ieved it possible to get for love or money, cried the general dealer.

But now his wife could contain herself no longer. She showed him that
the clothes were both scorched and burned, and that the whole of one
side of the oilskin jacket was crumpled up with heat, and cracked if one
pulled it never so lightly.

And in she dragged the big butter-keg, that he might see for himself how
the wench had stuck both his boots in it and used it to grease them
with.

But the general dealer stood there quite dumfoundered, and glanced now
at the boots and now at the butter-tub.

He snapped his fingers, and his face twitched, and then he began to wipe
away his tears.

He hastened to go in that they might not see that he was weeping.

"Mother does not know how kindly the wench has meant it all," he sobbed.
Good heavens! what if she _had_ used butter for his boots, if she had
only _meant_ well. Never would he turn such a lass out of the house.

Then the wife gave it up altogether, and let the big kitchen wench rule
as best she might. And it was not very long either before Toad let the
key of the store-room remain in the door from morn till eve. When any
one bawled out to her, "Who's inside there?" she would simply answer,
"It's me!"

And she didn't budge from the gingerbread-box, as she sat there and ate,
even for Madame herself. But she always had an eye upon her master the
general dealer.

But he only jested with her, and asked her if she got food enough, and
said that he was afraid he would, one day, find her starved to death.

Towards Christmas time, when folks were making ready to go a-fishing,
Madame was busy betimes and bustled about as usual, and got the great
caldron taken down into the working-room for washing and wool-stamping.

The cooks hired for the occasion rolled out the _lefser_,[3] and baked
and frizzled on the flat oven-pans. And they brought in herring kegs
from the shop, and meal and meat, both cured and fresh, and weighed and
measured, and laid in stores of provisions.

But then it seemed to Toad as if she hadn't a moment's peace for prying
into pots and pans. Her mistress was going backwards and forwards
continually, between store-room and pantry, after meal, or sugar, or
butter, or sirup for the _lefser_. The store-room door was ajar for her
all day long.

So at last Toad grew downright wild. She was determined to put an end to
all this racket. So she took it upon her to well smear the threshold of