fox, and I told her that she was evidently in so much pain, 
 that I felt we should be doing her a real kindness by 
 putting her out of her misery at once. 
 
 On finding that her fate was thus made certain, she 
 hastened it by raising cries of distress which it was neces- 
 sary, for our own safety's sake, to stop without delay. 
 Clasping her therefore by the throat in a manner which 
 impeded her utterance, we at once dealt with her as we 
 had from the first intended, and made a hearty meal off 
 her then and there. This night, however, as on one or two 
 previous occasions, I noticed a tendency in Peter to devour 
 more than his share, and to treat me with something less of 
 deference than, as a cat and a lady, I was entitled to 
 expect. For instance, he appropriated the hare's head 
 without so much as offering me an ear. 
 
 Now I happen to be particularly fond of hares' heads, 
 and did not like to be so treated. I was rather cross in 
 consequence, and my temper was not improved by my 
 companion's tone and manner. Instead of ignoring it, or 
 pretending to be unaware of having given me any cause of 
 offence, he laughed at me, openly and insultingly, for not 
 having been sharp enough to secure the head, told me how 
 good it was, and said I was but a slow little Puss after all, 
 and not half " up to " business. 
 
 I did not like this at all, for I felt that while it was 
 untrue as a general remark, in this particular instance no 
 skill or cunning of mine could have presented him, as a 
 larger and stronger animal, from taking the head, if he was 
 so little of a gentleman as to do so. I said nothing, how- 
 ever, though I thought a great deal, and we separated 
 somewhat coldly that morning. Still, our alliance had
 
 266 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 proved so mutually beneficial, that neither of us cared to 
 dissolve it, and we had several more excursions together 
 which had similarly fortunate results. Nothing, however, 
 in this world lasts for ever, especially, I think, if it is 
 agreeable and pleasant. 
 
 The friendship between the fox and me proved no 
 exception to this general rule. One night we had been out 
 together after one of the shooting parties which I have 
 mentioned. We had partaken of a rabbit which we caught 
 on first entering the wood, and not being satisfied therewith, 
 had glutted our appetites on a hen pheasant which, being 
 wounded, could not escape us. Then we found such an 
 inviting patch of fern hard by, that we made ourselves 
 comfortable beds in it, and lay down to rest after our 
 supper. Whether the latter had been too heavy, or 
 whether the damp weather (for it was moist and inclined 
 to rain) had an effect upon us, I cannot say, but certain it 
 is that we slept far into the morning, and much beyond 
 the hour at which I usually stole back to my cow-yard 
 after one of my nocturnal excursions. It was in fact 
 broad daylight when I opened my eyes, and perceived 
 that I had committed the error, dangerous alike to cat and 
 man, of stopping out all night when I might have been at 
 home. 
 
 The morning was somewhat raw and unpleasant, and 
 finding this to be the case, I was not long in coming to the 
 resolution that, as I had missed the hours during which I 
 might have stolen quietly home without being observed, I 
 had better remain in the comfortable nest which I had 
 made for myself in the fern, and doze away a little while 
 longer before I thought of turning out. So I curled myself 
 up again and went comfortably to sleep. I was aroused by
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 267 
 
 a noise which startled me from my slumbers and filled me 
 with alarm. The loud shouting of men was in my ears, 
 and it was evident that something unusual had occurred. 
 In another instant I understood it all. The hounds were 
 out ! I distinctly heard the huntsmen encouraging them to 
 enter the wood in search of their accustomed prey, and I 
 started up at once to listen. 
 
 My companion was equally on the alert. He shook 
 himself, arose from his lair, and stood silently before me. 
 
 " By Jove ! " he said, " those brutes are here again ; it 
 is really shameful. I have had two narrow escapes from 
 them already in my life. Confound it, what shall I do ! 
 That heavy supper of mine has made me feel anything but 
 inclined to run this morning. I wish there was an 
 earth somewhere handy ! There is not one within three 
 miles, and it is ten to one that tltose will have been 
 stopped." 
 
 As he spoke, I heard through the still air a voice still 
 shouting, " Hie in there Hie in there," and presently came 
 a whimper from a hound, and then another, and then a 
 loud cracking of whips and a cry of " 'Ware hare ! " told 
 of the probable fate of some luckless animal of that species 
 which had suddenly found herself surrounded by the pack, 
 and probably been sacrificed in an instant. The matter was 
 now becoming serious for my companion. 
 
 "Look out for yourself, Puss," he cried "I'm off;" 
 and shaking himself once more, he crept quietly away in 
 the contrary direction to that from which came the sounds 
 I have described. 
 
 I felt that it was high time for me also to take similar 
 steps, for a cat in the middle of a pack of ferocious fox- 
 hounds would fare little better than a hare. I, therefore,
 
 268 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 also left my lair, and seeing an old oak at a little distance, 
 covered with ivy and easy of ascent, I made my way up to 
 it at once, crawled up the trunk, and ensconced myself 
 safely in a place where I could see for some way around 
 me, whilst the ivy-leaves completely secured me from 
 observation. I had not taken my precaution too soon, for 
 but a few minutes had elapsed before fhe hounds came 
 crashing through the wood, a fierce-looking, savage crew, 
 only eager to destroy, and thirsting for the blood of any 
 innocent animal which might come in their way. They 
 had scarcely approached the spot from which Peter had so 
 lately risen than the foremost of them gave vent to a sound 
 which betokened that he had discovered by the scent which 
 my poor Mend had left behind him that a fox had been 
 lately there. His cry was immediately taken up by another 
 and then another of the savage pack, and loud cries of 
 encouragement from the huntsman, who was riding down a 
 track at a little distance, cheered the hounds on as they 
 dashed forward in pursuit. I kept perfectly still, and 
 listened with breathless attention. 
 
 By this time my companion must have reached the out- 
 side of the wood, and I expected every minute to hear the 
 cry of " Gone away ! " which would betoken the fact that 
 he had left the covert, and had a fair start for his life. 
 No such cry, however, reached my ears, but presently came 
 a wild chorus of shouts and yells which betokened that he 
 had been seen, and a short time afterwards I heard voices 
 of men abusing others in no measured terms of reproach 
 for having " headed " the fox. 
 
 The morning was so still that I could hear the voices 
 quite plainly ; and I need scarcely say that my ears were 
 strained to the utmost in order to hear every sound. Pre-
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 269 
 
 scntly, somewhat to my surprise, on looking downwards I 
 perceived Peter himself creeping through the wood and 
 about to pass under my tree. As he did so I bade him 
 cheer up and be of good heart. Wistfully did the poor 
 fellow cast his eyes upwards to my place of safety. 
 
 " Oh, Puss," he said, " this is a bad job. There are a 
 crowd of foot-people outside, who headed me back when I 
 had got a fair start, and I don't know which way to turn 
 in order to escape those howling demons behind. I'm off 
 to the lower corner of the wood. Good-bye." 
 
 "Good-bye, Peter," said I, "and good-luck to you;" 
 and off he went. 
 
 He had not been gone two minutes before the whole 
 pack of bloodthirsty hounds came yelling in hideous 
 chorus upon his track, frantic with joyous excitement, 
 and revelling in the anticipation of murderous slaughter. 
 Half a minute more and I heard another sound of confused 
 cries from the direction which my poor friend had taken. 
 Presently I saw him pass again at a short distance : he 
 had been headed a second time, and was at his wit's end 
 what to do. 
 
 I never felt so indignant in my life ! What cowardly 
 brutes men must be ! Is it not enough to bring out forty 
 or fifty howling fiends, each larger and stronger than the 
 poor animal they wish to destroy, and strive to run him. 
 down and take his life, but they must also permit the 
 baser and more contemptible of their own species to crowd 
 round the wood and prevent his having 9 fair chance of 
 escape ? The men that head foxes in this manner should, 
 in my opinion, be soundly whipped at the cart's-tail as 
 persons altogether devoid of taste, good feeling, and human 
 sympathy.
 
 270 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 But I hasten to the end. The Babel of noise in the wood 
 continued for some little time, men shouting, the hounds 
 joining in a chorus which would not have heen unmelodious 
 to my ears if my heart had not known its fearful mean- 
 ing, and the whole face of peaceful nature marred by the 
 horrible clamour. 
 
 Again I saw poor Peter pass at a short distance from 
 my hiding- place, but oh ! how changed from the bright, 
 brave fox I had so lately seen ! His coat was dirty and 
 torn, he dragged his brush along as if its weight was too 
 much for him, despair was pictured upon his face, and he 
 looked like a worn-out, broken-down animal whose con- 
 dition would have touched the heart of any one who had a 
 heart that was capable of pity for undeserved suffering. 
 Once more yet I saw him. The crash of the hounds' 
 chorus seemed greater than ever, and was coming audibly 
 nearer to my tree, so that, although I knew my place of 
 refuge was safe, I insensibly trembled for myself. The 
 noise came nearer and nearer, and presently Peter came 
 forth into the open space of fern where he had passed the 
 night. 
 
 He was evidently dead beat ; more puzzled, worried, and 
 bewildered than actually exhausted by physical fatigue ; 
 and crept along as if almost incapable of moving. Not two 
 seconds after I had seen him, the foremost hound of the 
 pack sprang out of the wood, close on his traces, rage and 
 excitement gleaming from his eyes, and his whole ap- 
 pearance full of fury and determined murder. Another 
 followed him, and then another, and another, in quick 
 succession. 
 
 Poor Peter was within their sight, and almost within 
 their grasp, for they gained on him at every stride.
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 271 
 
 Escape was impossible. The foremost brute was upon 
 him. He turned with an expression of combined helpless- 
 ness and rage which I shall never forget, and bit savagely 
 at the hound who rushed in upon him with open jaws. I 
 think he must have hurt him, for I fancied I detected a 
 yell of pain mingled with the howl of gratified malice with 
 which the wretch seized my unhappy friend. But what 
 could one brave fox do against a host of furious and ravening 
 foes? It was all over in less time than it takes me to 
 write it. Torn limb from limb by his ferocious murderers, 
 the unhappy Peter yielded up his miserable life, and his 
 spirit went forth one more witness against the tyranny and 
 cruelty of man towards that creation which in the plenitude 
 of his infallible wisdom he calls "brute," and which he ap- 
 pears to consider as only existing for his own amusement 
 and pleasure, and for the unscrupulous exercise of his own 
 sovereign will ! 
 
 The hounds had not well finished their horrible meal, 
 and were still growling over the bones of my murdered 
 comrade, when some of the horsemen, who had guessed 
 what had happened from the alteration of the notes of the 
 pack from eager pursuit to greedy exultation, came burst- 
 ing through the wood to claim the brush of the poor 
 fox as the trophy of their inglorious victor}'. As they 
 secured this precious relic, I heard them abusing my poor 
 friend for having been "chopped" instead of affording 
 them a fair run in the open, and, with marvellous incon- 
 sistency, at the same time swearing at the men who, 
 by continually heading him, had prevented his doing as 
 they wished, and had driven him back to his melancholy 
 fate. Whilst they sat on their horses and watched the 
 ministers of their savage pleasure finishing their repast
 
 272 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 upon poor Peter's remains, I trembled in my tree lest any 
 of them should catch sight of me therein, and felt by no 
 means secure that this would not be the case. Happily, 
 however, no one saw me, and after a little longer delay, 
 they turned back into the wood, and men, hounds, and horses 
 were soon out of sight and hearing. 
 
 I stayed where I was, however, until the shades of even- 
 ing began to fall : horror at the sight which I had seen 
 prevented my feeling the pangs of hunger, and I dreaded 
 to meet some enemy if I ventured to quit my safe retreat. 
 At last I could stay there no longer : with a fear which I 
 had never known since kittenhood, I crept tremblingly to 
 the ground, and stole away through the bushes with silent 
 and timorous steps until I reached the outside of the wood. 
 Then I set my head straight for home, and arrived at the 
 cow-yard safe and sound, indeed, but having received a 
 fright which I felt I should never get over till my dying day. 
 It had, indeed, been a sad experience to me, and a proof 
 that no cunning, however great, in fox or other animal, 
 can avert the inexorable decrees of Fate. 
 
 There were other thoughts, too, which were brought into 
 my mind and took possession of it after the melancholy 
 catastrophe which I had witnessed and have described. 
 I bethought myself that the life which I had been recently 
 following was one which involved greater risks than a 
 respectable cat of a certain age ought to permit herself to 
 encounter. 
 
 I had, indeed, been fortunate hitherto, and had escaped 
 the misfortunes which had befallen more than one of the 
 companions with whom my lot had been cast. I could not, 
 however, expect that I should always be equally lucky, and 
 I felt that the awful scene which had lately passed before
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 273 
 
 my eyes was a warning to me to consider whether I had 
 not better alter my course of life, and return to the steady 
 habits and far safer existence of a domestic animal. Per- 
 haps, however, I should scarcely have been able to do so, 
 had I not had yet one more warning, and that the most 
 serious of my life. So inveterate had my hunting habits 
 become, so intense my love of midnight marauding, so 
 deeply imbued my taste for the game which I thereby 
 obtained, that it required even a stronger influence than 
 that which had been exercised over me by the suiferings 
 of others, to drive me to a change which, though it would 
 doubtless prolong my life, would at the same time render it 
 somewhat tame and inglorious. 
 
 I thought I would, at least, finish the season as I had 
 begun it, and in carrying out this resolution I nearly 
 managed to finish myself into the bargain. I stole out one 
 moonlight evening, and took my way to a wood from 
 whence I had previously often gleaned a supper. I crept 
 quietly along the hedge until I came to a likely place 
 through which to enter the preserves, and then proceeded 
 to do so through a hole which had evidently been made 
 by hares in their passage to and fro the wood. 
 
 I got through the hedge safely enough, and was about to 
 descend into the ditch upon the other side, when all of a 
 sudden I heard a kind of sharp " snick " behind me, and 
 in another instant was in the fangs of a horrible iron trap. 
 An involuntary yell of agony burst from my throat, and 
 then, sensible of the magnitude of my danger, I kept silent, 
 bearing my pain as best I might, and trying to realize to 
 myself what had really happened. 
 
 There was unfortunately very little doubt upon the sub- 
 j ect. In the " run " from the hedge down into the ditch,
 
 274 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 through which any animal was certain to pass who was 
 about to enter the wood at that particular place, the crafty 
 and cruel keeper had set a trap, well covered over and 
 concealed from sight by dead leaves, which his detestable 
 ingenuity had employed for this purpose. 
 
 I suppose that in my stealthy progress I had stepped 
 over this with my forelegs, but had unfortunately set down 
 one of my hind legs in such a position as to spring the 
 trap, and it had seized me, not very far above the foot, as 
 it happened, but far enough toehold me tight without 
 the possibility of extricating myself from my awful position. 
 Had I been less quick in lifting my leg from the ground, 
 (which I had done as soon as ever I found the earth, as it 
 seemed, yield beneath the pressure of my foot), nothing 
 could have saved my life, as my thigh would certainly 
 have been broken, and I should never have survived such 
 an injury. As it was, indeed, the misfortune was bad 
 enough; the saw-like teeth of the cruel trap bit deeply 
 into my leg, causing intense pain ; and I soon found that 
 this was only increased by every effort I made to free 
 myself from the horrible incumbrance. 
 
 So I lay perfectly still, suffering tortures, and expecting 
 nothing but a long night of misery, and destruction at the 
 hands of the keeper as soon as daylight should bring him 
 round to see how his fiendish devices against us poor 
 animals had prospered. 
 
 Now it was that all the events of my past life seemed to 
 rise and flit before my eyes as vividly as if they were all 
 actually occurring over again. I remembered every kit- 
 tenish act of disobedience to my mother, unkindness to my 
 sister, waywardness and selfishness with respect to other 
 cats, and all those faults to which kittenhood is prone.
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 275 
 
 There rose before ine, moreover, all the acts of cruelty I 
 had committed in. trifling with unhappy birds and mic.e 
 whom I had from time to time caught alive, and with 
 whose agony I had amused myself before I finally put 
 them out of their misery. 
 
 Any little acts of feline treachery which I had committed 
 came back to me in this my hour of woe, appearing in the 
 retrospect ten times as wicked as I had ever before deemed 
 them to be. And then, above all, I brought to mind my 
 sin my folly my ingratitude nay, my madness in 
 deserting the happy home and quiet safe life which had 
 been apportioned to me, and venturing forth upon that 
 perilous path of amusement and plunder which had led me 
 to my present position. Oh, fool that I was ! deluded 
 wretch, not to have realized that a mouse eaten in safety in 
 my own cow-yard was much better than a hare or pheasant 
 devoured under the terrible risks which had to be en- 
 countered in their acquisition. 
 
 But regret was all too late now ! Fate had woven out 
 the web of my destiny : retribution had at last overtaken 
 me, and the blood of slaughtered game which cried o'ut for 
 vengeance upon my devoted head, would be avenged by the 
 dreadful death to which I was certainly doomed. These 
 agonizing thoughts did not diminish my bodily pain, but 
 after a while this became somewhat less intense, and a 
 numbness came over the lower part of my left hind leg, 
 which was the one by which I had been caught. I lay 
 still for at least an hour, when an incident occurred to me 
 which I own I should not have believed if I had been 
 told it by another cat as having happened to herself. 
 
 I heard a step : it was the step of a man ; could it be 
 the keeper already coming his rounds ? It was impossible, 
 
 T 2
 
 276 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 for the night was not yet far advanced, and the guardian of 
 the game would certainly not appear hefore early morning. 
 Yet a man it was, sure enough; but who? A few 
 moments decided the question. Creeping quietly along 
 the ditch, came a man dressed in the costume of an 
 ordinary farm labourer, with an instrument in his hand 
 which I suppose was some kind of a gun, though it did 
 not look like one of the sort usually carried by sportsmen. 
 From a conversation which I once overheard in the stables, 
 I think this was perhaps an air-gun, with which a pheasant 
 might be shot on his perch with very little noise, and the 
 shooter remain undiscovered. 
 
 I saw at once what the new-comer was. He was a 
 poacher very likely some neighbouring cottager upon 
 whose garden the hares and rabbits from the wood had 
 worked their wicked will, and who thought he might as 
 well repay himself by a midnight foray upon their domain. 
 However this might be, or whatever his motive for being 
 there, on he came down the ditch, and rapidly approached 
 the spot where I lay, helpless and desponding, in the 
 trap. 
 
 I had no thought but that any man who found me there 
 would either kill me at once, or leave me where I was as 
 not worth the trouble of knocking on the head. For once, 
 however, I was mistaken, and that in a manner most 
 satisfactory to myself, and I hope also to my readers, since, 
 had it been otherwise, I should never have lived to publish 
 to the world this history of my eventful life. The poacher 
 came quite close up to me, creeping along very quietly, 
 and stopped within a couple of yards from where I lay. 
 He half-started when he saw me, and then muttered to 
 himself:
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 277 
 
 "Dash my buttons, here's another pussy-cat they've 
 been and catched ! Cleared out my house, they have, and 
 most others too, I reckon. Dang it ! they sha'n't have this 
 one, neither ! I wish I could fill their woods with cats for 
 'em, I do." 
 
 He said no more, but approaching the trap which held 
 me, set his foot firmly upon it, so as to make it fly open. 
 Suffering and half mad with pain as I had been, my natural 
 instinct would have been to have flown at him, or at any other 
 human being who had come within my reach at that moment. 
 Fortunately, however, I understood his words, and knew 
 that his intentions were kind, so that I had the calmness 
 and good sense to restrain myself from any demonstrations 
 which might prevent him from carrying them out. I have 
 often pondered the matter over since that night, and won- 
 dered whether the man acted from any innate tenderness of 
 heart, or from a feeling, that I, like himself, was a poacher, 
 and had therefore some claim upon his assistance. I am 
 inclined to think, however, that spite against the keepers 
 was the principal motive which induced him to interfere 
 on my behalf, and that, having lost cats from his own 
 hearth through the nefarious action of these wickeol 
 men, he thought to balk their cruelty and prevent 
 some other poor person from being visited with a similar 
 loss. 
 
 Be this as it may, the pressure of his sturdy foot upon the 
 trap left me free, and although I could scarcely draw my 
 maimed limb from its place of torture, I did so, as you may 
 well believe, with the least possible delay, and scuttled off 
 down the ditch as fast as possible. I had no more appetite 
 for supper that night. Indeed, I think the very sight of a 
 pheasant would have made me sick, and the bitter agony of
 
 278 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 that night cured me for ever of the dangerous taste for 
 game which I had so unwisely acquired. 
 
 All my thoughts were now concentrated upon -a supreme 
 effort to reach my cow-yard. I dragged myself with 
 difficulty through the hedge, left the wood behind me for 
 ever, and crept slowly homewards over the field, suffering 
 more and more at every step I took. Never shall I forget 
 the intense feeling of delight with which I saw the gate of 
 the home which, but a few hours before, I had quitted with 
 a free and reckless step, but over the threshold of which I 
 now crawled in a feeble and helpless state. I crept into 
 the straw which was piled at one end of the lodge in which 
 the cows stood to be milked, and made myself as com- 
 fortable as was possible under the circumstances. Pain, how- 
 ever, prevented me from obtaining the sleep which I so 
 much required, and as the sun's returning, rays brightened 
 and warmed the world once more, I raised my head and 
 looked out with a saddened heart upon the scenes in which 
 I had formerly been a blithesome actor, but which I much 
 feared that I should henceforth regard only as a maimed 
 and crippled spectator. 
 
 The fowls were gathered in front of the lodge in which 
 I lay, slowly picking up their morning meal, and cackling 
 cheerfully to each other as they confessed their mutual 
 enjoyment of the genial weather. Ever and anon the 
 cock raised his voice of exultation, and crowed defiance to 
 the chicken world, whilst the contented grunt of the pig 
 from the sty near at hand, the friendly moo of the cows 
 hard by, and even the harsh cry of the peacock upon the 
 top of the lodge, spoke of universal peace and happiness. 
 
 I alone lay there, a miserable sufferer, enduring, with 
 but little patience, a misery which I had brought upon
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 279 
 
 myself. I raised my voice in a melancholy tone, and in 
 my own native tongue, pleaded earnestly for some miti- 
 gation of my pain, though I knew not who could afford it. 
 Scarcely, however, had I given vent to a second and still 
 more piteous mew, when I heard a well-known step passing 
 along the front of the lodge, and presently the friendly voice 
 of Baker sounded in my ear : 
 
 " Pussy, pussy, poor old pussy, where are you then ? " 
 I replied by another cry of woe, and pushed up my head 
 from my couch of straw. The good man came to me at 
 once, lifted me up, and saw at a glance what was the 
 matter. 
 
 " Why, Puss," he said, " I didn't know as how you was 
 given to straying, hut anyhow you've got a lesson this time, 
 which may keep you at home for the time to come. Poor 
 tiling, poor thing ! " 
 
 The answering mew which I gave to this remark pro- 
 bably conveyed no distinct idea to Baker's mind, but it was 
 intended by me as a complete acquiescence in the justice 
 and wisdom of his observation, and an expression of my 
 firm determination to follow the course which he suggested 
 as having been taught me by my misfortune. 
 
 He did not confine himself, however, to a word or two of 
 pity, which people are generally ready enough to give to 
 the misery of others, but which does not do much to relieve 
 it. Baker got some warm water, bathed my wounded 
 limb, and bandaged it as carefully as if I had been one of 
 his children. Then he made a nice bed for me in one of 
 the spare stalls, fetched a little saucer of milk, and placing 
 it by my side, tempted me to drink. The only thing 
 I disliked was his fastening me by a cord to a ring in the 
 stall, which was not only disagreeable, bat totally un-
 
 280 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 necessary, as I had no desire to leave the place, and should 
 have had great difficulty in doing so had I wished to ever 
 so much. So it was, however, and I remained a prisoner 
 for some days, during which my leg gradually mended, 
 although it has never again been as strong as the other. 
 
 And now I have but little more to add. True to the 
 resolution I had formed in the first hour of my agony, 
 I never more attempted to enter the woods in pursuit of 
 the forbidden game. In the ordinary warfare against rats 
 and mice, and in the capture of small birds who were 
 foolish enough to come in my way, I passed a tranquil and 
 happy existence. I reared several litters of kittens with 
 the usual results of such family occurrences. Some of my 
 family met with an early and watery grave ; some were 
 with me for a short time, and were then given away 
 to slavery by the mortals who claim dominion over us 
 weaker animals ; some grew up to cathood, and then left me 
 of their own accord ; and at this present moment, although 
 I have two sweet little creatures who sport and play about 
 in the most engaging manner, I dare not indulge myself in 
 the outpourings of maternal love, lest my heart should be 
 broken by that separation which, sooner or later, is certain 
 to occur. 
 
 I live, therefore, a good deal for and by myself : I pass 
 a quiet, demure, respectable, uneventful existence, warn 
 young cats against a habit of stopping out at night or too 
 great fondness for rambles in the moonlight, and am con- 
 sidered by all the neighbours as a pattern of domestic 
 propriety, and an example to be respected and followed by 
 every well-regulated cat. 
 
 I had a little more to say, but I see a sparrow who has 
 evidently hurt himself, and is unable to fly. An obvious
 
 THE HISTORY OF A CAT. 281 
 
 duty is before me, and I must hasten to attend to the 
 little flutterer before I am anticipated by another. Suffice 
 it to say, that I have told you the principal events of the 
 first of my nine lives, and if anything should occur in the 
 other eight which is worth telling, I shall be very ready to 
 make it known.
 
 THE GEANNIES OF GIDDYHOKN. 
 
 AFTER the final discomfiture of Dame Stickels, the noted 
 witch of Brooke Hollow, and the adoption by her and her 
 confederates of a quiet, respectable, and religious life, a 
 great change came over the face of the country which they 
 had so long kept in a state of alarm by their extraordinary 
 pranks. Those who have read of her doings, duly chronicled 
 in the volume bearing the title of " Crackers for Christmas," 
 will be well aware that, as there were few witches in 
 England more powerful and more notorious, so the sudden 
 cessation of her evil influence must of necessity have pro- 
 duced a total revolution in the neighbourhood over which 
 she had tyrannized for so long a period. 
 
 People could now walk along the lanes at eventide, even 
 in a high wind, without being scared by the sight of an old 
 woman riding on a broomstick, or a gigantic cat with eyes 
 larger and brighter than those of an ordinary animal. 
 Farmers did not find reason to complain of being spited ; 
 labourers went safely from their work without being 
 tempted to join in a witches' carouse ; the clergy resumed 
 their wonted sway over minds which had begun to believe 
 that a supernatural power was abroad too strong for even 
 their power to control, and everything seemed to have 
 returned to the natural order by which the affairs of the 
 world are regulated. Even the famous, or infamous, Brooke
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 283 
 
 Hollow ceased to be regarded by the rustics as a place to be 
 avoided ; a cottage or two sprang up near it, inroads were 
 made upon the wilderness of briars and brambles in which 
 the witch's abode had been situated, and the traveller 
 whistled carelessly as he passed along the bye- road, as if no 
 evil thing had ever existed in that part of the world. 
 
 But although the generality of mankind regarded this 
 change with satisfaction and pleasure, it must be owned 
 that there were those to whom it brought neither one nor 
 the other. From Wye and possibly far beyond Wye, if 
 we cared to inquire but certainly from Wye right away to 
 Lyminge, and perhaps further still the great range of chalk 
 hills had, from time immemorial, been the cradle of witchcraft, 
 the habitual home and resort of warlocks and other uncanny 
 creatures. The Witches of Wye, the Warlock of Coombc, 
 even the great Wizard of Bockhanger, had all frequented 
 some part or other of this locality, and it was not to be ex- 
 pected that the conversion of the Witch of Brooke Hollow 
 to better things would at once and for ever drive out the 
 whole race of evil creatures. Those who still remained were 
 doubtless much annoyed, and their power greatly shaken by 
 what had occurred ; they kept quiet for a time, couching in 
 their fastnesses and secret lurking-places upon the hills, 
 avoiding all contact with humanity, and only venturing out 
 on dark and windy nights, when they would be visible to no 
 mortal eye. There were others, however, besides these 
 of the worst kind, who little relished the altered state of 
 things. It is well known that witchcraft, like consumption 
 or insanity, runs in families, often descending from mother 
 to daughter, or from any near female relative to another. 
 So it turned out that the old rule was unchanged in the 
 case of Goody Stickcls. She had a niece who lived in the
 
 284 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 little village of Brooke, at that time even a smaller place 
 than at present, situate, as we all know, between "Wye at 
 the west and north-west, Hastingleigh at the north-east, 
 Brabourne at the east and south-east, and Hinxhill at the 
 south. 
 
 ', Betsy Stickels for she bore the same surname as her ter- 
 rible aunt had been a mere child at the time of the break-up 
 of the witches' party, and the break- down of their power. She 
 grew up a tall, ungainly, rough kind of girl, and for some 
 time no one remarked anything particular about her. She 
 was, however, perpetually asking questions about her father's 
 family, and especially about her aunt, whom she vastly de- 
 spised since she had become an inmate of the Scott's-Hall 
 Almshouses, and settled down to a good and tranquil life. 
 Betsy's father was an old man, who had worked on the 
 same farm for forty years ; her mother was dead, and she 
 had several brothers and sisters, of whom she was the third, 
 her eldest sister Jane managing the house for their father. 
 It was not with her family, though, that Betsy sought for 
 company or loved to associate. She was for ever seeking 
 for some of the old village crones who knew all the history 
 of past events, and who loved nothing better than to gossip 
 about them. 
 
 From this kind of person she learned all the stories of 
 the power which her aunt had wielded, the mischief she 
 had done, and how she had been dreaded by the country 
 people round. After hearing these tales, the chief feeling 
 in Betsy's mind was by no means one of regret for the 
 many misdeeds of her aged relative. On the contrary, she 
 seemed to think that the glory of the house of Stickels 
 had fallen when these evil practices were abandoned, and 
 that her aunt's departure from her former course was
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 285 
 
 deeply to be lamented. This unhappy frame of mind was 
 not checked by those with whom she was wont to talk. 
 They always spoke of Dame Stickels and her associates as 
 persons of great power and authority, and related many in- 
 stances of their wonderful doings, and the vengeance they 
 had frequently inflicted upon their enemies, without being 
 able at the same time to tell of the pangs of remorse they 
 must often have experienced, and the slavery to evil ones to 
 which they were doubtless victims. 
 
 This kind of conversation was little calculated to do any 
 good to Betsy Stickels, and gradually she became more and 
 more silent and reserved at home, and took to roaming 
 about alone at times when she had better have been in bed, 
 and in places which she would have done well to have avoided. 
 At home, indeed, she had no opportunity of conversing 
 upon the subject she loved so well. Her worthy old father, 
 who was a sober, honest, and industrious man, and went 
 regularly to church every Sunday afternoon, never by any 
 chance alluded to the past doings and character of his un- 
 happy sister, and would have been very angry if the word 
 witch had been mentioned in his hearing. He held that the 
 best way to avoid evil relatives and their power was never 
 to mention them, and to this rule he faithfully adhered. 
 
 By this means, his children, with the exception of the 
 luckless Betsy, grew up steady, quiet, civil, and well-con- 
 ducted, and his eldest daughter was considered quite the 
 model young woman of the parish. Indeed, she was pretty 
 as well as good, and went by the name of the " Brooke 
 Rosebud " in the neighbourhood, which was a pleasant 
 thing for her father to know, and to which she was 
 certainly entitled by the freshness of her colour and 
 delicacy of her complexion. The general admiration of her
 
 286 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 sister unfortunately lessened any good influence which 
 she might have possessed and exercised over Betsy, by 
 exciting in the breast of the latter feelings of jealousy, 
 which not only prevented her from seeking Jane's company 
 or advice, but made her avoid the one and resent the 
 other. Such was the condition of affairs in the household 
 of old Thomas Stickels, and such the feeling between the 
 members of his family at the time of the occurrence of 
 the strange and romantic incidents which it is my duty to 
 narrate. 
 
 Some half mile or thereabouts to the east of the gorge 
 which has been so famous for ages under the appellation of 
 " Brooke Hollow," there lies a tract of land almost equally 
 celebrated in the annals of witchcraft, and which was and is 
 known by the name of Giddyhorn. Passing along the road 
 from Brooke to Brabourne, with the chalk, hills rising imme- 
 diately upon your left, this tract consists of some ten or 
 twelve acres, properly bearing the name which I have 
 mentioned, although probably twice as much of the side hill 
 above and adjoining it is of the same rough and ragged 
 character, full of low stunted bushes, rough grass, a few 
 small oak trees, and briars and thorns in abundance, being to 
 this day some of the most barren and unprofitable land in 
 the neighbourhood. 
 
 Giddyhorn proper rose and still rises somewhat abruptly 
 from the road. There was a cart road which led into it, 
 which had been formerly made by those who sought to dig 
 chalk from that part of the hill, but they had long ceased to 
 do so at the time of which I write, owing to the bad reputa- 
 tion which the place had acquired from its nearness to the 
 residence of old Goody Stickels. The place was narrow at ' 
 the entrance, but widened out as you ascended the hill, and
 
 CRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 287 
 
 for some distance was nothing but a tract of land covered 
 with small beech trees and large tufts of grass, with soil so 
 thin above the chalk that the latter constantly cropped up 
 in sight. The hill was somewhat steep at this point, and 
 when the beech trees ended, a rough mass of tangled wood 
 and brambles succeeded, and then the hill rose abruptly 
 again, rough and barren as I have described it. 
 
 To this day there is something quaint and curious 
 about the place, which is still one of the wildest in the 
 neighbourhood. But in the days we write of it was wilder 
 still. 
 
 I do not know whether anybody claimed to be its owner, 
 or whether it was common land at that time. No one, 
 how r ever, seemed to exercise any rights of ownership over 
 it, and the foxes and badgers, rabbits and hedgehogs had 
 it as a joint possession, only disputed by the large hawks 
 which constantly hovered over the range of chalk hills, 
 for which they have always had a great liking, and 
 which they still occasionally frequent, and would do so still 
 more but for the deadly warfare which man wages against 
 every creature of prey which does not belong to his own 
 species. 
 
 I have said that this Giddyhorn had an evil reputation, 
 but I do not think that any particular charge had been 
 brought against it in the days of the Brabourne witches, 
 further than that it was generally supposed to have been 
 one of their meeting-places, being admirably adaptd for 
 such a purpose. 
 
 There was a deep chalk-pit in it, with over-hanging 
 banks and thickets of brambles ; there were stunted trees 
 here and there, with a decidedly witch- like look about them ; 
 and there was a general want of healthy vegetation, which
 
 288 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 betokened the influence of evil to those who were always on 
 the look-out for signs of such influence when they saw 
 things different from what they should be. 
 
 I suppose it was this reputation of the place which made 
 Betsy Stickels so fond of it. She fixed upon it as her 
 favourite walk, and whenever she got away from home for 
 a solitary ramble, she was sure to make her way to 
 Giddy horn. 
 
 This was observed by her family, and her sister Jane 
 thought it but right to speak to Betsy about it. She dis- 
 claimed any wish to interfere with her movements, but 
 warned her that mischief might come of it, reminded her 
 that they lived in a neighbourhood where much scandal had 
 attached to their name, and where people were easily 
 suspected of witchcraft. 
 
 A Stickels ran greater danger than anyone of incurring 
 such suspicion, and if it was known that one of the 
 daughters of that ancient family was in the habit of 
 frequenting such a place as Giddyhorn, stories might get 
 afloat which would give her a bad name, and perhaps entail 
 disagreeable consequences upon the whole family. 
 
 Betsy received these remarks, kindly intended as they 
 were, with great indignation, telling her sister to mind 
 her own business, and not interfere with her, or she 
 would live to repent it. She added some sneering words 
 about Jane's supposed beauty, and told her that, although 
 she might be as conceited as she liked, and have her own 
 way at home, she had better leave her alone, for she 
 should always do what she pleased, and go where she liked, 
 in spite of all the silly pink- and- white minxes that ever 
 were born. 
 
 Finding her sister in this unpleasant frame of mind, Jane
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 289 
 
 said no more to her on that subject, but it was one which 
 somewhat troubled her, and she could not but feel that her 
 sister's conduct was such as might bring them all into 
 trouble. She was too headstrong to be reasoned with by 
 anyone, and her father, being at work all day, and gene- 
 rally pretty sleepy at night, did not know of her frequent 
 wanderings, and never suspected the evil which was 
 gathering round him and his. 
 
 As time wore on, Betsy's manner in the family perceptibly 
 changed, and that, I am sorry to say, by no means for the 
 better. She returned short, snappish answers to her father, 
 and as for the rest of the party, her behaviour was simply 
 intolerable. She assumed an air of authority over them, 
 which they thought wholly unwarranted, would listen to 
 no remonstrance, and made herself generally disagreeable to 
 everybody. Still, as she had never made herself very 
 useful in the house, her elder sister did not feel much 
 change in that respect, and her frequent absence from home 
 prevented the nuisance from being so great as might other- 
 wise have been the case. 
 
 At last, however, a day came which was certainly an 
 epoch in the history of the house of Thomas Stickels. 
 Two neighbours, Mrs. Cook and Mrs. Cullen, had dropped 
 in for a chat with Jane, and after a bit, strange to 
 say, the conversation turned upon witches. The elder 
 women were sufficiently careful of Jane's feelings not to 
 make any special allusions to her unfortunate aunt, but they 
 let fall several hints about the force of bad example, and 
 how a bad name, once given, always sticks to people, so 
 that at last the girl began to feel that they had something 
 more than a general meaning in their observations. 
 
 Little by little it came out that Betsy's frequent visits to
 
 29 o OTHER STORIED 
 
 Giddyhorn had been remarked, and that these, coupled with 
 her disagreeable manner and rude bearing towards other 
 people, had given rise to the suspicion that all was not as it 
 should be with her in the matter of witchcraft. 
 
 No accusation, indeed, was made against her by the 
 two worthy women who held this conversation with 
 her sister, but they shook their heads gravely, heaved 
 deep sighs occasionally, and " wished it might be all for 
 the best," in the manner which worthy people generally 
 do when they wish to insinuate something against their 
 neighbours. 
 
 Their words and gestures greatly disturbed poor Jane, 
 who, fully alive to all the discomfort, not to say danger, 
 which might follow the slightest suspicion that her sister 
 had dealings with the powers of darkness, heard with alarm 
 as well as sorrow the evidence afforded by her visitors that 
 such a suspicion was already afloat. 
 
 "While she listened in this frame of mind, making but 
 short answers, though at the same time expressing her 
 belief that there was no reason for thinking ill of Betsy, it 
 so fell out that the latter suddenly entered the room. The 
 conversation immediately dropped, as is very frequently the 
 case when people are speaking about a particular person, 
 and are surprised by the entrance of the very individual 
 who has furnished the theme for their discourse. These 
 honest rustics, however, not being so skilled in the art of 
 dissimulation as their betters, were unable to avoid showing 
 that they had been interrupted while talking about some- 
 thing which they did not wish the new-comer to hear. 
 They stopped short too short in their discourse hesitated 
 were silent for a moment then began to talk about the 
 weather in the most unblushing manner, and in fact
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDY HORN. 291 
 
 behaved in a way which would have shown a far less intelli- 
 gent person than Betsy Stickels that they were agitated and 
 confused by her entrance. 
 
 " What did you stop talking for, when I came in ? " she 
 abruptly asked of all three, addressing her question to no 
 one in particular, and perhaps for that reason no one an- 
 swered. 
 
 Betsy stamped her foot upon the ground at receiving no 
 reply, and then said angrily : 
 
 " I mil know what you were saying : abusing me, I'll be 
 bound, or else you wouldn't have come to a dead stop as 
 soon as I came in." 
 
 " Abusing you ! Betsy," answered Dame Cook in a 
 wheedling tone, " Bless the girl, what should you go for to 
 think that for : we was only a-talking about about about 
 things in general, was we, neighbour Cullen ? " 
 
 " That's all," promptly responded the other "we wasn't 
 a-saying nothink what you mightn't hear, Betsy, that we 
 sartainly wasn't." 
 
 " I don't believe ye, either of ye," sullenly replied the 
 girl. " As for that pink- and- white faced sister of mine, she's 
 always ready to say something against me, and I'll be bound 
 you've been listening to her stories now, that's what ye've 
 been about." 
 
 " Oh Betsy ! " interposed her sister : " However can you 
 go for to say so ! I'm sure I never say a word against you, 
 and these good neighbours of ours haven't said aught bad, 
 only that they thought you took so many walks alone, dear, 
 which you know I've told you of more than once, and how 
 folk would talk." 
 
 " Then you have been talking against me, have you ? " 
 angrily rejoined the girl ; " I thought I should find it out. 
 
 u 2
 
 292 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 But I'll let you know I'm not to be insulted for nothing. 
 If my own kith and kin turn against me, I'll find those 
 who will help me. Take care of yourselves, Madam Cook 
 and Madam Cullen, and look after your own affairs before 
 you come abusing your neighbours. I'll be even with you 
 both, I will ! And as for you, you meek, poor-spirited, 
 white-faced fool, who can't stand up for your own sister, but 
 join in running her down, I'll pay you out for all your ill- 
 natured interference, and joining with my enemies too. 
 I'll look you down, that's what I'll do ! " And as she spoke 
 the girl fixed her eyes steadily upon her sister, and Jane 
 fancied she felt a cold thrill pass down her backbone and 
 right through her breast as she did so. She sank into a 
 chair, whilst the two neighbours, not wishing to be present 
 at a family quarrel, or for some other reason doubtless 
 equally as good, slunk off as fast as they could, leaving the 
 sisters alone. 
 
 " Oh Betsy ! " said Jane, as soon as the neighbours had 
 gone, and she had in some degree recovered from the 
 strange feeling which had so suddenly come over her ; " how 
 can you talk so ! You will make us enemies among the 
 neighbours and bring us all into trouble by these ways." 
 
 " Hold your tongue," sharply replied the other, " and do 
 not think you are going to bully me any longer. I've had 
 enough of being put upon and kept down, and now I'll 
 have my revenge." 
 
 As she spoke, she fixed her eyes again upon her sister, 
 and the poor girl afterwards declared that they seemed to 
 go through and through her. She sank back into her chair 
 again in a half-fainting condition, whilst Betsy, with an 
 expression of triumph in her countenance, muttered some- 
 thing to herself and left the room.
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 293 
 
 It is worthy of note, for it was remarked by the village 
 people and a good deal talked about at the time, that 
 during the next month nothing went right with either Mrs. 
 Cullen or Mrs. Cook. The former had a fine brood of 
 chickens carried off, to a bird, by the rats, the very night 
 after the above-mentioned conversation at Thomas Stickel's 
 cottage ; moreover, her cow suddenly ceased to give milk, 
 her favourite cat was shot or trapped (she never knew 
 which) by the gamekeepers, and the moth got into the 
 wardrobe where she kept her best clothes, and did more 
 mischief than she could have believed possible in the time. 
 As for Mrs. Cook, matters fared even worse with her, for a 
 tramp stole all her linen which was drying on a hedge, the 
 rabbits came in and ate every green thing she had in her 
 garden, and, to crown all, she fell down and sprained her 
 leg so that she couldn't get about for a fortnight. Putting 
 two-and-two together, the good women had little difficulty 
 in attributing these misfortunes to the ill-will and wicked 
 devices of Betsy Stickels ; and already an evil reputation 
 began to encircle the girl, and it was freely whispered 
 abroad in the parish that she bid fair to equal if not even- 
 tually to surpass in wickedness, her too notorious aunt, the 
 witch of Brooke Hollow. 
 
 There were even those who openly spoke of going up to 
 denounce her to Sir Edward Scott of Scott's Hall, or 
 Richard Knatchbull of Mersham Hatch ; but this was a 
 serious matter for anyone to undertake, and in case of 
 failure would be pretty sure to bring upon the head of him 
 who had undertaken it the vengeance of the evil creatures 
 Avhom he had tried to circumvent. So for some time 
 nobody interfered with Betsy Stickels, and indeed there 
 was nothing against her but vague rumour and idle sus-
 
 294 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 picion. But from about the time of the visit of the two 
 neighbours which I have related, poor Jane's health began 
 visibly to decline. She lost her appetite, became unequal 
 to much exertion of any kind, burst into tears upon the 
 slightest pretext, and appeared to have lost all interest in 
 life. Nobody knew what was the matter with her. Some- 
 times she would rally and seem for a while quite like her 
 old self; then a sudden languor would come over her ; un- 
 accountable pains would seize upon her without any 
 warning, and her condition caused much uneasiness to her 
 father and friends. 
 
 All this time, Betsy's behaviour was anything but kind 
 or sisterly. She either ridiculed and sneered at Jane's 
 inability to go through her usual work as a pretence to 
 cover her idleness, or else maintained a sullen, stolid indif- 
 ference to her sufferings which no conduct of her sister's 
 towards herself had at all merited. Now and then, indeed, 
 she was so unkind as to taunt the poor girl with cruel 
 words ; and on more than one occasion went so far as to 
 tell her that she had fared no better for interfering with 
 other people's business, and that she hoped she repented 
 having gossiped about her betters and spoken against 
 her own sister to busy-bodies like Mrs. Cook and Mrs. 
 Cullen. 
 
 All this pointed so clearly to Betsy being concerned in 
 Jane's illness that the other members of the family openly 
 mentioned it to each other, and one of the brothers of 
 the two girls, James by name and a worthy fellow 
 by nature, actually spoke to Betsy one day upon the 
 subject. 
 
 The girl, however, heard him silently and sullenly, and 
 then merely asked him what he meant by talking such
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 29$ 
 
 nonsense. How could she hurt her sister ? People might 
 say what they pleased she didn't care and if they thought 
 that Jane was struck, or charmed, or whatever they chose 
 to call it, she couldn't help it. There would always be 
 fools to the end of the world, and nonsense would be 
 talked as long as people had tongues. Jane must take 
 care of herself, and if she teas bewitched, it just served 
 her right for accusing her own sister of evil, and joining 
 with her enemies. 
 
 James was so angry at the girl's way of talking that 
 he took her by the shoulders, and shook her roughly, de- 
 claring that he would shake the nonsense out of her there 
 and then. Upon this she got into a furious passion, and 
 told him to look out for himself, and not meddle where he 
 had no business, adding that it should be the worse for 
 him that he had dared to lay hands upon her. 
 
 Sure enough, that very same afternoon, as the poor lad 
 was felling a tree, his axe glanced from the wood and in- 
 flicted a deep wound on his leg with which he was laid up 
 for weeks ; and everyone who knew the circumstances, came, 
 of course, to the only sensible and rational conclusion, 
 namely, that this was witch-work, and that the misfortune 
 had befallen him in consequence of his having been so rash 
 and ill-advised as to fall out with his sister Betsy. 
 
 So she was more feared than ever in the family, and no 
 one dared oppose her will or thwart her in any way. 
 
 Now, there was a young man who, to use the ordinary 
 language of that part of the country, had " kept company" 
 with Jane Stickels for the last two years, or, in other words, 
 was her accepted lover. His name was Jack Cubison, and 
 he lived just over the hill, in the parish of Hastingleigli, 
 which lies to the north of Brooke and Brabourne.
 
 296 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 It may well be supposed that young Cubison did not see 
 his promised bride pining and fading away before his eyes 
 without great sorrow, and an earnest desire that the mis- 
 chief might, if possible, be stopped. He was a worthy 
 young man, and withal as good-looking a specimen of a 
 Kentish peasant as you could wish to behold. It was his 
 habit to walk over to see his sweetheart of a Sunday (and 
 sometimes upon other days when he had finished his work), 
 and his road lay from Hastingleigh to New Barn, upon the 
 crest of the hill, and so straight down the hill by the foot- 
 path through the plantation on the side hill immediately to 
 the west of a large field, which, from its peculiar shape, as 
 seen from the valley below, was then as now, always known 
 by the name of " the Leg of Mutton Field." But if Jack 
 Cubison wanted a short cut from the top of the hill by New 
 Barn across to old Thomas Stickel's house at Brooke, his 
 way was to keep still further on along the hill, and strike 
 down through Giddyhorn, unless indeed he passed beyond 
 Giddyhorn itself and struck down the hill between that 
 place and Brooke Hollow. 
 
 He often took one of these latter roads on the Sunday 
 mornings when he went to see Jane ; for, if it was fine, 
 bright weather, the view from the top of the hill was very 
 beautiful, and the breeze which blew from the distant sea 
 across the valley was freshening to the body and inspirit- 
 ing to the soul. Aye, and such a breeze and such a view 
 as are not to be obtained everywhere. Stand on the top 
 of the chalk range to-day, and face the south, and you 
 will be well rewarded if you have toiled up the ascent 
 for no other purpose than to look upon the scene before 
 you. 
 
 Immediately in front of you, some ten or twelve miles
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 297 
 
 off, you see the beautiful blue of the sea bounding the 
 glorious view beneath your feet. Glance at it for a moment, 
 and then draw in your sight and enjoy each object that lies 
 easily "within your ken. Far away to the south- west are 
 the hills above Hastings, dim and faint in the distance, and 
 as you look nearer home in the same direction you see the 
 woody country stretching up towards Ashford, and there 
 rises the great church tower of Ashford herself, busy, 
 bustling Ashford, and the clump of trees between Hothfield 
 and Surrenden rises against the horizon beyond the town. 
 Then, on your right, from Ashford, runs the range of chalk 
 hills on the other side of the valley of the Stour, with East- 
 wall park and woods clothing the side of the hill with mag- 
 nificent foliage, and King's wood behind, and the little town 
 of Wye nestles down out of your sight hidden by the con- 
 tinuation of the hill on which you stand. At your extreme 
 left, miles away, rises the Beachborough mount, with the 
 well-known summer-house upon its extreme point ; beyond 
 it, bearing round to the right, the huts at Shornecliffe camp 
 and the ever-increasing town of Folkestone glitter in the 
 distance ; the high trees of Sandling intervene between 
 these objects and you, and still further round stands that 
 universal landmark, the old church of Aldington. Nearer 
 to you, some four miles in a straight line, the great house of 
 Mersham Hatch stands boldly upon its hill, a large red-brick 
 mass, with wings right and left, and well surrounded with 
 high trees behind, whilst its singularly picturesque park 
 lies in front. Then, over the whole valley you cast your 
 eye, to behold indeed a smiling country : the old tower 
 rises out of the middle of Naccult wood below you, the 
 pleasant hamlet of Brabourne Leese is but a little to the 
 left, and then Scott's-Hall " wilderness " just beyond.
 
 298 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 There is but one thing wanting to complete the landscape, 
 and that is a river to wind through that lovely valley, and 
 relieve the eye as it gazes upon the woods and pastures, 
 the corn-fields and hop-gardens which lie as in a map 
 before it. Still, having no river but the Stour, which in 
 this part of its course is too small for the purpose, we do as 
 well as we can without one, and nobody can deny that the 
 view from the chalk hills is superlatively fine. 
 
 So thought Jack Cubison when he walked on Sunday 
 morning to visit Jane Stickels, and frequently kept along 
 the top of the hills for a longer distance than he need have 
 done, in order to enjoy as much of the view as possible. 
 But in the evening it was not so easy to find the way, and 
 he therefore generally turned down the regular footpath to 
 which I have already alluded. 
 
 It happened, however, that upon one fine evening when 
 his work was over rather sooner than usual, and he had been 
 feeling very anxious all day about Jane, he determined to 
 go over and see her, and for some reason or other omitted 
 to turn down the footpath, but kept on across the common 
 land on the edge of the hill until he was just above Giddy- 
 horn. Then he turned down, skirting Giddyhorn, which was 
 now immediately on his left, Brooke Hollow being some half- 
 mile or more to the right as he descended the hill. It was 
 between seven and eight o'clock, upon an April day, when 
 the light was beginning to grow fainter, but the sun had not 
 quite done with the world yet. The air was a little cool, but 
 not otherwise than pleasantly so, and the quiet stillness of the 
 evening gave promise of a continuance of the genial spring- 
 weather on the morrow. Jack Cubison descended the hill 
 cautiously, for it was somewhat steep, and Jiad got about 
 halfway down when his course was suddenly and unexpec-
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 299 
 
 tedly arrested by the sound of a voice from the Giddyhorn 
 side. It was an odd place from which to hear a voice, and 
 under any circumstances Jack would have been surprised at 
 the occurrence. He was doubly so, however, when the voice 
 distinctly pronounced his own name. There was no mistake 
 about it. 
 
 "Jack Cubison," it said; and upon his stopping short and 
 looking in the direction from which the sound seemed to 
 come, it repeated the words again. 
 
 Now it has been already stated that Giddyhorn, for certain 
 reasons, did not enjoy the very best of reputations, and 
 many men would have been much alarmed at hearing them- 
 selves called by a voice from among its beeches whilst 
 passing them alone towards evening. 
 
 Cubison was not sufficiently well-educated to be above the 
 prejudices and superstitions of his class, and I do not 
 pretend to say that he heard the unexpected sound unmoved 
 upon the present occasion. But he had a bold heart of his 
 own, and being, moreover, conscious of no evil motive in the 
 expedition upon which he was journeying, did not feel that 
 he had anything to be ashamed or afraid of, or that any 
 act of his had given any evil ones power over him. So 
 when the voice repeated his name a second time, he hemmed 
 and coughed a bit, as one who wished to find his own voice 
 for certain before he replied to the other, and then said 
 aloud : 
 
 " Eh ? what say ? I be Jack Cubison, sure enough : here 
 I be ! " and calmly awaited the reply. 
 
 It came soon enough, for the same voice presently said 
 
 " Whither be thou a-going, Jack Cubison ? on a fool's 
 errand, I wot." 
 
 "Not I,'' said honest Jack, firing up at once at the
 
 300 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 implied insult to himself and his sweetheart, " I bea'nt after 
 no fool's errand, nor I bea'nt no fool for to go where I be 
 going, and that's to see the best lass this side o' Lunnon 
 town." 
 
 A scornful laugh greeted this reply, and the voice imme- 
 diately afterwards rejoined : 
 
 "Did I not say thou was't going on a fool's errand, to see 
 a poor, puny, drooping, white-faced chit of a girl, with no 
 more pluck than a mouse, and no more brains than an 
 owlet?" 
 
 Jack Cubison forgot his temporary disquietude at the 
 strangeness of the address, in anger at hearing this uncalled 
 for attack upon his betrothed. 
 
 " Poor ! and puny ! and drooping ! " he exclaimed indig- 
 nantly : " who art thou that callest thy betters names ? If 
 Jane has been drooping lately, that is no reason why I 
 should shun to visit her ; and if it be caused by anything 
 evil that has been at work against her, a malison light upon 
 those who have done it." 
 
 A sigh as of pain came from the beeches as Jack pro- 
 nounced these words, and there was a moment's pause, and 
 then the voice went on again : 
 
 " Thou art easily vexed, Jack Cubison ; easily vexed in 
 truth yet why should'st thou suspect evil practices against 
 thy favourite wench ? Girls do pine and droop without 
 aught being worked or planned against them, and thy Jane 
 has never been strong. It had been better if thou hadst 
 taken up with her sister Betsy, who is a rare fine girl, and 
 would make thee a better wife altogether." 
 
 "Eggs and bacon ! " cried Cubison, using in his surprise 
 an ejaculation common in his family, "this beats cock- 
 fighting. To think of naming that gawky, ill-favoured wench
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 301 
 
 in the same day with my Jenny ! Nay, nay, master or 
 missus, or whatsumdever thou beest that speakest to me, I'll 
 no Betsy while I've Jane to look at, nor nobody would as 
 had got their senses about 'em Ha ! what's that ? " 
 Jack broke off suddenly in his speech as something like a 
 bramble came violently against his leg, though he was 
 standing still at the moment, and inflicted upon him 
 a severe scratch. " Drat the brambles," he exclaimed, 
 "I wish they was somewheres else." He paused and 
 stooped down to rub his leg, when the voice again accosted 
 him. 
 
 "Thou usest hard words, good Jack, and undeserved 
 withal. Jane may be pretty to the eye, but beauty is skin 
 deep, and a delicate, unhealthy girl would make a poor 
 mistress for a labourer's cottage. Betsy may be less 
 lovely to look upon at first sight, but she grows upon you, 
 she does ; and a finer, stronger, and braver girl is not to be 
 found hereabouts. Moreover, she likes you well, Jack, 
 though you mayn't know it." 
 
 " Know it ? " cried Cubison on hearing this speech, " no, 
 nor don't want to neither. I don't know who you be that 
 stick up for Betsy Stickels after this fashion, but I be'ant 
 that kind o' chap as twists and turns like a whirligig, 
 I be'ant ; and I wouldn't give up my young woman not if 
 Betsy was twice the girl I take her to be, let alone all the 
 queer things they say about her." 
 
 " Queer things ? what queer things, forsooth ? " inter- 
 rupted the voice. 
 
 " Never mind," replied honest Jack, " this ain't the 
 place nor the time to talk about queer things, and I must 
 be getting on," and with these words he took a step forward, 
 as if to proceed on his journey. No sooner, however, did
 
 302 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 he do so, than the voice accosted him in the sweetest and 
 most persuasive tones. 
 
 "Dear Jack, kind Jack, don't he hurrying off in this 
 uncivil way. Come into the heeches and join our pleasant 
 party here. Supper will he ready directly, and we shall he 
 so glad of your company." 
 
 Now it must he owned since this is a true story, and no 
 mere invention of an idle brain that Jack Cuhison, with 
 many virtues, had certain faults and failings, and one of 
 these was a partiality for good living when it happened 
 (which was not often) to fall in his way. He had heen full of 
 righteous anger when his sweetheart had heen sneered at, 
 he had boiled over with virtuous indignation when it was 
 suggested to him that he should exchange one sister for the 
 other ; but when the magic word supper was mentioned, he 
 felt neither indignation nor anger. I am sorry to say that 
 he forgot those feelings for the moment ; and not only so, but 
 the strangeness of the invitation, the lateness of the hour, 
 and the ill reputation of the place, were all absent from his 
 mind at that instant, when he foolishly stopped short on 
 hearing the word " supper." He stopped short, I say, 
 and more than this, he turned his head in the direction 
 of the place from which the voice had seemed to proceed. 
 As he did so a most savoury odour seemed to rise from 
 the wood and steal upon his senses : it was the odour of 
 roast meat; lamb, as it seemed to him, and there was 
 something remarkably tempting about it. Had Jack been 
 wise, he would have turned up his nose at the odour and 
 at the invitation which had just been given him; he would 
 have answered the latter with a determined negative, 
 and full of good thoughts and good intentions, would 
 have pursued his journey down the hill in spite of any
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 303 
 
 thing which could have been done to prevent him. But 
 the moment he turned his head, and instead of avoiding 
 the pleasant odour, sniffed it up and enjoyed it, I have no 
 doubt that Kis powers of resistance to evil were sensibly 
 weakened. 
 
 No human being can parley or trifle with evil things or 
 evil people without being the worse for it. There is no 
 mistake so fatal as to think that one can play with what is 
 wrong, or associate with people who laugh at and despise 
 what is right, and yet come off unhurt ourselves. 
 
 Jack Cubison had certainly no evil intentions in stopping, 
 or in turning his head, or in listening to the invitation given 
 him on Giddy horn ; but it will be seen that this hesitation of 
 his, and his not being resolute in avoiding the temptation 
 altogether, led to mischief which might have been escaped 
 if he had simply turned his back upon the place, and gone 
 straight on without stopping to parley with what he knew 
 could not come of good, and from which therefore no good 
 was likely to come. He turned his head, I say, sniffed the 
 good smell, and hesitated. 
 
 Instantly the voice resumed the conversation, in tones 
 more sweetly seductive than before. 
 
 " Nice Jack, kind Jack, dear Jack," it said, " do come, 
 like a cheery old boy, and join our merry party. "We 
 won't keep you long, Jack, and we shall all be so jolly 
 together." 
 
 Jack half turned away, and said, but in a less determined 
 tone than that in which he had hitherto spoken : 
 
 " Well I don't know 'tis getting late I hadn't 
 ought to stop ; I think not, thank ye kindly all the same," 
 and with these words he took a doubtful kind of half step 
 or ward.
 
 304 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 " Ola. don't say no, dear Jack," again said the voice in a 
 most pressing manner ; "just stay for one little five minutes, 
 Jack. There's roast lamb for supper, dear old boy, and oh ! 
 the ale ! such fizzing good ale ! " 
 
 This was too much for Jack Cubison. He was, to use his 
 own expression, " a little bit peckish," after his walk ; the 
 air was fresh and cool, and a slice or two of roast lamb 
 and a glass of ale had a sound about them which 
 were very tempting to the young man. So he turned 
 round again and made a step or two towards the beeches 
 of Giddyhorn. 
 
 The voice continued its invitation, couched in the most 
 pleasant words. "This way, dear Jack; there, just step 
 over the ditch and through the gap to your right, and creep 
 up the bank and you will find us." 
 
 Jack did as he was told, for all idea and indeed all 
 power of resistance seemed to have left him as will 
 always be the case with people who give way to tempta- 
 tion ; they slip on and on with marvellous ease, and only 
 discover when too late that it was at the first step they 
 should have resisted, and firmly checked the first promp- 
 tings of evil. 
 
 Jack scrambled across the ditch, which was dry enough, 
 and all of chalk, with no grass or moss upon it, which was 
 mostly the same with the bank, up which he crawled as 
 soon as he had got through the gap in the hedge ; and there 
 he was, standing amid the stunted beeches of Giddyhorn, 
 with thick tufts of coarse grass growing beneath, and 
 lumps of chalk cropping up on every side ; there was a 
 belt of higher trees between this spot and the hedge, and 
 there it was densely dark ; but as soon as Jack Cubison 
 had forced his way through these, pushing the branches
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GltiDYHORN. 305 
 
 on one side with his sturdy arms, he came out into 
 the beeches and found himself at once in light and 
 also in company. A kind of chalk-pit had been scooped 
 out in a place where the beeches grew somewhat less 
 thickly, and yet formed a screen round the spot, though not 
 so as to prevent a partial view of the vale being obtained 
 from it. 
 
 The pit was not very deep, hardly deep enough, in fact, 
 to be called a pit ; but it was pretty wide, and the tufts of 
 grass around had been pulled up and strewn round it, so as 
 to make a sort of carpet upon which one might sit with 
 ease and comfort. Some people, indeed, were already doing 
 so, as Jack immediately perceived. There was a fire 
 smouldering away in the middle of the space, and around 
 this were several figures upon whom the young man at once 
 fixed his eyes. 
 
 The first glance showed him that they were all members 
 of the softer sex ; the second, that none of them was without 
 considerable personal attractions. One had magnificent 
 raven-black hair which fell in luxuriant tresses over her 
 shoulders ; another had features which were simply perfect 
 in every particular ; a third had an expression of face to 
 which the word " bewitching " might have been appro- 
 priately applied. The eyes of all the party appeared to 
 Jack to sparkle with marvellous brilliancy, but the thing 
 which surprised him most was the sight of Betsy Stickels 
 seated amongst the rest, and seemingly as much at home as 
 any of them. 
 
 It must be owned that his first thought on seeing the" 
 girl was that he had done her a great injustice when he 
 had recently called her gawky and ill-favoured. She now 
 seemed to him very much the reverse. Her eyes really
 
 3 o6 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 shone beautifully in the light of the fire ; her complexion 
 assumed a delicacy and her face a depth and richness 
 of colouring which he had never before noticed ; and as 
 she rose from her seat to welcome the new comer, the 
 proportions and symmetry of her figure seemed really 
 marvellous. 
 
 All the party rose at once to their feet and greeted Jack 
 Cubison with boisterous shouts of merry laughter ; though 
 to his mind they died away in rather an unpleasant and 
 melancholy cadence, and the echo did not seem to laugh 
 back as it usually did on that side hill. Betsy Stickels 
 came forward to meet the young man, and taking him 
 affectionately by the arm, expressed her delight that he had 
 come to join their party, and proceeded to introduce him to 
 the others. 
 
 There was Dame Punyer from Wye, and Mrs. Kennett, 
 Lamming, Fagg, Peck, and Vidgen, all hailing from the 
 same town, and one or two others, whose names Jack either 
 did not catch or could not afterwards recollect. They were 
 all dressed more smartly than he had ever seen ladies 
 dressed before ; and as to Betsy herself, he had no idea that 
 the cottage of old Thomas Stickels, or any wardrobe therein, 
 could have contained such fine clothes as those in which 
 that young woman was arrayed. Jack had no time, how- 
 ever, to ask any questions about the manner in which she had 
 become possessed of such gay garments, for as soon as she 
 had introduced him to her friends they all began to talk at 
 once (which, as women in their ordinary condition never do 
 such a thing, at once proves them to have been creatures 
 of no common sort), and drew him along to the fireside, 
 around which they speedily reseated themselves, the guest 
 being placed next to Betsy Stickels, with a damsel on
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 307 
 
 the other side of him whom he had never before seen, but 
 who was presented to him under the name of Madge 
 Hancock. 
 
 By this time Jack Cubison had no more scruples about 
 joining the repast, of the savoury nature of which he 
 was more than ever assured by the evidence of his senses. 
 All thoughts of Jane and of the object with which he had 
 started that evening had completely vanished from his 
 mind, and he felt a strange pleasure in the new scene to 
 which he found himself introduced, and the merry ac- 
 quaintances which he had just made. They were not only 
 merry, but positively uproarious in their mirth, and Jack 
 seemed to catch some of the intoxication of the moment. 
 He ate and drank freely, and found both the roast lamb and 
 the ale undeniably good. Betsy continually pressed upon 
 him the choicest morsels, and her manner towards him was 
 so affectionate that he felt his heart warm towards her, and 
 when at length she put her arm round his neck and her 
 face very near to his, I am sorry to say that he so far forgot 
 his duty to Jane as to bestow upon her sister a very hearty 
 kiss, which she was perfectly ready both to receive and to 
 return. 
 
 In short, as the truth had better be stated without 
 any concealment, Jack Cubison completely forgot his 
 duty, and abandoned himself to the ways and doings 
 of the evil society in which he was, as freely as if 
 he had really been one of them. Betsy was still lavish- 
 ing her caresses upon him, not without sundry jealous 
 glances at his neighbour on the other side, who was like- 
 wise disposed to be affectionate, when Dame Punyer, 
 who seemed to be one in authority, as probably the oldest 
 of the party, held up her hand, which literally glittered 
 
 x 2
 
 3o8 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 with the costly rings upon her fingers, and demanded 
 attention. 
 
 " Sisters," she said, as soon as silence had been maintained, 
 " we must not quite forget business in pleasure. We have 
 a new recruit to-night in Betsy's young man, and must 
 make him one of us without delay, so that he may be able 
 to join in our nightly frolics, and share the privileges which 
 we possess. "We must ask him first, of course ; but after 
 the friendly manner in which he has joined us to-night, 
 there can be no doubt of his willingness to be one of us, and 
 as soon as he has given his consent we can go through the 
 usual ceremony at once." 
 
 These words were received with much applause and ap- 
 proving laughter, whilst they fell upon Jack's ears without 
 causing him either alarm or suspicion, so engrossed was he 
 with Betsy and the fascinations of the scene. Then Dame 
 Punyer turned to him forthwith and said : 
 
 "Jack Cubison, art thou willing to join this society, 
 well-known on the whole hill-side as ' the Giddyhorn 
 Grannies'?" 
 
 Jack knew nothing whatever of the society, or of what 
 belonging to it might imply ; but as the question was asked 
 him, he felt the soft cheek of Betsy Stickels pressed 
 lovingly against his own, whilst at the same time she whis- 
 pered in gentle tones : 
 
 "Say 'yes/ dearie Jack; say 'yes,' to please his 
 Betsy." 
 
 With no further thought save to make himself agree- 
 able, and to afford the girl some return for her kindness 
 towards him, the foolish young man hesitated not for a 
 single moment, but pronounced the word " Yes," upon 
 which Betsy embraced him with greater fervour than
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 309 
 
 before ; his other neighbour held to his lips a brimming 
 glass of ale, and all the party laughed out a wild chorus 
 of satisfaction at his reply, which sound was succeeded by a 
 curious kind of subdued chuckle from the beeches around, 
 which caused Jack to turn his head to see from whom it 
 proceeded, but seeing nothing, he thought it had been only 
 a strange echo. 
 
 Then Dame Punyer rose to her feet and stretched both 
 her arms over the fire, which was now smouldering at her 
 feet ; she muttered some words which Jack could not quite 
 make out, but which seemed to partake of the character of 
 a solemn incantation, and then she said, in a voice deeper 
 and more solemn than that in which she had previously 
 spoken : 
 
 " Sisters of the chalky range, 
 Sisters weird and wise and strong, 
 Mortal nature we may change 
 By the dance and by the song : 
 Say, shall one or both be tried, 
 Here to-night on mountain- side ? " 
 
 As soon as she had spoken these words, a loud cry came 
 from all the party of " Both ! Both ! " and, as Jack stared 
 helplessly about him, not very well knowing what it all 
 meant, Betsy whispered low in his ear again : 
 
 " Say 'Both,' my pretty boy," and, accordingly, without 
 thought of any kind on the matter, he joined in with the rest 
 and shouted "Both, both," which seemed to amuse the 
 party not a little. Then Dame Punyer bowed her head, as 
 if assenting to the wish of the party, and turning to a tall 
 damsel who sat next her, and addressing her as Sister 
 Yidgen, gave her some muttered directions, upon which 
 she arose, her black hair falling in profusion over her
 
 3io OTHER STORIES. 
 
 shoulders, and her eyes sparkling with extraordinary bril- 
 liancy as she thus sang : 
 
 1. 
 
 " When dark is the sky, and the heavy black cloud 
 Is able the rays of the moon to enshroud, 
 Then, then, sisters dread, is our hour of delight, 
 And Giddyhorn Grannies ride forth on the night. 
 
 2. 
 
 When once safe and sound, on our broom-sticks astride, 
 Through the darkness of night as we merrily ride, 
 The owls and the bats start and tremble with fear, 
 For they know that the Giddyhorn Grannies are near. 
 
 3. 
 
 By day-time in cottage and cabin we lurk, 
 Our charms to prepare and our magic to work ; 
 But night cometh soon, and then, thrice in the week, 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies their beeches do seek. 
 
 4. 
 
 Look down from the heights, and gaze far o'er the dell, 
 What hamlet or house can escape from our spell ? 
 Strive all that man can, and do all that man may, 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies must carry the sway. 
 
 Who breathes but a word against us and our fame, 
 Ere long he shall sadly repent of the same ; 
 His cattle shall pine and his lambs shall die fast, 
 Till he cringe to the Giddyhorn Grannies at last. 
 
 6. 
 
 From Giddyhorn beeches we proudly may look 
 On Braboume and Bircholt, on Hinxhill and Brooke, 
 And know that by spell, charm, love-potion, and dream, 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies are ever supreme.
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 311 
 
 7. 
 
 Our beeches grow thick in our witch-loving Wye, 
 And you pass them in coming from lone Hastingleigh, 
 In passing, turn in, and full soon shall ye find 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies are loving and kind. 
 
 8. 
 
 From lone Hastingleigh has come Cubison Jack, 
 And stept on a path whence there's no looking back ; 
 Our beeches when once he has revelled among 
 To Giddyhorn Grannies he's bound to belong. 
 
 9. 
 
 The laugh's on his lips and the smile on his face, 
 As he yields to his Betsy's endearing embrace ; 
 She'll hold him so safe in her loving young arms, 
 Need Giddyhorn Grannies no magical charms. 
 
 10. 
 
 Yet charms must be sought for, and spells must we work, 
 Lest the path freely chosen hereafter he shirk ; 
 Man's nature is frail and by spell strong and deep 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies their partner must keep ! " 
 
 Loud shouts of applause followed the recital of these 
 lines by the handsome Mistress Yidgen; and as soon as they 
 were concluded, the whole party arose to their feet, and, 
 linking arm in arm, danced slowly and solemnly round the 
 fire in perfect silence for some minutes, Jack Cubison's arms 
 being securely locked in those of his companions on either 
 side. Then, at a signal from Dame Punyer, the whole 
 party suddenly stood aside, and crowded together beneath 
 one of the beech trees, while new actors appeared upon the 
 scene. From the dark shadows of the beeches came several 
 cats, one for each of the ladies, and took the places which
 
 312 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the latter had just vacated at the fire. They were animals, 
 as it appeared to Jack, of a larger size than common, and 
 their eyes sparkled with the same sort of unnatural lustre 
 which he had observed in those of his companions. 
 
 The creatures approached the fire, and after giving vent 
 to several remarkably discordant sounds, differing but little 
 from those which usually proceed from ordinary cats at 
 night, linked their fore-legs as the women had done their 
 arms, and, standing upon their hind legs, began a kind of 
 dance round the embers of the fire of such a grotesque 
 character, that it would have struck Jack as indescribably 
 ludicrous, if the circumstances of his peculiar position had 
 not prevented him from seeing it in that light. The women 
 remained silently watching while the cats danced, but 
 Betsy kept her arm locked all the time in Jack's, as if 
 fearful of losing him. 
 
 When the animals had completed their singular per- 
 formance, they uttered a few more cries not a whit more 
 harmonious than those with which they had previously 
 favoured the audience, and then retreated within the 
 shadow of the trees. Then old Dame Punyer came slowly 
 forward, and stood in the middle of the smouldering embers 
 of the fast declining fire. Turning with her face to Jack 
 Cubison, she lifted her arms high above her head, and 
 pronounced, in deep and awe-inspiring tones, the following 
 words : 
 
 u Son of Ciibison, although 
 Thou hast sought our life to know, 
 And to see the magic might 
 Gathered on the hill to-night, 
 More thou hast to seek and learn, 
 If thou wouldst from labour turn
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 313 
 
 Turn to lead a life of ease 
 'Neath the sacred beechen trees: 
 Wilt thou for this boon forego 
 Mortal toil and mortal woe, 
 And the evils of a life 
 Ever tried by want and strife ; 
 And the recompense, forsooth, 
 Be it false or be it truth, 
 Which by priestcraft is foretold 
 To a world in woe grown old ? 
 Wilt thou this vain shadow quit 
 For a better fortune fit ; 
 In the present take thy fill 
 Of the pleasures of the hill ; 
 Join the Grannies who adorn 
 The fair side of Giddyhorn ; 
 Join with them for weal or woe, 
 And a mortal's fate forego ? '* 
 
 Now, whilst the Dame was speaking these words, which 
 she did after a most impressive fashion, Jack Cubison was in 
 a perfect mazfc of bewilderment. The extraordinary sights 
 he had seen, and the still more wonderful things which he 
 had heard, had confused his brain not a little ; and his con- 
 fusion was hardly rendered less by the conduct of Betsy, 
 who was all the time squeezing his arm in the most affec- 
 tionate manner, and urging him in a low voice to say. " Yes " 
 in a decided tone, and she was sure he would always be glad 
 he had done so. Whether he actually did say the word or 
 not, I am unable to say ; but I suppose, if not, that it was one 
 of those occasions upon which silence is understood to " give 
 consent," for as soon as Dame Punyer had finished her 
 address, she waved in her hand the tail of a black cat, 
 which she drew from beneath her belt, and exclaimed : 
 
 " Here we number sisters nine, 
 Knowing each the mystic sign
 
 314 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Son of Cubison, 'tis now 
 
 Thou must take the solemn vow. 
 
 On the tail of brindled cat 
 
 On the jar of viper's fat 
 
 On the toe-bone of the dead 
 
 And by great Medusa's head 
 
 To be true, and serve alone 
 
 The dread Power we Grannies own." 
 
 As she spoke, she took from the same place a small jar, 
 and another dark-coloured object, which she held in her 
 hand, and beckoned to the young man to approach. At the 
 same moment, Betsy murmured to him. in soft and enticing 
 tones : 
 
 " Now, my pet Jack, go forward and do as she tells you ; 
 and we'll all be so jolly together : there's a duck, go on." 
 
 And at the same time she gave him a little push forward. 
 He moved on with a slow and uncertain step, and the eyes 
 of all around him seemed to glitter more brightly and wildly 
 than ever, while from the bushes in which the cats had 
 concealed themselves came mews and miaulings of a per- 
 fectly unearthly character. " Still it seemed as if the hand 
 of Fate was upon Jack Cubison, and that he had no power 
 of resistance ; so difficult, indeed, is it for those to resist or 
 return who have once ventured upon the path of evil. 
 Slowly and fearfully he approached, dragging one leg after 
 the other, and feeling the reverse of comfortable, until he 
 had drawn near to the expiring fire, and stood within arm's 
 length of Dame Punyer. Then she lifted her voice and 
 spoke again : 
 
 " Now the time, and now the vow 
 What thou see'st me do, do them." 
 
 Then she devoutly kissed the tail which she grasped in
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 315 
 
 her hand and held it out to Jack, who mechanically did so 
 too : she then performed the same ceremony with the jar of 
 adder's fat, and so did Jack ; and she next pressed to her 
 lips the dark-coloured object above mentioned, which Jack 
 afterwards declared to be a small bone which might be that 
 of a toe, or finger for what he knew ; but at any rate he 
 followed the old woman's example, and she then restored 
 the articles to the place from which she had drawn them. 
 Then she raised her arms aloft once more, and addressed 
 the young man again in the following language : 
 
 " Sworn on the tail, the jar, and bone of dead, 
 Now by each hair on fell Medusa's head 
 Swear to be vassal to our sov'reign lord, 
 And afterwards receive the magic word. 
 But, that we all may know thee firm and true, 
 Kneel on the ground and we will kneel with you." 
 
 So saying the dame knelt down by the fireside, and the 
 rest of the party, having silently approached while she was 
 speaking, knelt also. She made a sign to Jack Cubison to 
 do the same, and Betsy gave a nod and a wink to him which 
 conveyed a similar wish on her part. Had he complied 
 with her request at once I cannot tell what would have been 
 the result. He had given his consent to join that awful 
 band, he had eaten and drank with them, he had listened 
 to their song and taken a part in their magic dance ; nay, 
 he had now actually taken the oath prescribed to him, or at 
 least had gone through the preliminary steps before actually 
 repeating the words. 
 
 If then, he had pronounced those words upon his knees, 
 showing by that position his readiness to acknowledge the 
 same Power whom they obeyed, and implying his readiness
 
 3 i6 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 to kneel and worship with them, in all probability he would 
 have been theirs for ever. 
 
 It was at the very instant that he was about to yield to 
 the command of Dame Punyer, and the request of Betsy, 
 scarcely feeling able to resist if he had desired to do so, that 
 the scene was interrupted in a manner totally unexpected 
 by any of the party. 
 
 A sound was heard as of branches being pushed aside by 
 the hasty passage of some one forcing his way through them, 
 and a loud voice sounded upon the ears of those who had 
 hitherto had the place to themselves. 
 
 "Hallo I" it shouted, which was not of itself an expres- 
 sion calculated to excite uneasiness or alarm, but which 
 came at a moment when any expression at all was both 
 startling and vexatious to most of the party. They began 
 to rise hurriedly to their feet, but before they could do so 
 the figure of the new comer burst into the open space, and 
 stood before them. It was a man, past middle age, but 
 of a vigorous frame withal, and somewhat taller than the 
 ordinary height. He was clad in common fustian garments, 
 and had nothing remarkable in his appearance save an air 
 of courage and determination, which indeed he must have 
 possessed in order to break in upon that dread company 
 upon Giddyhorn hill-side. 
 
 This was no other than John Oliver, the parish clerk of 
 Wye, a man noted for his hatred of all appertaining to 
 witches and witchcraft, and his resolute perseverance in 
 putting down the same. Whether because he was protected 
 by his calling, which brought him so constantly in contact 
 with sacred things, or whether he had some special aid 
 unknown to the world at large, certain it is that the 
 enmity of the evil creatures against whom he ever waged
 
 THE CRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 317 
 
 war had not been able to injure him, and he was always 
 upon the look-out to discover and defeat their wicked 
 schemes. 
 
 Now it had chanced, strangely enough, that upon this 
 particular evening worthy John Oliver had been over to see 
 a crony of his at Hinxhill, and upon his return had called in 
 to see how his old friend Thomas Stickels was getting on. 
 He found that respectable man well enough in body, but 
 sick at heart on account of the condition of his beloved 
 daughter Jane ; so he sat down for a while to comfort him 
 with some neighbourly chat. 
 
 Presently Jane herself entered the room, looking so pale, 
 wan, and woe-begone, that she merely seemed the ghost 
 of her former self. John Oliver looked at her with a sad 
 but searching eye, and felt convinced in his own mind that 
 hers was no ordinary illness, but that witchcraft was at 
 work. 
 
 He said nothing to this effect, however, either to father 
 or daughter, but spoke cheering words of sympathy to both, 
 and they were well pleased with his visit and conversation. 
 
 It was not long before Jane became fidgety, and showed 
 evident signs of impatience, getting up and walking to the 
 window, then heaving a heavy sigh as she removed her 
 seat, and appearing disquieted about something to an un- 
 usual degree. 
 
 Master Oliver, seeing that this was the ease, asked 
 whether the girl felt unwell, or whether anything had occurred 
 to annoy her. She denied that such was the case, but old 
 Stickels gave his friend a sly nudge, and observed in a low 
 voice : " She's a-expecting of her young man he most 
 times comes this night, as 'twere, and she's a-worritting her- 
 self because he's behind."
 
 318 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 As this explanation seemed natural enough, Oliver made 
 no reply; but at last Jane's uneasiness became too much for 
 her self-control, and she asked her father what he thought 
 would have come to Jack that he was so late ? Her father 
 of course could not say more than that he supposed the young 
 man had been delayed, or prevented coming, and observed 
 that it was not so very late, after all, for Betsy was still 
 out. 
 
 This led to further conversation on the matter, and John 
 Oliver was filled with suspicion when he heard of the usual 
 behaviour of his friend's second daughter, and her proneness 
 to be abroad late at night. 
 
 As Jane, however, seemed still uneasy, and could not but 
 be fearful that some evil had befallen her lover (as, indeed, 
 there had, though not such as she anticipated), the good 
 clerk, who was about starting on his homeward journey, 
 promised to walk a little way towards Hastingleigh, and to 
 inquire whether anything had been seen of the truant, and, 
 if he met him, to hasten him on his road. 
 
 Accordingly, John Oliver went round near to Giddyhorn, 
 although by so doing he was going more than a little dis- 
 tance out of his way. Fancying that he saw the faint 
 glimmer of a light in Giddyhorn itself, where he knew that 
 no light should be, he drew nearer to the place instead of 
 hurrying off in the other direction, as most men would un- 
 doubtedly have done. Again the light gleamed through 
 the beeches, and stout-hearted John determined that, 
 danger or no danger, he would find out what it meant. So 
 he went boldly in at the bottom of the hill, climbed slowly 
 up the chalk ascent ; and, although the glare of the dying 
 embers of the fire was now hid from him by the foliage of 
 the beeches, a murmur of voices reached his ears which
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDfrYHORN. 319 
 
 guided him to the very place where Dame Punyer had 
 just concluded her incantations, and was about to administer 
 to the luckless Jack Cubison the terrible oath which would 
 bind him for ever to be one with her and the weird sister- 
 hood of which she was so notorious and powerful a 
 member. 
 
 The shout which John Oliver gave when he came thus 
 suddenly among the party had a great and wonderful effect 
 upon them, but it was marvellously increased by his next 
 proceeding. An ordinary man might have been induced to 
 think that the presence of the company he saw before him 
 could be explained, and that it was nothing more than an 
 evening picnic among neighbours which was going on. But 
 John Oliver had too much experience in such matters, to be 
 deceived for a moment. Moreover, had his eyesight been 
 baffled and his judgment misled, he had that about him 
 which would speedily have corrected the former and set 
 the latter right. 
 
 Years before, by means of a pilgrimage to Canterbury, 
 he had obtained some wooden beads which the Monks of 
 St. Augustine's had informed him \vere undoubtedly once 
 the property of, and worn by St. Edward the Confessor. 
 These relics he always wore about him, fastened upon a 
 string round his neck ; and he knew well that nought of evil 
 could be concealed or could stand before so powerful and 
 holy a charm. 
 
 By this means, or by some other, John Oliver knew at 
 once that those upon whose meeting he had broken in were 
 not what they should be ; and he hesitated not for a single 
 instant as to the course he should pursue. 
 
 Throwing open his vest he displayed the beads to view, 
 and as he did so shouted in a loud voice, " If there be aught
 
 320 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 of evil here, let it fly at once ! Here stands a man who 
 has gotten a charm which makes every witchling to shake 
 with alarm. Away, evil ones ! Away ! " 
 
 Jack Cuhison, who had evidently been under some strange 
 spell hitherto, felt his reason and his courage return to- 
 gether as he heard these same words, though he trembled 
 violently as if from nervous exhaustion as he saw what fol- 
 lowed. A marvellous change suddenly came over the appear- 
 ance of those with whom he v had been in company. Beauty 
 vanished from their faces, grace and symmetry from their 
 figures, and he saw only several gaunt, grey, haggard old 
 women, with an expression of mingled fear and pain upon 
 their uncomely features. Betsy, indeed, looked no older 
 than she really was, but all softness and every pretence of 
 good looks passed from her countenance, and she appeared 
 the same ungainly and ill-favoured wench. which, until that 
 night, he had always supposed her to be. More occurred, 
 however, than a mere change in the form and features 
 of the witches. Each turned in affright from the relic dis- 
 played by the new comer. Each rushed to the beeches 
 behind and seized a broom stick, of which articles several 
 had apparently been concealed hard by, though Jack had 
 not seen them before. 
 
 In another instant each witch was astride of her broom- 
 stick ; upon the shoulder of each leapt a cat, these creatures 
 appearing now to be of the ordinary size of such animals ; 
 and with a confused, hasty cry of " Mount and scurry ! 
 mount and scurry ! " the whole party rose up into the air, 
 and flew off as fast as they could, leaving Jack Cubison and 
 his deliverer the only occupants of the place. 
 
 Jack rubbed his hand and arm across his eyes ; then he 
 looked up, then down, then on one side and then on the
 
 THE GRANNIES OP GIDDYHORN. 321 
 
 other, and felt more queerly than he had ever done before 
 in his life. The good parish clerk, however, did not leave 
 him long to himself and his meditations, strange and inte- 
 resting as they must doubtless have been. 
 
 " Is this you, John Cubison?" he asked, in a solemn, not 
 to say severe, tone. " Is this Jane Stickels' sweetheart, out 
 here on the hill side in such awful company ? Speak out 
 and let us know what all this means." 
 
 The young man rubbed his eyes again, and looked his 
 questioner in the face without an answer. He was still too 
 confused and bewildered to explain matters as he could have 
 wished. But Master Oliver made no long pause before he 
 repeated his question. 
 
 " Tell us how you came to be here, John Cubison," he 
 said sternly, "or it may turn out worse for you than I 
 could wish. Such beings as those with whom I found you 
 are not to be suffered in a Christian land, and those who 
 choose them for companions must look to it, lest they share 
 their fate." 
 
 Jack drew a long breath at these words, and making a 
 violent effort to speak, brought out the following remarkable 
 words : 
 
 " I never seed nothing like it afore, not in all my born 
 days, I didn't." 
 
 Judging from these words, and from the manner and ap- 
 pearance of the young man, that he was probably not far 
 gone in the wickedness of witchcraft, and had possibly been 
 only a victim instead of a sharer in the evil practices which 
 had doubtless been going on, Master Oliver now spoke more 
 kindly, and bade the young man speak out boldly and tell the 
 truth, by which means he would be more likely to escape 
 any ill consequences from what had happened.
 
 322 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Thus admonished, and encouraged withal by the evi- 
 dently friendly intentions of his companion, Jack Cubison 
 opened his heart and his mouth to him, and told him all 
 that had happened ; only forbearing to mention the name of 
 Betsy, partly from a feeling of shame at the recollection of 
 the tender passages which had occurred between them, and 
 partly from a desire to shield from possible danger a member 
 of Jane's family. 
 
 John Oliver, however, had a keen eye for such matters, 
 and had, moreover, as we know, been looking out for Betsy 
 as well as for Jack himself. He therefore mentioned his 
 suspicion that she had been among the witches, but as 
 he did not ask Jack the question point-blank, the latter 
 merely spoke of his own confusion and helplessness as 
 having so obscured his intellect as to make him uncertain 
 who had been there and what had been done, and led his 
 companion to believe that he had no knowledge of Betsy's 
 presence. 
 
 The two men now walked away together down the hill, 
 and when they came to the turning towards Thomas Stickels' 
 cottage, Oliver told the young man that he must now leave 
 him, as he was obliged to get home to "Wye, and promised 
 him that if he would be cautious in future, avoid evil com- 
 pany, and never be out on the hills late at night, he would 
 hush the matter up and not bring him into trouble by 
 letting it get abroad. 
 
 Jack thanked him warmly, and proceeded to the cottage, 
 where Jane was still anxiously hoping for his appearance, 
 though she had begun to fear that he would not come. 
 Almost the first sight that greeted his eyes was the figure of 
 Betsy, seated demurely in one corner of the room, as if 
 nothing had happened, and playing with a black kitten
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 323 
 
 which was rubbing itself against her, and purring as inno- 
 cently as you please. The girl gave one quick glance at 
 him as he entered the room, but said nothing of their 
 having met before, and appeared to be very much in her 
 usual condition. 
 
 Old Stickels, however, began at once to ask the reason of 
 his being so late, saying that it was already past their usual 
 bedtime, and that they had given up expecting him at all. 
 He added that he had just been blowing up Betsy for 
 stopping out so late, too, and really thought the world was 
 turning topsy-turvy, since people couldn't be content to keep 
 regular hours and be in bed at a proper time. Jack made 
 the best excuses he could, but the reproachful looks of Jane 
 were almost too much for him, and he longed to open his 
 heart to her, and tell her the whole truth. 
 
 This, however, he dared not do, for it would have been 
 dangerous to him if it had got noised abroad that he had 
 been supping with witches in Giddyhom Beeches. Besides 
 this, Betsy's eye was upon him, and he felt an uneasy sen- 
 sation which made him desirous of shunning the subject in 
 which they were jointly interested. So he invented some 
 story of having been detained at home, and got out of it in 
 the best manner he could. He was not at his ease, however, 
 and had never enjoyed himself so little in the company of 
 his betrothed. It seemed as if a bar had been raised up 
 between them which had never previously existed, and 
 things were much less pleasant than of old. 
 
 Jack strove to get over this feeling, and when, after a 
 few minutes, he thought it was time for him to be off, he 
 put his arm gently round her waist, about to show his affec- 
 tion and fidelity by the not unusual demonstration of a kiss. 
 At this instant, however, a sudden scratch on the ankle
 
 324 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 made him start back ; and, looking down, he perceived 
 Betsy's kitten, which had stolen silently across the room 
 and given him this sharp but unexpected hint to be more 
 careful of his behaviour. At the same time, a peculiar look 
 upon Betsy's face told him pretty plainly that this feat of 
 the kitten was performed at her instigation, and that hence- 
 forth it would be unsafe to display his affection for her 
 sister in her presence. 
 
 It was late when Jack Cubison left the cottage, and I 
 wonder that he was not disturbed by any evil creature 
 during his homeward journey. I suppose, however, that 
 they had been thoroughly frightened and cowed by John 
 Oliver and his relic, and had either no inclination or no 
 power to venture forth again that night. So Jack Cubison 
 got safe home, and resumed his work next day as if 
 nothing had happened. Still, he could not get over that 
 Giddyhorn adventure by any means. It was all so strange, 
 so uncanny, and so unlike anything that had ever happened 
 to him before, that he kept thinking of it again and again, 
 and the memory of that night haunted him at his work, at 
 his dinner-hour, and even in his dreams. 
 
 Leaving him in this somewhat uncomfortable condition 
 of mind, we must turn our attention to the other personages 
 of our story. 
 
 Jane Stickels got no better: nay, she got worse; de- 
 cidedly worse. Her appetite still failed, her flesh fell away, 
 and it was evident that if things went on like this, she 
 would not much longer remain in the land of the living. 
 Meantime, there were strange circumstances in connection 
 with her illness. Whenever her sister Betsy fixed her 
 eyes steadily on her, she felt the same strange, chilly sensa- 
 tion which she had experienced upon the first occasion
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 325 
 
 which I have mentioned. Nay, even Betsy's cat seemed 
 to exercise a hurtful influence over her as it sat on the rug 
 and looked at her with its blinking but bright eyes. She 
 had more of the sharp pains about her heart and side to 
 which I have already alluded ; but these happened when 
 Betsy was out of the room, and therefore could not be 
 attributed to her. But, from whatever cause it proceeded, 
 Jane's illness had now certainly assumed an aspect which 
 caused the gravest alarm to Thomas Stickels. 
 
 Not content with home remedies, he determined to seek 
 for doctor's advice under these distressing symptoms, and 
 went so far as to take the girl into Wye, to see the good 
 Doctor Donamore, whose house was full three miles from 
 the cottage door. But although the doctor paid every atten- 
 tion to the case, he could do little or nothing. He recom- 
 mended change of air, to the sea, if possible, and plenty of 
 good meat and port wine ; but as these things were quite 
 beyond Thomas Stickels' means, he might just as well have 
 recommended boiled ostriches and fricasseed kangaroos, or 
 held his tongue upon the subject altogether. 
 
 On quitting Doctor Donamore's house with his daughter, 
 the old man was about to commence his journey homeward 
 with a heavy heart, when, coming round the corner of the 
 street near the " King's Head," who should appear but our 
 old friend John Oliver. 
 
 "What! Thomas Stickels!" cried the worthy man, as 
 soon as he set eyes upon him; "Who'd ha' thought o' 
 seeing you here, so far away from home at this time o' day ? 
 Turn in along with me, and let's have a snack together 
 before you go home." 
 
 Thus invited, Stickels required no further pressure, but led 
 Jane into the little room at the " King's Head," and there
 
 326 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 proceeded to partake of the refreshment which his friend 
 had offered. The latter, of course, inquired particularly 
 about Jane, and was grieved to hear that her health was 
 the cause of their journey to Wye, though he knew it must 
 be something serious, as people of Thomas Stickels' rank 
 in those days did not travel so far as three miles from 
 home except under the pressure of some extraordinary 
 emergency. 
 
 John Oliver now asked more particulars about the 
 maiden's malady than he had done upon his visit to the 
 cottage upon the famous evening of which we know, and 
 listened attentively to all that was told him. He then 
 asked several questions about Betsy, in whom he manifested 
 an unusual interest, and desired to be informed of her habits, 
 manners and disposition in a somewhat particular way. He 
 asked if she had a cat, if she was much away from home, 
 if she and her. sister were good friends, and various other 
 curious questions, and listened with grave attention to the 
 replies which he received. 
 
 Whilst they were talking, Jane suddenly turned pale as 
 death, and clapping her hand to her side, exclaimed 
 
 " Oh, father that pain again. Oh dear ! oh dear ! " 
 and gasped for breath in evident agony. 
 
 John Oliver made no more ado, but hastily removing the 
 string of beads from his neck, passed them round that of the 
 fainting maiden. Strange to say, he had scarcely done so 
 when the colour began to come back to her cheeks, her 
 faintness disappeared, and she presently sat up, declaring 
 that the pain seemed to have entirely passed awaj', and that 
 she really thought she felt better and stronger than she had 
 done for some months. 
 
 " Why, Master Oliver," said old Stickels, as Jane thus
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 327 
 
 expressed herself, " dash my buttons, if you be'ant a better 
 man than fold doctor yonder, after all. You be a right 
 down good 'un, you be, for to bring my maid round so 
 quick like." 
 
 The other shook his head gravely, and, calling Stickels out 
 of the room for the moment, laid his hand upon the old 
 man's shoulder in an impressive manner. 
 
 " 'Tis as I feared," he said, in a low and solemn tone 
 of voice. "Twenty and seven years have I been parish 
 clerk of Wye, having come young into the office, and 
 being only now in my fifty -five. There was those 
 here then that hadn't ought to have been, and there's 
 those here now. Thomas Stickels ! your daughter is be- 
 witched ! " 
 
 " Dash my buttons ! " said the old man on hearing this 
 terrible statement ; and having vented his feelings by this 
 exclamation, could get no further, but sat and stared with 
 eyes wide open at his friend and adviser. 
 
 " It cannot be otherwise," continued the latter. " There 
 ain't no doubt of it whatsumdever. Your daughter Jane 
 has been ' looked upon ' she is witch-struck, you may de- 
 pend up'ant : and that's why she's been so ampery this 
 spring, and what's more, there ain't no doctor as knows 
 nothing about it, nor can't do her not no good." 
 
 " Then what be I to do ? " asked the father, in a tone 
 tremulous with fear and grief. 
 
 "Do not fear," replied Oliver. "It is by no common 
 chance that you have come here to-day, and it bodes well 
 for you that such has been the case. "We've always had 
 a smart parcel of witches and such like in Wye and 
 hereabouts, and maybe that's the reason why we know 
 more about 'em than most folk. Now there ain't no
 
 328 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 meeting witchcraft by doctor's stuff. If a poor body's 
 witch-struck, there ain't no call to go for the doctor : bless 
 you, he can't help you, no form. But there's them that can, 
 aye and will too, for the matter of that." 
 
 Stickels eagerly inquired who it was that could and would 
 help his afflicted daughter, and what he should do in order 
 to procure the assistance which was necessary to secure her 
 recovery from the strange and unaccountable ailment with 
 which she had been attacked. 
 
 John Oliver then told him that such diseases, being 
 brought about by secret and magic arts, could never be 
 removed by merely human skill. If, he said, he could 
 have afforded to part with his beads, and they had been 
 hung around Jane's neck, he did not doubt but that the 
 evil spells would no longer avail to hurt her; and that 
 with common care, the natural strength of. her constitution 
 would ere long restore her to her former self. But, sur- 
 rounded as he himself was with dangers, and filling the 
 responsible position which he had so long held, he felt that 
 it would be wrong for him to part with the treasure which 
 had frequently been of such service to him in hours of 
 peril. "But," said he, "if I stood in your shoes, Friend 
 Stickels, which, though old and well-nigh worn out, I see, 
 are the shoes of an honest man, I should lose no time over 
 this business, but go and see the Hermit of Foreland 
 Green. He is a sworn enemy, as I am, to all witches, and 
 he knows well how to withstand them. If you was to 
 take loth your daughters to him, old friend, 'tis my belief 
 you'd find as how he'd settle the matter for you, and no 
 mistake." 
 
 Thomas Stickels asked a few more questions of the good 
 clerk, and much wished him to accompany the party if
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 329 
 
 they acted upon his advice and went to consult the Hermit. 
 He could not promise this, however, but remarked that if 
 they went an hour before sunset they would be sure to find 
 the Hermit ; and having again urged his old friend not to 
 lose any time in doing so, bade them farewell, and started 
 them on their way home, having previously resumed his 
 beads. This interview had taken place between two and 
 three, and when they reached their cottage it was getting 
 on for half-past three, and they were both somewhat tired 
 with their long walk. At the door they met one of the 
 younger children, little Billy, who was seated on the step, 
 crying bitterly. 
 
 "What's the matter, Bill?" asked the old man, while 
 Jane, who was always kind to the little ones, took the child 
 on her knee, and began to soothe him. 
 
 " Betsy's been a-spatting of me, she has," sobbed the 
 boy through his tears. 
 
 " Been a-spatting of you, Bill ! why what had you 
 been a-doing of that Betsy should spat you ? " said the 
 father. 
 
 " And where is Betsy ? " asked Jane at the same time. 
 
 "She's away up-street now," answered the little fellow, 
 still sobbing; "and she spatted me because I hid little 
 Jane." 
 
 " Hid little Jane ? " asked old Stickels, somewhat angry 
 at the child's story. " Who is little Jane, boy, and why 
 did you hide her ? " 
 
 " I was a-playing underneath the window," replied the 
 child, " and Betsy she was upstairs, a-mumbling and mut- 
 tering to herself, she was. I heerd her, and all at once she 
 gave a little scream like, and down from her window there 
 dropped a dolly ! "
 
 330 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 "A dolly ! " exclaimed both the listeners in amazement. 
 
 . " Yes, father, a real waxen dolly ; and, oh ! it was so 
 like Jane that I thought it was her picture." 
 
 " What next ? " asked the father anxiously. 
 
 " Well," continued the child, " then I heerd Betsy fall 
 down as if she was a-fainting. Then I took the dolly and 
 called it little Jane, and played with it. It was such a 
 pretty dolly, and it had a beauty great pin in it. Then I 
 heerd Betsy a-flumping about her room and a-coming 
 downstairs ; and I took and hid little Jane, because I was 
 afeard as how she'd come and take it ; and then she came 
 and asted me for the pretty dolly, she did, and I said I 
 hadn't seen no dolly, and then she spatted me, she did, 
 right off." 
 
 Old Stickels hardly knew what to make of this story ; 
 but Jane, to whom all Master Oliver's words had been 
 communicated, began to suspect, she hardly knew what, 
 and questioned the boy further. He had always been very 
 fond of her, and at her request, took her to the box-tree 
 in which he had hid the dolly. It proved to be a waxen 
 figure so exactly resembling Jane herself that both father 
 and daughter were astonished. There, in its side, pre- 
 cisely on the spot where Jane had felt her acute pain, 
 stuck a long black pin, half in and half out of the figure. 
 Putting two and two together, they made out that the time 
 of Betsy's dropping the figure from the window with a 
 scream, must have been as nearly as possible the very 
 moment at which Master Oliver had placed the relic of St. 
 Edward around Jane's neck. It appeared but too pro- 
 bable, then, that Betsy was not only in league with the 
 evil ones, but that she was conspiring against her sister's 
 life, and had resorted to one of those regular, old fashioned,
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 331 
 
 abominable witch-tricks by which practices are carried on 
 against innocent persons who are designed by these creatures 
 to be their victims. No doubt the pains in her heart and 
 side which had so tried poor Jane had been produced by 
 the cruel management of her younger sister, who must have 
 known at the time she thrust the pins into the waxen doll 
 that she was torturing and gradually destroying the life of 
 her own flesh and blood. 
 
 All this was very sad and very terrible, and both Jane 
 and her father were naturally much distressed. They de- 
 termined, however, after a brief consultation, to say nothing 
 to Betsy on the subject; but to lose no time in consult- 
 ing the Hermit of Foreland Green, according to good 
 Master Oliver's recommendation. So they comforted little 
 Billy as well as they could, but told him he should always 
 tell the truth, which he certainly had not done in declaring 
 to Betsy that he had not seen the doll, and that therefore 
 his punishment had not been undeserved. They bade him 
 say no more on the matter, and sent him off to play with a 
 neighbour's children, so that he might not be in the way 
 when his sister returned. She presently did so, and seemed 
 more sullen and morose than ever. I could never make 
 out how it was that she did not immediately discover where 
 her lost doll was ; because one would have supposed that 
 her evil friends could and would have done as much for her 
 as to disclose the hiding-place in which her young brother 
 had first put it, and also that in which it had now been 
 deposited by her father. But there is no reliance upon 
 the powers of evil, who will always betray and ruin those 
 who trust in them. Perhaps there were reasons of which 
 you and I can know nothing which prevented the first 
 disclosure, whilst in the second instance I have no
 
 332 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 doubt that the reason was that Thomas Stickels had 
 carefully hidden the little image in the drawer in which 
 he kept his large family Bible, which was probably the 
 last place to which Betsy or her associates would dare to 
 go, and one over and in which they had certainly no power 
 whatever. 
 
 Whether from this or from any other cause, Betsy never 
 mentioned the image, or her loss of it, to her father or 
 sister that evening, but behaved in her usual reserved and 
 surly manner, and retired early to bed. The next day 
 dawned bright and fair, and the old man determined that 
 before it closed he would ascertain what the advice of 
 Master Oliver could do for him. The chief difficulty, how- 
 ever, was how to follow that advice as entirely as he could 
 wish, by taking both his daughters to the Hermit. Of course 
 there would be no trouble as far as Jane was concerned ; 
 but as for Betsy, in the first place, she never by any chance 
 did as she was told ; and, in the second place, a holy man 
 was probably about the last being in the world whom she 
 would wish to see. 
 
 After pondering over the matter for a long time, the old 
 man came to the conclusion that Betsy's presence could 
 not be necessary, and that the Hermit could probably do 
 just as well without it. So he resolved to say nothing to her 
 on the subject, but to go alone with Jane upon his errand. 
 The latter was unusually free from pain that day, and felt 
 much better and more light-hearted than she had done for 
 some time past. Always disposed to think as well as she 
 could of others, and to put the best face upon everything, 
 she hoped that her sister had either not really been so 
 guilty as she appeared in the matter of the waxen figure ; 
 or that she had now repented of her wickedness, and would
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDY HORN, 333 
 
 practise against her no more now that the doll was no 
 longer in her possession. 
 
 Poor Jane little knew what a hard task-master is Sin, 
 and how difficult it is to abandon evil ways if once we begin 
 to pursue them. So well-disposed was she towards her 
 younger sister, even after all that had passed, that she 
 spoke kindly and affectionately to her that morning, and 
 told her that their father was going to take her to get 
 the advice of the Holy Hermit of Foreland Green. The 
 girl changed colour at this, and was visibly annoyed ; but 
 she made some scoffing reply, and said no more. She was 
 not in the house, however, when the time arrived at which 
 Thomas Stickels had appointed to set out for Foreland ; and 
 therefore he had no opportunity, had he so desired it, of 
 asking her to accompany them on their expedition. It was 
 a fine afternoon when the father and his eldest daughter 
 started on their walk. 
 
 The road to Foreland from Brooke was neither long nor 
 hard to find, and the distance for foot-passengers could 
 have barely reached two miles. A footpath from Brooke 
 Street led through the Court-lodge Farm to the Hampton 
 Woods, and so by the farm bearing the same name to Bed- 
 dleston Farm, and then you found yourself at the corner of 
 the plantation bearing the ominous name of " Hangman's 
 Wood." This, as all the world knows, joins Foreland 
 Wood, and beyond Foreland Wood, immediately to the 
 south, lies Foreland Green. But the footpath at the present 
 day skirts Hangman's Wood in its way to^Vest Brabourne, 
 and presently crosses the road which runs from Hastingleigh 
 and the hill, past Bull Town, and so down to Foreland 
 Green, leaving the wood several hundred yards to the right 
 as you journey south. In the old days of which I write
 
 334 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 this foot-path branched off through the main body of the 
 wood, and brought you out on Foreland Green, without the 
 necessity of going round by the road ; and this was the line 
 which a person might follow in walking from Brooke to 
 Foreland. But sometimes if a walker desired to make a 
 short cut, he would leave Beddleston Farm to the left on 
 quitting Hampton, and keep between Naccult and Foreland 
 "Woods until he came quite to the south-western corner of 
 the latter ; through "which ran another footpath, taking him 
 out at the western, as the former would to the eastern, 
 corner of Foreland Green. 
 
 It was this latter route which Thomas Stickels and his 
 daughter determined to follow, which they could do well 
 enough on foot, though riding or driving through Naccult 
 lanes was a feat impossible of accomplishment in those days, 
 and indeed for long generations after. The very recollec- 
 tion of Naccult lanes recalls the idea of wheels left in deep, 
 unconquerable clay ; horses up to the girths in mud that 
 seemed really unfathomable ; and riders reduced against 
 their better inclinations to hard language and despair. Our 
 two friends, however, having neither cart nor horse, not un- 
 naturally walked ; and walking had this convenience, that it 
 exposed them to none of those perils of bad roads and sticky 
 mud which would doubtless have assailed them had their 
 method of travelling been different. There are perils and 
 difficulties, however, even for people who walk, and so found 
 Thomas Stickels and his daughter before long. They had 
 scarcely entered Hampton AYood when they lost their way. 
 It seems a ridiculous thing to write, and so it seemed to 
 Stickels when it happened; for, as he afterwards said, he 
 had known that wood, " man and boy, for better than fifty 
 year," and could have sworn he could have found his way
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 335 
 
 through it blindfold. Nevertheless, upon the present occa- 
 sion, without being blindfolded at all, he certainly lost his 
 way, and after " blundering about all over the place," as 
 he expressed it, found himself coming out of the wood on 
 the Brooke side, exactly at the point where he had entered 
 it. He stood still, scratched his head thoughtfully, and then 
 confessed to Jane that he couldn't make it out at all. She, 
 poor girl, could not help him in the matter ; but they de- 
 termined to try again, and at once re-entered the wood, but 
 with no better success. 
 
 It seemed to have grown to double its size since Stickels 
 was last there ; and then the path, formerly smooth and 
 tolerably well trodden, was dirty, slippery, and half-choked 
 with brambles and briars, which made it difficult to get 
 along it. Had they been left to themselves I really doubt 
 whether they would ever have got through the wood at all; 
 but it fell out otherwise. As they wandered hither and 
 thither, wondering what had befallen or would befall them, 
 they heard a voice as of one chanting, and of a sudden 
 they perceived a man in a friar's dress approaching them, 
 and soon saw that he was one of those wandering friars 
 who went in those days from place to place over the 
 country, preaching and praying with those who desired 
 their aid, and living for the most part on the charity of the 
 faithful. 
 
 This holy man at once accosted them, and hearing of 
 their difficulty, expressed his surprise. The way was easy 
 to find, he said, and they were at that very moment in the 
 footpath. He was himself bound for Brabourne, and they 
 could follow the path together. The father and daughter 
 were only too glad to agree to this proposal, and from that 
 moment the path seemed to have resumed its original cha-
 
 336 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 racter. No difficulty whatever presented itself ; and they 
 passed through the woods and went safely as far as Beddle- 
 ston, where the good friar quitted them, holding on his 
 way to Brabourne, whilst our travellers took what they 
 thought would be the shorter cut, by turning down towards 
 Naccult Lane. On entering Pitt Meadow, however, through 
 which the road runs from Beddleston to Naccult, and on 
 one side of which, ere you reach the head of Naccult 
 Lane, is a part of Hampton Wood, a new danger 
 presented itself in the shape of an enormous black bull 
 which stood on the bank, bellowing at them in an alarm- 
 ing manner, and apparently disposed to dispute their 
 
 They were as nearly as possible turning back and giving 
 up the journey ; for Thomas Stickels argued with himself, 
 not without reason, that if he was going to visit a wise man 
 for the purpose of saving his daughter's life, the object of 
 his visit would be entirely defeated if she was killed by 
 a bull on the way. So he hesitated at the gate, and was 
 about to propose that they should return, when the bull, 
 overdoing his part, as some people always will do, rushed 
 forward towards the gate, as if with the intention of imme- 
 diately attacking them. 
 
 " Holy Saint Agnes ! " cried Jane in her fear ; for, 
 having been religiously brought up by her departed mother, 
 she generally used such exclamations as preferable to others 
 of a more idle and sometimes much less desirable cha- 
 racter. 
 
 The words were scarcely out of her mouth when a mar- 
 vellous effect was produced. The bull disappeared, vanished 
 as if the earth had opened and swallowed him up, and there 
 was nothing left to impede their further advance. The
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 337 
 
 eyes of tlie father and daughter were at once opened. It 
 was plain enough now : there was witchcraft at work. 
 Their journey was regarded with no favour by the powers 
 of evil ; and hence had come, beyond all doubt, their loss 
 of the way in the wood, and the threatening appearance 
 of this shadow of a bull. The old man questioned his 
 daughter as to whether she had told her sister of their 
 intended expedition ; and on learning that such was the 
 case, he at once came to the conclusion that it was her 
 doing, and that this was another proof that his unhappy 
 child had indeed sold herself to work evil with the bad 
 ones of the hills. However, since they now knew the 
 worst, they would be better able to guard against it ; and 
 accordingly they proceeded on their journey, and reached 
 Naccult Lane in safety. 
 
 The road was almost impassable, but they managed to 
 get over it somehow or other, and arrived at the meadow 
 over which the path led to the corner of Foreland "Wood, to 
 enter which they had to climb over one of those stiles 
 which are called, from the shape of their top bar, " hog- 
 backed stiles," after passing which, the path led through 
 some forty or fifty yards of the corner of the wood ; and 
 after climbing a similar stile at the other end, they would 
 have reached their destination, or at least that end of the 
 large tract of land known as Foreland Green. But here 
 another and wholly unexpected obstacle presented itself 
 in the shape of an enormous black cat, seated upon the 
 top of the stile, whence it glared upon them with ferocious 
 eyes, setting up its back, and growling in a manner par- 
 ticularly uninviting and disagreeable to the approaching 
 travellers. By this time, however, old Thomas Stickels had 
 begun to know better, and to estimate at their proper value
 
 338 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 the nature of the hindrances which had been thrown in the 
 way of his journey. 
 
 So, being fearless of danger, as a man of Kent should be, 
 and relying upon this knowledge and his own courage, 
 he strode manfully forward, with his stout walking-stick 
 uplifted in his hand, and shouted loudly at the same 
 time, 
 
 "Now, you cat, witch, devil, or whatever you be, out 
 of the way with ye ! " and struck fiercely at the animal. 
 
 Horrible to relate, though his stick appeared to hit the 
 creature full on the back, it passed through it as if it 
 had been air, and produced no effect whatever, whilst the 
 cat glared and growled more fiercely than before ; and with 
 a sudden cry of pain, the old man dropped his right arm 
 helplessly by his side, whilst his stick dropped from his 
 palsied hand and fell upon the ground. Happy for him 
 was it that Jane was with him. 
 
 " Father ! " she had cried, when he first spoke, but was 
 too late to prevent the words and the action which had 
 resulted so unhappily ; " Father ! dear father," she now 
 repeated, " mortal strength ain't no good agin them things. 
 Let me try what mother taught me, now I know what 'tis 
 we have to fight." 
 
 And, stepping forward with undaunted mien, she re- 
 peated .in a calm, firm tone of voice, the verse her mother 
 had taught her when a little child, as a talisman against 
 aught of evil which might be near her. 
 
 " On our knees we lowly bend us, 
 Heaven send angels to defend us ; 
 Guardian spirits, now attend us, 
 Sweet Saint Agnes, come, befriend us !" 
 
 As Jane pronounced these words, the eyes of the cat
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 339 
 
 ceased to glare, she growled no longer, her figure became 
 gradually more and more indistinct, and before the words 
 were concluded it had utterly vanished away, and the stile 
 was left unoccupied. At the same moment strength re-- 
 turned to the old man's arm : he picked up his stick, 
 tenderly embraced his daughter, and thanked her, in his 
 own homely language, for having taught him to trust in 
 Heaven, and not upon his own unaided strength. 
 
 The two then passed the stile, walked through the cor- 
 ner of the wood without meeting the slightest difficulty, 
 and, after climbing over the stile at the other end, came 
 out upon Foreland Green. The next thing was how to 
 find the Hermit; and in order to accomplish this 
 desirable object, it was necessary to know where to look for 
 him. 
 
 Foreland Green at the present day is all inclosed. You 
 may travel along the road south of Naccult Wood in the 
 direction of Bircholt and Brabourne Leese, and for a mile or 
 more after leaving Naccult Wood behind you, the wire 
 fences by the side of the road, and rough grass beyond them, 
 show you that a common or large "Green" existed there at 
 some time or other. But it was very different in the days 
 of which I write. There were no wire fences then. The 
 common commenced very soon after you had passed Nac- 
 cult Wood, and extended up to Foreland, Chu-te's and 
 Fuller's Wood, and some way beyond them, on the north, 
 and on the south was bounded by the more cultivated land 
 of Foreland Farm, beyond which came in the Foreland 
 Meadows, extending up to Bircholt Wood. 
 
 Foreland Green was thus, it will be seen, of considerable 
 extent, and bore by no means the same civilized appearance 
 which it does at the present day. Huge patches of rough,
 
 340 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 coarse grass, varied by rougher and coarser masses of 
 brambles, tangled thickets, and wild-growing, stunted 
 bushes, covered nearly the whole surface of the land, 
 save where vast oaks sprang up here and there, spreading 
 their gigantic branches far and wide, beneath which the 
 underwood could not grow, but which afforded shade and 
 shelter to the animals, and formed a striking and beautiful 
 feature in the scenery. 
 
 Nowadays, as you stand on the Green, with your face turned 
 towards the south, you see the mass of building, baronial 
 in its appearance from this point, which is now Mersham 
 Hatch, standing out boldly on the crest of its own hill, 
 from whence it commands so beautiful a view of the whole 
 valley of the Chalk Hills, from Beechborough to Eastwell. 
 Then, however, no such sight was to be seen ; firstly, be- 
 cause the thick woods intervened, which have since been 
 felled in every direction ; and, secondly, because the Mer- 
 sham Hatch of those days was not the building which now 
 bears the name, but was situate some half-mile to the west 
 of the present site, and nearer to the famous old wood of 
 Bockhanger. 
 
 Seeing the nature and extent of Foreland Green, it is 
 not wonderful that Thomas Stickels and his daughter 
 should pause when they found themselves there, and doubt 
 what would be their best course to pursue in order to find 
 the individual of whom they stood in need. 
 
 It was fast approaching the hour of sunset, an hour 
 just before which they had been told by Oliver was the 
 best time to discover the holy man. But, in addition to 
 their ignorance of the precise spot upon which he lived, 
 they were in some little difficulty owing to the nature of 
 the ground, which was rough and rugged, and difficult to
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 341 
 
 travel upon if you quitted the footpath on either side. The 
 footpath led by a winding route through the Green away to 
 Bircholt ; and as, after all, it seemed the best plan to follow 
 it, seeing that it was the only way by which they could 
 well proceed at all, they determined to do so. The path 
 was one little used, but Stickels and his daughter felt no 
 alarm upon that account. 
 
 They feared no robbers, partly because no such people 
 frequented those regions, and partly because, if they had 
 been attacked, they had little or nothing to lose. Witch- 
 craft, indeed, they had reason to know was abroad ; but the 
 sanctity of the Hermit's name and reputation would protect 
 them now that they were once fairly upon the Green which 
 he rendered secure by his residence thereon ; and they 
 therefore strode boldly forwards, having, in fact, nothing 
 else to do, unless they had turned back. 
 
 Their perseverance was rewarded before they had gone 
 very far. Upon the left of the path, and about twenty 
 yards from it, after they had walked along it for a couple 
 of hundred yards, stood a gigantic oak, towards which the 
 ground gently rose, and around which, owing probably to 
 its roots and branches, vegetation was scanty, and there 
 was nothing to prevent a fuir view of the tree as you 
 passed by. 
 
 It was such a magnificent oak that any one who loved 
 the beauties of nature, and especially those trees which are 
 among the greatest beauties that can delight the eye of 
 mortal, could hardly help stopping to gaze on it for a 
 moment. It was precisely this which Thomas Stickels and 
 his daughter did, and as they gazed Jane laid her hand 
 lovingly upon her father's arm, and said : 
 
 " Oh, father, what a lovely great oak ! 'Tis rather an
 
 342 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 " ellinge " * old place this ; but that oak is mortal fine, to be 
 sure. I should like to go close up to it !" 
 
 The old man was about to comply willingly with this 
 very natural request, when, even as they turned from the 
 path to approach the tree, a voice addressed them which 
 appeared to issue from the tree itself. It was not a very 
 harsh voice nor a very soft voice, not a very loud voice 
 nor a very low voice ; but it sounded exactly like the tone 
 of an ordinary man speaking in an ordinary manner to 
 ordinary people. It made no preface at all to what it had 
 to say, but began at once, and seemed to understand a good 
 deal about the business on which they had come. And 
 this was the fashion of its address : 
 
 " Old father, young daughter, from village of Brooke, 
 You come for the Hermit of Foreland to look, 
 Since Oliver told you he's sure to be seen 
 If an hour before sunset you come to the Green. 
 The Hermit is here, as reported to be 
 And I'll tell you, without any nonsense, I'm He ! 
 I kno\v what you want ; what you fear ; Avliat you ask ; 
 Tis a difficult, not an impossible task ; 
 For things that seem out of our reach, hard and high, 
 We oft can accomplish, that is, if we try. 
 But before I advise yon in which way to act, 
 I am bound to announce an unfortunate fact. 
 This Betsy your daughter and sister to you, 
 Has scarcely gone straight, in fact, sadly askew, 
 Aside, wrong, perverted, obliquely, aslant, 
 Neglecting her mother, she's followed her aunt, 
 And unless things go right, in the saddest of pickles, 
 She shortly will land all the household of Stickels." 
 
 Kentish word for "triste," " melancholy.'
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 343 
 
 Then the voice stopped, as if to take breath, and poor 
 old Stickels and his daughter looked at each other in great 
 astonishment. Grief, indeed, was mixed with that astonish- 
 ment ; for they now heard it stated in plain terms, and upon 
 that which they felt to be undoubted authority, that Betsy 
 was certainly in league with the powers of evil and was 
 following the bad example of her notorious relative. This 
 corroboration of his worst fears so overcame the old man 
 that he was utterly unable to speak a word, if indeed his 
 ignorance and wonder at the strange position in which he 
 found himself would in any case have permitted him to do 
 so. But Jane had more presence of mind, and had also 
 heard sufficient of the nature of the beings who dwell in 
 forests and inhabit oaks to feel certain that, if they spoke 
 in rhyme, they should be answered in a similar manner. 
 She knew but little of the Hermit of Foreland Green, 
 whether he was a wizard or only an ordinary mortal ; but 
 as he had adopted this mode of addressing her and her 
 father, she was sure that she could make no mistake in 
 following his example. She, therefore, faced boldly to- 
 wards the oak, and without any hesitation spoke in the 
 following terms : 
 
 " We make no doubt but what your words are true, 
 But please to tell us what we'd ought to do." 
 
 She spoke, and waited impatiently for the answer, which 
 was not long in coming. The same voice presently ga've 
 back its response in the same tones : 
 
 " Your illness, my girl, does your sister produce, 
 For which she can have not the slightest excuse ; 
 But yet, if the cause you're desirous to track 
 She's jealous and that on account of your Jack.
 
 344 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 The truth. I declare ; but, be this as it may, 
 
 She finds you undoubtedly much in her way, 
 
 And, wishing herself to be Cubison's wife, 
 
 Is trying to finish your innocent life. 
 
 To this, and to other bad deeds she is stirred 
 
 By witches, of whom you have probably heard ; 
 
 The Giddyhorn Grannies, who meet on the hill, 
 
 And plan to make mortals conform to their will. 
 
 They tried it on Jack, and had won in their " try," 
 
 If worthy John Oliver hadn't come by, 
 
 The stout parish clerk on that terrible night 
 
 Saved Cubison's soul, and put witches to flight. 
 
 But Betsy, far gone in contrivance of ill, 
 
 Has schemed a long time, and goes scheming on still ; 
 
 And to stop her before her full course shall be run, 
 
 There's much to be thought of, and much to be done." 
 
 The voice stopped again at this point, and Jane who 
 not only found her worst fears about her sister confirmed, 
 and more than confirmed, hut heard for the first time the 
 reason of her lover's late arrival upon that eventful evening 
 was so much struck with horror that she could scarcely 
 summon courage or voice to make an appeal for further 
 information upon a matter so vitally important to the wel- 
 fare of herself and her family. However, she mastered 
 herself by a tremendous effort, and spoke thus : 
 
 " Pray tell us what we'd ought to do, for we 
 Quite ignorant on all such matters be. 
 
 Then the voice replied as follows, speaking very slowly 
 and clearly : 
 
 " 'Twixt Coombe and Foreland Green (my own abode) 
 The river overflows the Bircholt road, 
 Were Betsy there, in spite of tear and scream, 
 'Twould be the best to duck her in the stream ;
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 345 
 
 And e'er she's dry again, 'twould do her good, 
 
 To leave her in the shades of Bircholt wood. 
 
 Meanwhile, go home : she'll trouble you no more, 
 
 If that you nail a horse-shoe o'er your door. 
 
 If such you lack, I hardly need explain 
 
 You'll find them by the score in Naccult Lane ; 
 
 For horses, best or worst in every stud, 
 
 Leave shoes as tribute to the Naccult mud : 
 
 Nail one of these o'er every door you've got, 
 
 'Twill make it for Miss Betsy rather hot ; 
 
 And if she show the smallest spite or spleen, 
 
 The force of words I'll tell you shall be seen : 
 
 Look in her face, and say out loud and free, 
 
 This " Pickled Pork," or afterwards " P. P." 
 
 'Twill always check her, and her power restrain, 
 
 If once don't do, why, say the words again. 
 
 And if you find you've trouble with her cat, 
 
 Souse her in soap-suds, she won't relish that ; 
 
 And mind, in catching her, before you catch 
 
 Cry " Pickled Pork," she'll neither bite nor scratch. 
 
 As for yourselves, you've only to do right, 
 
 And ne'er forget your prayers at morn and night ; 
 
 The duty straight before you every day, 
 
 Do quietly and well, the surest way 
 
 This you will find to make you safely stand 
 
 Against the witches who infest the land." 
 
 Having uttered these rhymes, the voice was again silent, 
 and both father and daughter felt much comforted by the 
 words to which they had listened. It was not a hard thing 
 to find plenty of horse-shoes, and a very easy one to nail 
 them over every door in the cottage. " Pickled Pork " also 
 was an expression very familiar to the ears and mouth of 
 a Kentish peasant, and by no means likely to be forgotten ; 
 and if the use of such words could restrain Betsy's power, 
 and enable them to souse her cat in soap-suds without fear 
 of evil consequences, the result would certainly be beneficial
 
 346 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 to the family of Stickels. The more difficult part of the task 
 would he the cure of the unhappy girl herself, for if it was 
 only to be effected by ducking her in the running water- 
 below Bircholt "Wood, and leaving her in the wood after- 
 wards, it would require some tact and management to 
 accomplish. 
 
 It was very probable that Betsy would suspect some 
 design against her if asked to accompany her father and 
 sister in that direction ; and even if she had no such sus- 
 picion, her natural disposition would lead her to refuse the 
 invitation. Moreover, if they got her to the place, to duck 
 her seemed such an unusual proceeding for a father and a 
 sister, that they would hardly like to attempt it ; and did 
 not feel very certain that the attempt, if made, would be 
 attended with success. They, therefore, thought that they 
 had better ask for more precise information upon this point ; 
 and, after whispering together for a moment, Jane spoke 
 once more. 
 
 " About this ducking, sir, in Bircholt brook, 
 To its it don't so very easy look : 
 / can't duck Betsy, how she'd scratch and slap ! 
 And 'tis a queerish job for father, hap." 
 
 There was silence after this question had been put, and 
 the two waited patiently for a full minute, hoping to receive 
 an answer which would settle the point which puzzled 
 them. Then Stickels whispered to his daughter : 
 
 " T' old chap won't say no more. 'Hap he's gone 
 to sleep, or else he dcn't choose to go on talking to such 
 as we be." 
 
 He had scarcely spoken, however, before the voice again 
 came from the tree ; but this time its tones were less dis- 
 tinct, and really appeared to resemble those of a person
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 347 
 
 half asleep, or tired of a conversation in which he was 
 not greatly interested. However, this was what the voice 
 said: 
 
 "If any doubts distract your mind, 
 Your way you hitherward can find- 
 Father and sister, it is clear, 
 Can scarce with ducking interfere ; 
 But of these things there are 'inong men 
 Those who the mysteries do ken, 
 And you are scarcely like to err 
 If guided by John Oliver." 
 
 With these words the voice ceased, nor did Jane and her 
 father deem it right to trouble the Hermit (for they doubted 
 not that he had been the speaker) with any more questions. 
 They, therefore, expressed their _thanks for his kindness 
 very warmly (though whether he heard them or not they 
 could net tell, since no further sounds issued from the tree) ; 
 and, having done this, they proceeded to turn round and 
 resume their homeward journey. 
 
 As had been foretold, and as, indeed, they could have 
 foretold for themselves without help, they found several 
 horse-shoes in Naccult Lane, which they carefully carried 
 home. Their journey was quiet and uneventful. No cat 
 sat upon any stile, no bull bellowed in any field, every- 
 thing seemed to be in its natural and ordinary condition ; 
 and the path through the woods of Hampton was as easy 
 to find as indeed it had always been before that eventful 
 day. 
 
 It was, of course, somewhat late when they reached the 
 cottage ; but, as it was now the month of July, there was 
 plenty of light, and Thomas Stickels determined to lose no 
 time in commencing the operations which were to set him
 
 348 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 and his free from the dangers with which he now knew 
 they had been surrounded. 
 
 On entering the house, he threw down on the table the 
 horse-shoes, which he had tied up in his large red handker- 
 chief. Betsy was sitting in the corner, and started when 
 she heard the noise. 
 
 " Whatever have you got there, father ? " she said, 
 rising from her seat, and approaching him, whilst at the 
 same moment a low, whining " miaw " proceeded from the 
 cat at her side. 
 
 " Never you mind, wench," replied the old man ; " you'll 
 see soon enough, and find 'em useful things, too, please 
 the pigs ! " 
 
 So saying, he began to undo the knot of the handker- 
 chief, and soon displayed to view four horse-shoes, begrimed 
 a bit with Naccult mud, but plain and palpable horse-shoes 
 notwithstanding. The moment she set eyes upon them, 
 Betsy gave a little scream, as if startled, and immediately 
 cried out : 
 
 " Oh, what nasty, dirty things, father ! How could you 
 bring them in- doors ? Here, let me take and chuck 'em 
 out of the window, and then you can see to 'em to-morrow 
 morning, if so be as you really want such rubbish." 
 
 " Bide a bit, wench ; bide a bit," replied the old man, 
 gently, but firmly interposing between the girl and the 
 handkerchief, at which she made a grab as if to throw it 
 out of the window as she proposed. 
 
 " You hav'n't got no call to interfere with these here 
 things. They won't hurt you y if so be as all is right, and 
 as it should be ; and I ain't a-going to have 'em throwed out 
 of the window, nohow." 
 
 An angry colour rose to Betsy's face.
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 349 
 
 "It is too bad!" she cried, "to bring such, a mess in 
 here I declare it is." 
 
 "A man may do what he will in his own house," 
 returned her father ; " so shut your potato-trap, my girl, 
 and give your red rag a holiday." 
 
 This expressive command to close her mouth and hold 
 her tongue put Betsy into a still greater rage; and, 
 turning angrily to her sister, she exclaimed, in a loud 
 voice : 
 
 " This is your doing, you minx, I know ; you are always 
 setting father agin me, you are. I'll serve you out for it, 
 I will ! " 
 
 Jane calmly replied, that she had nothing to do with 
 any offence given to her sister, and knew not the cause of 
 her anger ; but Betsy was not to be appeased, and seemed 
 quite beside herself with passion. 
 
 Turning fiercely upon her sister, she began to use words 
 of dire and fearful import, which I cannot repeat, not being 
 quite certain what they were ; but I know that they left no 
 doubt upon the mind of Jane that her sister was working 
 or trying to work some new and terrible spell against her. 
 The same thing occurred to old Stickels himself, and he 
 thought it was high time to stop it; therefore he faced 
 the girl boldly, and said in the sternest voice which he 
 could assume : 
 
 " Come, wench ; this here won't do : none o' your 
 tantrums here ! Pickled Pork, if you please ; that's it. 
 P.P.- P.P. P.P. ! " 
 
 The girl stopped, as if she had been shot : the colour left 
 her face, she turned deadly pale, and, without another word, 
 crept back to her seat, and cowered in the corner. 
 
 Upon this, her father, perfectly contented with the
 
 350 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 result, made no attempt to interfere with her arrange- 
 ments, but carried on his own without further delay- A 
 horse-shoe was nailed over the front door, and another 
 over the back door ; one over Jane's bed, and another over 
 that in which the younger children slept. They did not 
 nail one over Betsy's bed, partly because they thought it 
 might prevent her going there at all, and partly because 
 they had only got four shoes, and therefore thought it best 
 to bestow them where they would be most useful, or at all 
 events best appreciated. 
 
 Having done this, Jane and her father retired to rest, 
 satisfied that a good day's work had been performed, and 
 that their cottage was in a safer condition than had been 
 the case for some time past. 
 
 I have no means of knowing what were Betsy's 
 reflections upon the subject, but I imagine that they 
 cannot have been agreeable ; and the introduction first 
 of the horse-shoes, and then of the words which had 
 so disconcerted her, must have made her feel the re- 
 verse of comfortable as to the prospect before her. She was 
 quiet enough next morning, however, although she and her 
 cat both seemed to mope a good deal, as if the place was 
 no longer as pleasant to either of them as it had hitherto 
 been. 
 
 Thomas Stickels took an early opportunity of consulting 
 Jane as to what course should be taken about the other 
 part of the directions which they had received on Foreland 
 Green ; and they both agreed that the best thing would be 
 to ask Master Oliver's advice as soon as they could find 
 time for another journey to "SVye. This trouble, however, 
 was spared them by the timely appearance of the very 
 man of whom they were speaking. Anxious to hear the
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDY HORN. 351 
 
 result of their visit to Foreland, he walked over about 
 dinner-time, and looked in upon the family, quite ready to 
 give his best advice. The question of the ducking fairly 
 staggered him at first. It was fully discussed between him, 
 old Stickles and Jane, after dinner, in the corner of the 
 churchyard, whither they had strolled, leaving Betsy 
 indoors. 
 
 Oliver agreed that the father and sister could hardly 
 be expected to assist in the operation ; but unless they 
 were present, he did not see much chance of getting 
 Betsy to the place appointed. When there, he said, his 
 hatred of witchcraft was such that, coupled with his great 
 regard for the family, it would induce him to undertake 
 the matter himself, cost him what it might. Thomas 
 Stickels thanked him heartily ; but for some time no way 
 occurred to them of inducing Betsy to accompany them 
 to the place. 
 
 At last John Oliver's face lighted up with a ray of 
 intelligence. 
 
 " I've got it," he said ; and then proceeded to unfold his 
 scheme. 
 
 The park and gardens of Sir Edward Scott, of Scott's 
 Hall, were at that day the great attractions of the neigh- 
 bourhood ; and the mansion of that celebrated man was a 
 noble and stately edifice, famous among the houses of the 
 nobility and gentry of the land. Those were accounted 
 fortunate who managed to obtain the privilege of visiting 
 this place a privilege accorded to few persons of the rank 
 in life of those of whom we now write. It so happened, how- 
 ever, that good Master Oliver had a brother, who occupied 
 a position no less important than that of gardener at Scott's 
 Hall ; and through this influential person he had every
 
 352 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 hope of being able to obtain the desired permission for 
 himself and friends. This done, he proposed that Thomas 
 Stickels and his two daughters should accompany him 
 upon the expedition. 
 
 Now the road from Wye and Brooke to Scott's Hall led 
 directly to Bull Town, and thence down by "West Brabourne, 
 north of Bircholt Wood, across the running water there, and 
 so away to Brabourne Leese ; so that, in taking this journey, 
 the travellers must perforce pass the very spot where the 
 Hermit (or the voice which they supposed to proceed from 
 that saintly personage) had directed that the ducking of 
 Betsy should take place. At Jane's earnest request, Jack 
 Cubison was invited to join the party, to which he readily 
 assented, having lived a remarkably careful and steady life 
 since his adventure in April upon Giddyhorn hill-side, 
 and feeling himself now tolerably secure .against the temp- 
 tation into which he had fallen upon that melancholy 
 occasion. So the day was fixed, the arrangements made, 
 and a heavy country cart hired, which would take the 
 whole number of them. 
 
 Contrary to the expectations of her father and sister, Betsy 
 made no objection to the proposal. She had been rather 
 less troublesome since the incident of the horse-shoes ; and 
 the very day before that appointed for the Scott's Hall 
 expedition a circumstance occurred which seemed to have 
 so cowed and terrified her that she was quite a different 
 creature. 
 
 It was washing-day at the cottage, and Jane was hard 
 at work in the wash-house, with sundry pails and tubs full 
 of soap- and- water around her, and various articles of 
 clothing scattered about. Betsy was, as usual, doing 
 little or nothing to help her sister ; but was watching her
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 353 
 
 In sullen silence, with her cat on her knee, and probably 
 wondering how it was that Jane had managed to avoid the 
 spell practised against her, and seemed to be gaining her 
 health and strength every day. 
 
 Presently, the elder sister called the younger to help her 
 to move some article of furniture. Instead of complying, 
 Betsy made some rude remark, and sat still. Irritated 
 at this conduct, the usually mild and good-natured Jane 
 crossed to the place where her sister sat, and said to her 
 somewhat sharply : 
 
 " You ain't no good at all in a house, Betsy ; you never 
 do nothing to help. I wonder what's the use of ye ?" 
 
 And as she spoke, she stretched out her hand, as if to 
 lay it on her sister's shoulder, and rouse her to attention. 
 The moment she did so, up started the cat, set up its 
 back, glared at Jane, and made as if it would fly at her 
 face. 
 
 Miss Stickels, however, was equal to the occasion. 
 Remembering the advice given on Foreland Green, she 
 promptly seized the animal by the back of the neck, 
 exclaiming as she did so, " Pickled Pork, Pickled Pork, 
 Pickled Pork," three times quickly in succession; and 
 without more ado, plunged it then and there into the 
 nearest tub of soap-suds, sousing it up and down with real 
 good-will. 
 
 Betsy sat pale and petrified, offering no attempt what- 
 ever to rescue her pet, which struggled in vain in the hands 
 of Jane, and seemed unable either to bite, scratch, or free 
 itself from the grasp in which the brave girl held it. But 
 as soon as ever she loosed her hold, the creature scrambled 
 out of the tub, uttering cries like those of a human being in 
 sore distress, cries so distressing and so curious that those 
 
 A A
 
 354 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 who heard them could not forget them for a long time, and 
 vowed that no common cat could ever have made them, then, 
 making the best of her way to the window, she sprang 
 upon the sill. There she sat for an instant, then turned 
 her head towards the inmates of the cottage, glared fiercely 
 upon them, uttered a cry of rage and despair which sounded 
 like the expression of a furious person baffled and defeated 
 in some favourite design, and presently darted from the 
 window and fled away down the road. 
 
 Betsy still sat silent, nor did her sister say anything to 
 her. Still more strange was it that during the whole of 
 that day the younger girl made no remark upon what had 
 happened, but went on in a quieter and more humble way, 
 as if she knew that she had lost some powerful friend and 
 protector under whose care she had hitherto been able to 
 defy all around her. 
 
 So the morning rose upon which the journey to Scott's Hall 
 was to take place. A fine morning it was, the month of 
 August having now been reached, and the harvest weather 
 having begun. Thomas Stickels " tidied himself up a bit," 
 as he said, and told his daughters to "go and clean them- 
 selves," so as to be in good time for the start which was to 
 be effected about two o'clock. Punctual to the moment 
 came good Master Oliver, and, all preparations having been 
 made, the whole party clambered up into the cart, and away 
 they drove in the direction of Brabourne. 
 
 As they passed the road below Giddyhorn, Jack Cubison 
 could not avoid casting a sheepish look towards Betsy ; but 
 she sat in her corner with her face steadily bent down as if 
 looking at some remarkable object at the bottom of the cart, 
 and as the eyes of both John Oliver and Jane were upon 
 him, the young man felt the colour rise to his cheeks as he
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 355 
 
 fancied to himself that they must be thinking of his weak- 
 ness and folly. He wondered whether any trace of witch- 
 craft could be seen in Giddyhorn beeches during the day- 
 time, and almost expected something evil to start up as they 
 passed the place. They went by, however, without a sign 
 that could lead them to suppose that there was, or ever had 
 been, any inhabitant of the hill-side save the innocent 
 animals that everywhere abounded in that locality. Neither 
 witch, cat, nor broomstick appeared to their sight ; and they 
 drove on (very slowly, it is true, but that was on account of 
 the age and badness of their horse, and had nothing to do 
 with witches), until they came to the turning from the hill 
 down by Bull Town to West Brabourne. Here Betsy, to 
 the surprise of all, interposed with a remark, which, how- 
 ever, she made in a meek and placid manner, and by no 
 means in a rude or sullen voice. She merely suggested 
 that, as the day was so fine, and the view from the hill 
 road over the vale so beautiful, they should not turn down 
 by Bull Town, but drive straight on, so as to get as much 
 of the view as they could, and take the turning down by 
 Brabourne Street, a mile or more further on, and so by 
 Wall Farm and the eastern side of Brabourne Leese to 
 Scott's Hall. 
 
 Now this would have been a very little further, and was 
 a very good road ; but there was one thing about it which 
 John Oliver remembered at once. It would have avoided 
 the running water altogether, and in fact the party would 
 not have crossed the stream at all, as it took another direc- 
 tion after passing Bircholt, and the hill road was far above 
 it. John Oliver hastily whispered words to this effect in 
 the ear of Thomas Stickels, who at once negatived Betsy's 
 suggestion, and declared that with the old horse they had
 
 356 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 got they must take the road which was shortest, and in 
 which there was least hill, and that was the road by Bull 
 Town. There they turned, therefore, and drove down until 
 they had passed Cadman Wood and came near the place 
 at which the road to Bircholt, Brabourne, and Smeeth 
 branches to the left, that which runs straight on leading to 
 Foreland Green. Near this spot (where the water flows 
 under the road, about half or three quarters of a mile from 
 the running water), Betsy suddenly called out that she 
 had a bad pain in her side the motion of the cart hurt her 
 so, she said, that she really could not go on, and begged 
 them to put her down and let her walk homo by the foot- 
 path to Beddleston, and go on without her. 
 
 This conduct confirmed all the previous suspicions of the 
 party, if indeed recent events had left any further confir- 
 mation necessary. No one supposed that the girl had any 
 idea of the command of the Hermit, and their consequent 
 intentions with regard to herself ; but the dislike of a witch 
 to cross running water was well known to them all, and 
 there remained not the shadow of a doubt that Betsy 
 Stickels belonged to that unhallowed sisterhood. Of course 
 no one thought of yielding to her desire to be put down 
 from the cart. Her entreaties were all in vain. John 
 Oliver and Jack Cubison had her between them, and in 
 spite of all she could say or do, she was not permitted to 
 move ; and I suppose that, together with her cat, a portion 
 of her power had vanished, so that she could not injure or 
 annoy those who offended her. Be this as it may, she 
 made no great efforts to escape, but moaned sadly as the 
 cart turned down the sharp little descent which brought it 
 within a hundred yards of the place where the stream 
 crossed the road. Here she bounded up in the cart, as if
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 357 
 
 struck with, mortal pain, and begged in piteous terms to be 
 set down. They restrained her, however, until they were 
 within a few yards of the spot ; and then, apparently over- 
 come by her entreaties, stopped the cart, and suffered her 
 to descend, Master Oliver and Jack doing the same. 
 
 To duck a woman was not a pleasant nor a very manly 
 task ; and at the present day I hope that most men would 
 have great scruples about doing so, in obedience to any- 
 body's commands, be the " anybody " as great and powerful 
 as possible. But we must recollect that things were slightly 
 different in the days of which we write. Oliver had had 
 long experience of the evil wrought by witches and witch- 
 craft. Cubison had lately had practical proof of the 
 danger to which mortal men were exposed by their crafty 
 wiles ; and both men firmly believed not only that it was 
 their duty to society and to themselves to do the work 
 before them, but that it was the best possible thing for the 
 girl herself, whom they regarded as the unhappy victim of 
 the Evil One, to be reclaimed by any and every available 
 means, even though such might involve personal pain and 
 suffering to herself. So their minds were fully made up, 
 and as soon as ever they were well out of the cart they 
 turned upon Betsy with a resolute determination to get 
 the job over as speedily as possible. But the instant they 
 did so the girl gave a short, sharp cry, and set off running 
 with incredible swiftness. The road was somewhat wild at 
 that part : to the left, within a few hundred yards, began 
 the scattered trees which formed the outskirts of the great 
 Forest of Coombe, so famous as the scene of many of the 
 actions of that mighty Warlock who bore among men the 
 name of the Forest. To the right a wild, rough grass tract 
 of land stretched away towards Foreland Green, separated
 
 358 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 by no fence from the road on which our friends were 
 travelling. 
 
 It was in this direction that Betsy, half beside herself 
 with fright, ran as fast as she could, and Master Oliver 
 and Jack Cubison followed her at the top of their speed. 
 Meanwhile, old Thomas Stickels and Jane were left in 
 the cart, where they sat staring at one another as if 
 struck dumb by the scene they witnessed. Betsy kept 
 well ahead of her pursuers for upwards of a hundred yards, 
 flying she knew not whither, and only knowing that she 
 was heading in a direction not far wrong for Brooke, 
 though, of course, that village was some three or four 
 miles off. 
 
 The intervening trees which were scattered thereabouts 
 soon took both pursued and pursuers out of sight of the 
 road they had left ; and, of course, every step they took 
 carried them farther from it. Meanwhile, in her hurried 
 flight, the girl was obliged to keep near the stream, simply 
 because the nature of the ground and the thickness of the 
 trees at that particular spot prevented her from doing 
 otherwise. 
 
 I cannot say how the matter might have ended if the 
 parties had been left to themselves ; for Betsy was strong 
 as well as swift, and although Jack Cubison was young and 
 active, his companion could scarcely deny that his best 
 running days were over, and he would have found 
 it difficult to come up with the girl. But all of a 
 sudden she stopped short and sank upon the ground, 
 so that in a very few seconds they were close upon her. 
 Then they stopped too. Immediately in front of them 
 stood the form of a venerable man, clad entirely in the 
 brown dress of a monk, holding a tall staff in his hand,
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 359 
 
 and apparently determined to bar the way against all 
 comers. His long white beard fell majestically over his 
 breast, his features were grave, his face bronzed as if by 
 long exposure to sun and air, his demeanour was strikingly 
 grand ; and even if John Oliver had not known him to be 
 so, the others would have had little difficulty in deciding 
 for themselves that this was the ancient Hermit of Foreland 
 Green. 
 
 At the sight of this Holy Man the unhappy Betsy had 
 fallen at once to the ground, where she lay grovelling and 
 moaning as if her last hour were come. The two men 
 stood close by her, reverently awaiting the communication 
 which the mighty individual before them might presently 
 be pleased to make. After a very short pause, he waved 
 his hand in the air, and thus addressed them : 
 
 " How is it that a witch is seen 
 Upon the confines of the Green ? 
 Take her ! regard not scratch or scream, 
 But place her in the running stream, 
 And if she should resist your work, 
 Employ the charm of ' Pickled Pork.' " 
 
 Thus adjured, without the smallest hesitation, the two 
 men lifted the unfortunate Betsy from the ground, and 
 proceeded to carry her to the brook, which was only a few 
 yards distant, near the corner of Bircholt Wood, running 
 in a swift stream, but sufficiently shallow to render drown- 
 ing highly improbable, even if a witch could drown, which 
 has always been a matter of doubt among historians 
 learned on these subjects. She made but a feeble re- 
 sistance, and no charm was necessary to overcome her 
 strength.
 
 360 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 Jack Cubison always declared that tlie water fizzed and 
 steamed as if made hot by her immersion ; but this seems 
 to me to savour of exaggeration, which should always be 
 avoided in the narration of actual facts. At all events, in 
 she went, and was thoroughly ducked in that branch of the 
 River Stour which has probably had the honour of being 
 used for the same ceremony as often as most streams in the 
 southern counties. Whilst the splashing, attempts at 
 screaming, the crying and the struggling were going on, 
 the Hermit had slowly advanced, and stood at a little 
 distance from the scene. Presently, he held his staff aloft, 
 and addressing the two performers of the sacred task, 
 thus gave them their directions, with an authoritative 
 air: 
 
 " Tis done ! washed out the witch's stain : 
 
 Oh, may it ne'er appear again ! 
 
 Back ! Cubison, return you hence, 
 
 And act henceforth with common sense ; 
 
 For if you wander late, and still 
 
 Join supper-parties on the hill, 
 
 You'll meet worse things than yet you've met, 
 
 And evermore your course regret : 
 
 Now join the cart and t'other two, 
 
 And ever to your Jane be true. 
 
 John Oliver, draw out the maid, 
 
 And take her 'neath the leafy shade 
 
 Of Bircholt Wood ; there rest a bit, 
 
 And when for homeward journey fit, 
 
 Conduct her to her father's roof, 
 
 Henceforth from sin to stand aloof. 
 
 And thou, young maid, whose wicked way 
 
 Hath led thee terribly astray, 
 
 Eepent ! and so thou still mayst find 
 
 Some comfort for thy troubled mind. 
 
 For thine own sake, and for our Kent, 
 
 I say again, Repent ! Repent !
 
 THE GRANNIES OF CIDDYHORN. 361 
 
 To those who do, Heav'n succour sends. 
 Henceforth be firm : avoid bad friends, 
 Thy kindred love, and day by day, 
 Kemember both to work and pray." 
 
 He ceased, but his words were accepted by his hearers 
 as orders to be obeyed ; so that it was hardly necessary for 
 him to say any more, since no one disputed his wishes. 
 Betsy was immediately lifted from the water, and laid 
 upon the bank, after which Jack Cubison walked off at 
 once, repeating over and over again to himself the ex- 
 pressions which the Hermit had used regarding him, and 
 resolving to follow to the letter the instructions which he had 
 received. It may be as well to say at once that to these good 
 intentions he fully adhered. From this time forth he avoided 
 all light and evil company, led an upright and honest 
 life, and acted in every respect as his best friends could 
 have wished. He became, before very long, the husband 
 of Jane Stickels, and she never had any reason to com- 
 plain of his staying out late at night, or frequenting 
 places of doubtful character. Nay, such was his steadiness 
 and general good behaviour, that, following at a distance the 
 steps of his great benefactor, Master Oliver, he eventually 
 rose to be the parish clerk of Hastingleigh, and ended 
 a useful career in that honourable position. 
 
 But I am anticipating matters which of course occurred 
 at a period subsequent to the day upon which took place 
 the meeting with the Hermit of Foreland Green. From 
 the spot upon which this happened Cubison went straight 
 back to the cart, and found Thomas Stickels and his 
 daughter in a state of great excitement. He allayed 
 their fears about Betsy by telling them what nad hap- 
 pened, and when they heard that she had been left in
 
 362 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 charge of John Oliver to bring home, hut that he was 
 first to take her into Bircholt "Wood, they deemed it useless 
 to tarry longer. The expedition to Scott's Hall had heen 
 only a pretext to attract Betsy to the spot, and they had 
 therefore nothing to do hut to drive home again, which 
 they did without further adventure, and the wily Jack 
 improved his opportunities with Jane so well during and 
 after the drive that he induced her to name the day upon 
 which she would ahandon the name of Stickels for that of 
 Cuhison. 
 
 Meanwhile, we must return to the spot where we left 
 the other actors in our history. John Oliver listened with 
 attention to the words of the Hermit, and prepared to ohey 
 his directions. First, however, he turned to the speaker, 
 and expressed his thanks for the assistance which he had 
 rendered that day, and the kindly advice he had given. 
 To this speech the Hermit responded with a henevolent 
 smile, and then replied : 
 
 " Those who from hill-side down into our dell come 
 To Foreland aid 'gainst \vitches are most welcome ; 
 And thou, to witchcraft enemy so clever, 
 Good Master Oliver, art welcome ever ; 
 And may thy gratitude be undiminished, 
 When this affair shall be entirely finished." 
 
 With these words the Hermit turned round, and re- 
 treated slowly through the scattered trees in the direction 
 of Foreland Green, leaving Oliver much pleased hy his 
 reply. 
 
 " No fear of my gratitude "being diminished," said the 
 good man ; " and much obliged he I hy his good opinion. 
 But now to business."
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 363 
 
 His business, as we know, was to take Betsy Stickels 
 into the "leafy shade" of Bircholt Wood, and afterwards 
 to conduct her to her father's roof. There was plenty of 
 time for this, for it was not yet four o'clock, and the dis- 
 tance to Brooke from Bircholt by the footpath could be 
 barely three miles. 
 
 If I merely wished to finish off the story, a very few 
 words would suffice to do so ; but I am so anxious to be 
 particular in relating things which actually happened, that 
 I must not sacrifice truth to my desire to avoid being too 
 long. Truth, you know, is often stranger than fiction, and 
 I think it was so in the present case. 
 
 John Oliver turned to Betsy, who was gasping upon the 
 bank after her recent immersion in the water. He spoke 
 kindly to her, and asked if she had heard the Holy Hermit's 
 words and advice ; to which she nodded assent, being appa- 
 rently unable to speak as yet. Then worthy Master Oliver 
 helped her to arrange her dress, which, as may be easily 
 supposed, had become somewhat disordered during the 
 operation she had just undergone ; and, whilst doing so, he 
 asked her if she would walk into Bircholt Wood and rest 
 awhile, as the Hermit had suggested. The girl made no 
 objection ; and the fear which a careful person might have 
 felt of sitting in wet clothes was here unnecessary, owing 
 to the marvellous quickness with which her garments 
 dried, so that she was really scarcely to be called even 
 damp within a very few minutes of being taken out of the 
 water. 
 
 They walked into Bircholt wood accordingly, and sat 
 down beneath the shady oaks, on which, as is not un- 
 common with such trees in that part of the country, acorns 
 grew and wood-pigeons cooed in great numbers. There is
 
 364 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 no record that I have ever found of the precise nature of 
 their conversation ; hut there can he little douht that 
 John Oliver improved the occasion to the hest of his ahility, 
 and gave the girl much good counsel, pointing out to her 
 the folly and wickedness of sin especially the sin of witch- 
 craft and advising her, well and wisely, as to her future 
 conduct. I imagine, too, that Betsy was not indisposed 
 to listen to such things ; for it must have seemed to her, 
 apart from any other and better thoughts, that her evil 
 companions had either deserted her during recent trans- 
 actions, or that the other side was the strongest, and that 
 they had heen unahle to aid her. In either case, good 
 policy, if no higher motive, dictated her conduct in making 
 friends with those who had prevailed, and she accordingly 
 did so. She certainly showed no signs of resentment against 
 Oliver for the share he had taken in recent events, and the 
 result of their rest in the wood was not unsatisfactory to 
 either of them. 
 
 They stayed there nearly an hour, and then proceeded 
 to walk home, and reached the cottage of Stickels without 
 any adventure. Master Oliver here delivered the damsel 
 into her father's care, telling him at the same time that he 
 had held much goodly conversation with her that afternoon, 
 and was sure that her family would find her vastly altered 
 for the better. To all this Betsy made no reply, hut 
 meekly and modestly cast down her eyes, as one that ac- 
 knowledged she had been in error, and wished to act with 
 proper humility. Oliver declared that he felt sure the day 
 would turn out to have been a happy one for the Stickels' 
 family ; and shortly after took his departure, promising to 
 look in again very soon to inquire how they were all 
 getting on. He did look in again very soon, and took the
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDY HORN. 365 
 
 opportunity of having some further conversation with 
 Betsy, which he told her father gave him still more confi- 
 dence in the depth and sincerity of her repentance. He 
 took such interest in the case that he came again hefore 
 two days were over ; and, to cut a long story short, Master 
 Oliver one morning informed Thomas Stickels that his 
 daughter Betsy was immediately ahout to become Mrs. 
 Oliver. 
 
 Stickels was greatly surprised, for ho had expected 
 nothing of the sort, and had no idea that his friend's visits 
 to the cottage were the result of anything else than a pater- 
 nal interest in the well-doing of his younger daughter. 
 She was not yet eighteen, and Master Oliver fifty-five ; hut 
 in his position of life Thomas Stickels was too glad to see his 
 daughter so well settled to make any objection on the score 
 of age. So they were married, and the neighbours all would 
 have it that John Oliver had been bewitched after all. 
 How that was I cannot now say. 
 
 It seems to me a very good place at which to bring this 
 story to a close. Those who like to carry it on further for 
 themselves may settle it in whichever way they please. 
 They can fancy John Oliver's disappointment when he 
 found that after all he had been grievously taken in, and 
 had allied himself to one of the regular, or irregular, 
 " Giddyhorn Grannies." They may picture to themselves 
 a trembling, fearful old man his powerful charm "stolen 
 from him during his sleep left at the mercy of a ruthless 
 witch of a wife, and obliged to entertain her wicked com- 
 panions in his once quiet house. They may see him seated, 
 an unwilling guest at his own table, with Dame Vidgen on 
 one side and the awful Dame Punyer on the other, the 
 pitiful object of their constant jeers and scoffs ; and they
 
 366 OTHER STORIES. 
 
 may think of kirn, sitting up far into the night, bound to 
 keep the lamp trimmed and the fire burning until his 
 witch- wife returns from one of the terrible gatherings on 
 Giddyhorn hill-side. Or, if they prefer it, they may draw 
 for themselves quite a different picture. 
 
 They may sketch the quiet, homely dwelling-place of the 
 parish clerk, neater than even in his neatest bachelor days, 
 and smartened by the good taste and active industry of his 
 affectionate Betsy. They may see her absolute devotion to 
 her husband, her never-ceasing attention to his every want ; 
 and may tell how her time, when not employed in render- 
 ing him some service, or in attending to her household affairs, 
 is entirely given up to visiting the poor and needy. Further, 
 they may relate how her example and influence has pre- 
 vailed to reclaim others, and that Dame Punyer, Dame 
 Vidgen, and the rest, clad in the garb of. Sisters of Mercy, 
 have likewise devoted the evening of their days to good and 
 charitable works. Either choice, I say, lies before those 
 who wish to continue this story further. As far as / am 
 concerned, I have no more to say at present. "When people 
 are "married and done for," it is always desirable to 
 leave them alone for a while and hope for the best. " No 
 good ever comes of interfering between man and wife," at 
 least no good ever comes to the person who interferes ; 
 and so I shall leave Oliver and his Betsy to themselves. 
 And having done so, there is really very little more 
 to tell. 
 
 Some one asks me what became of the little waxen image 
 of Jane. I have not the slightest idea ; but if you can find 
 old Thomas Stickels' Family Bible, or the drawer in which 
 it was always kept, the image, for aught I know, may be 
 there still. Certain it is, that Jane became well and strong,
 
 THE GRANNIES OF GIDDYHORN. 367 
 
 and I never heard that any of the little Cubisons were 
 annoyed by witchcraft or witches. 
 
 Thomas Stickels himself lived to a good old age and died, 
 like other people, when his time came. All the actors in 
 the scenes of which I have told have long since passed 
 away. But Giddyhorn Beeches are there still, and the 
 actual place is but little changed so far as its appearance is 
 concerned. 
 
 I say no more : it would not be safe at least it would 
 not be wise to say more upon such a subject, and so I 
 prefer to leave everybody to think what he or she may 
 happen to please, both as regards the after career of Betsy 
 Stickels, and the existence, condition, and general proceed- 
 ings of the Giddyhorn Grannies. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 BKADBURT, AONEW, & CO., PRINTERS, WHITEFRIAE8.
 
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