d sir," said he, "that as the cattle can't hear your
pipes now, somebody has to go after them every evening to drive them
down from the mountain, and the Chief Villager has hired us three to do
it. Generally it is not very hard work, but to-night the cattle had
wandered far."

"How long have you been doing this?" asked the old man.

The girl shook her head and clapped her hand on her mouth as before, but
the boy went on.

"I think it is about a year now," he said, "since the people first felt
sure that the cattle could not hear your pipes; and from that time we've
been driving them down. But we are rested now, and will go home.
Good-night, sir."

The three children then went down the hill, the girl scolding the boy
all the way home. Old Pipes stood silent a few moments, and then he went
into his cottage.

"Mother," he shouted, "did you hear what those children said?"

"Children!" exclaimed the old woman; "I did not hear them. I did not
know there were any children here."

Then Old Pipes told his mother--shouting very loudly to make her
hear--how the two boys and the girl had helped him up the hill, and what
he had heard about his piping and the cattle.

"They can't hear you?" cried his mother. "Why, what's the matter with
the cattle?"

"Ah, me!" said Old Pipes; "I don't believe there's anything the matter
with the cattle. It must be with me and my pipes that there is something
the matter. But one thing is certain: if I do not earn the wages the
Chief Villager pays me, I shall not take them. I shall go straight down
to the village and give back the money I received to-day."

"Nonsense!" cried his mother. "I'm sure you've piped as well as you
could, and no more can be expected. And what are we to do without the
money?"

"I don't know," said Old Pipes; "but I'm going down to the village to
pay it back."

The sun had now set; but the moon was shining very brightly on the
hill-side, and Old Pipes could see his way very well. He did not take
the same path by which he had gone before, but followed another, which
led among the trees upon the hill-side, and, though longer, was not so
steep.

When he had gone about half-way, the old man sat down to rest, leaning
his back against a great oak tree. As he did so, he heard a sound like
knocking inside the tree, and then a voice said:

"Let me out! let me out!"

Old Pipes instantly forgot that he was tired, and sprang to his feet.
"This must be a Dryad tree!" he e