"Tell us more about Brownie, please," said Johnnie, "Did he ever live
with anybody else?"

"There are plenty of Brownies," said the old lady, "or used to be in my
mother's young days. Some houses had several." "Oh! I wish ours would
come back!" cried both the boys in chorus. "He'd--

"tidy the room," said Johnnie;

"fetch the turf," said Tommy;

"pick up the chips," said Johnnie;

"sort your scraps," said Tommy;

"and do everything. Oh! I wish he hadn't gone away."

"What's that?" said the Tailor, coming in at this moment.

"It's the Brownie, Father," said Tommy. "We are so sorry he went, and
do so wish we had one."

"What nonsense have you been telling them, Mother?" asked the Tailor.

"Heighty teighty," said the old lady, bristling. "Nonsense, indeed! As
good men as you, son Thomas, would as soon have jumped off the crags,
as spoken lightly of _them_, in my mother's young days."

"Well, well," said the Tailor, "I beg their pardon. They never did