fist in the air and called out as loud as he could, "Yallery Brown, come
from the mools; thou scamp, I want thee!"

You'll scarce believe it, but he'd hardly brought out the words but he
felt something tweaking his leg behind, while he jumped with the smart
of it; and soon as he looked down, there was the tiddy thing, with his
shining hair, and wrinkled face, and wicked glinting black eyne.

Tom was in a fine rage, and he would have liked to have kicked him, but
't was no good, there wasn't enough of it to get his boot against; but he
said, "Look here, master, I'll thank thee to leave me alone after this,
dost hear? I want none of thy help, and I'll have nought more to do with
thee--see now."

The horrid thing broke into a screeching laugh, and pointed its brown
finger at Tom. "Ho, ho, Tom!" says he. "Thou 'st thanked me, my lad, and
I told thee not, I told thee not!"

"I don't want thy help, I tell thee," Tom yelled at him--"I only want
never to see thee again, and to have nought more to do with 'ee--thou
can go."

The thing only laughed and screeched and mocked, as long as Tom went on
swearing, but so soon as his breath gave out--

"Tom, my lad," he said with a grin, "I'll tell 'ee summat, Tom. True's
true I'll never help thee again, and call as thou wilt, thou 'lt never
see me after to-day; but I never said that I'd leave thee alone, Tom,
and I never will, my lad! I was nice and safe under the stone, Tom, and
could do no harm; but thou let me out thyself, and thou can't put me