Every child knows that every grown female person in the~world has
authority to wash children and to give them food;that is what grown people were made for, consequently Seumas and Brigid Beg submitted to the scouring for which
Caitilin made instant preparation. When they were cleaned she pointed
to a couple of flat stones against the wall ofthe cave and bade them sit down and be good, and this the children did, fixing their eyes on Pan with the cheerful gravity and curiosity which good-natured youngsters always give to a
stranger.

Pan, who had been lying on a couch of dried grass, sat up and bent an
equally cheerful regard on the children.

"Shepherd Girl," said he, "who are those children?"

"They are the children of the Philosophers of Coilla Doraca; the Grey
Woman of Dun Gortin and the Thin Woman of Inis Magrath are their mothers, and they are decent, poor children, God bless them."

"What have they come here for?"

"You will have to ask themselves that."

Pan looked at them smilingly.

"What have you come here for, little children?" said he.

The children questioned one another with their eyes to see which of
them would reply, and then Seumas Beg answered:

"My father sent me to see you, sir, and to say that you
were not doing a good thing in keeping Caitilin Ni Mur-
rachu away from her own place."

Brigid Beg turned to Caitilin--