"Then if ye did it your own self," cried the elf-mother shrilly, "what's
the use o' making all this fash about it?"--and with that she
stretched out a long thin arm, and caught the creature by its ear, and,
shaking it roughly, pulled it after her, out of sight up the chimney.

The little boy lay awake a long time, listening, in case the
fairy-mother should come back after all; and next evening after supper,
his mother was surprised to find that he was willing to go to bed
whenever she liked.

"He's taking a turn for the better at last!" she said to herself; but he
was thinking just then that, when next a fairy came to play with him, he
might not get off quite so easily as he had done this time.




Black Bull of Norroway


In Norroway, long time ago, there lived a certain lady, and she had
three daughters: The oldest of them said to her mother: "Mother, bake me
a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm going away to seek my
fortune." Her mother did so; and the daughter went away to an old witch
washerwife and told her purpose. The old wife bade her stay that day,
and look out of her back-door, and see what she could see. She saw
nought the first day. The second day she did the same, and saw nought.
On the third day she looked again, and saw a coach-and-six coming along
the road. She ran in and told the old wife what she saw. "Well," quoth
the old woman, "yon's for you." So they took her into the coach and