e house.
But the young Cook could not bear them, and used to pour boiling water
down their holes, and set basins of beer for them with little wooden
bridges up to the brim, that they might walk up, tumble in, and be
drowned.

So there was not even a cricket singing in the silent house when Brownie
put his head out of his coal-cellar door, which, to his surprise, he
found open. Old Cook used to lock it every night, but the young Cook had
left that key, and the kitchen and pantry keys too, all dangling in the
lock, so that any thief might have got in, and wandered all over the
house without being found out.

"Hurrah, here's luck!" cried Brownie, tossing his cap up in the air, and
bounding right through the scullery into the kitchen. It was quite
empty, but there was a good fire burning itself out--just for its own
amusement, and the remains of a capital supper spread on the
table--enough for half a dozen people being left still.

Would you like to know what there was? Devonshire cream, of course; and
part of a large dish of junket, which is something like curds and whey.
Lots of bread-and-butter and cheese, and half an apple-pudding. Also a
great jug of cider and another of milk, and several half-full glasses,
and no end of dirty plates, knives, and forks. All were scattered about
the table in the most untidy fashion, just as the servants had risen
from their supper, without thinking to put any thing away.

Brownie screwed up his little old face and turned up his button of a
nose, and gave a long whistle. You might not believe it, seeing he lived
in a coal-cellar; but really he liked tidiness, and always played his
pranks upon disorderly or slovenly folk.

[Illustration: He wanted his supper, and oh! what a supper he did
eat!--Page 11]

"Whew!" said he; "here's a chance. What a supper I'll get now!"

And he jumped on to a chair and thence to the table, but so quietly that
the large black cat with four white paws, called Muff, because she was
so fat and soft and her fur so long, who sat dozing in front of the
fire, just opened one eye and went to sleep again. She had tried to get
her nose into the milk-jug, but it was too small; and the junket-dish
was too deep for her to reach, except with one paw. She didn't care much
for bread and cheese and apple-pudding, and was very well fed besides;
so, after just wandering round the table, she had jumped down from it
again, and settled herself to sleep on the hearth.

But