and was better than ten labourers. It
was he who ploughed and sowed and reaped, and if, as happened
occasionally, it was needful to get the work done quickly, the brownie
called in some of his friends, and as soon as it was light a host of
little dwarfs might have been seen in the fields, busy with hoe, fork or
sickle. But by the time the people were about all was finished, and the
little fellows had disappeared.

And all the payment the brownie ever asked for was a bowl of broth.

* * * * *

From the very day of her marriage Barbaik had noted with surprise and
rage that things ceased to be done for her as they had been done all the
weeks and months before. She complained to Jegu of his laziness, and he
only stared at her, not understanding what she was talking about. But
the brownie, who was standing by, burst out laughing, and confessed that
all the good offices she spoke of had been performed by him, for the
sake of Jegu, but that now he had other business to do, and it was high
time that she looked after her house herself.

Barbaik was furious. Each morning when she was obliged to get up before
dawn to milk the cows and go to market, and each evening when she had to
sit up till midnight in order to churn the butter, her heart was filled
with rage against the brownie who had caused her to expect a life of
ease and pleasure. But when she looked at Jegu and beheld his red face,
squinting eyes, and untidy hair, her anger was doubled.

'If it had not been for _you_, you miserable dwarf!' she would say
between her teeth, 'if it had not been for _you_ I should never have
married that man, and I should still have been going to dances, where
the young men would have brought me presents of nuts and cherries, and
told me that I was the prettiest girl in the parish. While _now_ I can
receive no presents except from my husband. I can never dance, except
with my husband. Oh, you wretched dwarf, I will never, never forgive
you!'

* * * * *

In spite of her fierce words, no one knew better than Barbaik how to put
her pride in her pocket when it suited her, and after receiving an
invitation to a wedding, she begged the brownie to get her a horse to
ride there. To her great joy he consented, bidding her set out for the
city of the dwarfs and to tell them exactly what she wanted. Full of
excitement, Barbaik started on her journey. It was not long, and when
she reac