shment acquired by him in
hopes of adding to the comfort of their guest.

But she was always gentle, and tried to smile when she perceived them
looking at her; and by degrees she adapted herself to their ways and
mode of life. It was not very long before she began to feed the pig,
mash potatoes and meal for the fowls, and knit blue worsted socks.

So a year passed and Halloween came round again. "Mother," said Jamie,
taking down his cap, "I'm off to the ould castle to seek my fortune."

"Are you mad, Jamie?" cried his mother in terror; "sure they'll kill you
this time for what you done on them last year."

Jamie made light of her fears and went his way.

As he reached the crab-tree grove he saw bright lights in the castle
windows as before, and heard loud talking. Creeping under the window he
heard the wee folk say, "That was a poor trick Jamie Freel played us
this night last year, when he stole the young lady from us."

"Ay," said the tiny woman, "an' I punished him for it, for there she
sits a dumb image by the hearth, but he does na' know that three drops
out o' this glass that I hold in my hand wad gie her her hearing and
speech back again."

Jamie's heart beat fast as he entered the hall. Again he was greeted by
a chorus of welcomes from the company--"Here comes Jamie Freel! Welcome,
welcome, Jamie!"

As soon as the tumult subsided the little woman said, "You be to drink
our health, Jamie, out o' this glass in my hand."

Jamie snatched the glass from her and darted to the door. He never knew
how he reached his cabin, but he arrived there breathless and sank on a
stove by the fire.

"You're kilt, surely, this time, my poor boy," said his mother.

"No, indeed, better luck than ever this time!" and he gave the lady
three drops of the liquid that still remained at the bottom of the
glass, notwithstanding his mad race over the potato field.

The lady began to speak, and her first words were words of thanks to
Jamie.

The three inmates of the cabin had so much to say to one another that,
long after cock-crow, when the fairy music had quite ceased, they were
talking round the fire.

"Jamie," said the lady, "be pleased to get me paper and pen and ink
that I may write to my father and tell him what has become of me."

She wrote, but weeks passed and she received no answer. Again and again
she wrote, and still no answer.

At length she said, "You must come with me to Dublin, Jamie, to find my
father."