me, but they arranged to start before the
sun was up the next day. David, well acquainted with Fairy doings,
cautioned his wife not to tell anyone of their good fortune, "For, if you
do," said he, "we shall vex the Fairies, and the chest, after all, will
not be ours." She promised to obey, but alas, what woman possesses a
silent tongue! No sooner had the husband revealed the secret to his wife
than she was impatient to step to her next door neighbour's house, just
to let them know what a great woman she had all at once become. Now,
this neighbour was a shrewd miller, called Samuel. David went out, to
attend to some little business, leaving his wife alone, and she, spying
her opportunity, rushed to the miller's house, and told him and his wife
every whit, and how that she and David had arranged to go for the chest
next morning before the sun was up. Then she hurried home, but never
told David where she had been, nor what she had done. The good couple
sat up late that night, talking over their good fortune and planning
their future. It was consequently far after sunrise when they got up
next day, and when they reached the secluded valley, where the chest had
been, it had disappeared, and with it David's stick. They returned home
sad and weary, but this time there was no visit made to the miller's
house. Ere long it was quite clearly seen that Samuel the miller had
come into a fortune, and David's wife knew that she had done all the
mischief by foolishly boasting of the Fairy gift, designed for her
husband, to her early rising and crafty neighbour, who had forestalled
David and his wife, and had himself taken possession of the precious
chest.

_The Fairy Shilling_.

The Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, whom I have already mentioned as
having supplied me with the Folk-lore of his parish, kindly gave me the
following tale:--

There was a clean, tidy, hardworking woman, who was most particular about
keeping her house in order. She had a place for everything, and kept
everything in its place.

Every night, before retiring to rest, she was in the habit of brushing up
the ashes around the fire place, and putting a few fresh peat on the fire
to keep it in all night, and she was careful to sweep the floor before
going to bed. It was a sight worth seeing to see her clean cottage. One
night the Fairies, in their rambles, came that way and entered her house.
It was just such a place as they liked. They were deligh