ats, which
lay down by the bridge laden with train-oil, he was downright furious.
"Pack yourself off this instant!" said he.

But Toad showed her teeth, and grinned and blinked up at him, and said
that as master himself had come into the kitchen, he should see that she
did not eat his bread for nothing.

Then she slouched down to the boats, and snorted back at him with her
arm before her face. Before any one could guess what she was after, she
had one of the heavy hogsheads of train-oil on her back.

And back she came through the kitchen door, all smirking and smiling,
and begged father to be so good as to tell her where she was to put it.

He simply stood and gaped at her. Such a thing he had never seen before.

And hogshead after hogshead she carried from the boat right up into the
shop.

The general dealer laughed till he quite gasped for breath, and slapped
his thighs so far as his big belly would let him reach them.

Nor was he sparing of compliments.

And into the dwelling-room he rushed almost as quickly as he had rushed
out of it.

"Mother has no idea what a capital wench she has got," said he.

But, ever after that, she put her hand to nothing, nay, not so much as
to drive a wooden peg into the wall, and if some one else hadn't warmed
up a thing or two now and then, there would have been very little to eat
in the house. It was as much as they could do to get her away from the
fireside at meal times.

When her mistress complained about it, her master said that she oughtn't
to expect too much. The lass surely required a little rest now and
again, after carrying such drayman's loads as she did.

But Toad always had an ogle and a grin ready at such times as the
general dealer came through the door from the shop. Then she grew quick
and lively enough, and went on all sorts of errands, whether it was with
the bucket to the spring or to the storehouse for bread. And when she
saw that her mistress was out of the way, she took it upon herself to do
exactly as she liked, both in this and in that.

No sooner was the pot hung on the pot-hook, than she would slip away
with a big saucer and fetch sirup from the shop. And she would flounce
down before the porridge dish and gobble to her heart's content. If any
of her fellow-servants claimed an equal share, she would simply answer,
"It's me!"

They dared not rebel. Since the day she had taken up the hogsheads of
train-oil, they knew that she had master on her