t was coming,
and the Good People cannot bear to be near a priest.

"The priest who was coming had been on some errand at a long distance
from home, and he was a long way from home still. Indeed, he was just
making up his mind that, as it was so late, he would not try to go
home at all that night, but would ask for a supper and a bed at the
first cabin he should come to. And well he knew he would find it and
welcome.

"And true for him, close by where the Good People had been dancing, he
came to a cabin and knocked at the door. The man and his wife who
lived there were proud enough to see the priest in their house and to
give him all that he asked, and the trouble that was on them was that
they had no more to give. For there was nothing to offer him but
potatoes, though they were as good potatoes as there were in Ireland.

"It was only a little while ago that the man of the house had set a
net in the river, and he thought that there would hardly be a fish in
it so soon. But then he thought that there could be no harm in
looking, so down to the river he went to try could he find something
for the priest's supper more than the potatoes. And true enough, there
in the net was the finest salmon he ever saw. He was about to take him
out, when the net was pulled away from him by something that he could
not see, and away went the salmon swimming down the river.

"It may be that he said things to the fish that I wouldn't like to be
saying after him, and at the same time he looked around to see what it
was that was pulling his net. And then he saw the Good People.

"'Give yourself no trouble about the fish,' one of them said to him.
'If you'll only go back to your house and ask the priest one question
from us we'll see that he and you have the finest supper that was ever
seen.'

"Now the man thought that it was not safe to be talking and making
bargains with the Good People, so he said: 'I'll not have anything to
do with you at all.' And then he thought neither was it safe to make
them angry with him, and so he said again: 'I've no wish to offend you
and I thank you for your offer, but I can't take it from you, and I
don't think his Reverence would like me to do that same.'

"Then the one that had spoken first said: 'We'll not ask you to take
anything you don't want, but will you ask the priest one question for
us?"

"'I see no harm in that,' said he, 'for sure he needn't answer it if
he doesn't like; but I'll not take