cockleet were coomin' away i' t' east. So I reckoned I'd get back to my
bed. But just then I saw summat movin' about on t' other side o' t'
beck. At first I thowt it were nobbut a sheep, but when I'd keeked at it
a bit langer I knew it weren't a sheep at all; 'twere a lass o' about t'
same size as misel."

At this point in the story alertness of mind was depicted on the face of
every listener. Joe Moon's tongue, as agile as a lizard's, had up to now
been revolving like a windmill round the lower half of his face,
questing after treacly crumbs which had adhered to his cheeks; but at
the mention of the girl by the waterfall it ceased from its labours, and
the tightly closed mouth and straining eyes showed that he was not
losing a word.

"Queerest thing about t' lass were this," Grannie continued, "shoo were
nakt, as nakt as ony hen-egg, an' that at five o'clock on a frosty April
morn. Eh! but it made me dither to see her stannin' theer wi' niver a
shift to her back. Well, I crept close to t' gert stone an' kept my een
on her. First of all shoo crept down to t' watter an' put her feet intul
it, an' gat agate o' splashin' t' watter all ower her, just like a bird
weshin' itsel i' t' beck. Then shoo climmed up to t' top o' t' nab that
were hingin' ower t' fall an' let t' watter flow all ower her face an'
showders. I could see her lish body shinin' through t' watter an' her
yallow hair streamin' out on both sides of her head. Efter a while shoo
climmed on to a rock i' t' beck below t' fall an' gat howd o' t' bough
of an esh. Shoo brak off t' bough an' shaped it into a sort o' a wand
an' started wavin' it i' t' air.

"Now I ought to have telled you that up to now iverything i' t' cove
were as whisht as t' grave. I could hear t' cocks crowin' up at our