‘There isn’t a word of truth about his selling your cottage,’ said the little voice indignantly. ‘He is far too kind to turn an old woman and two little children like you out of your home. It is because he is good that the Spriggans are afraid of him and speak of him so unkindly.’
‘But if it should be true,’ persisted Gerna, ‘will you give me a purseful of golden money if I don’t take you to the goog?’
‘How quickly you forget, child! I told you but yesterday that I had no gold to give you,’ said the little voice. ‘Surely you do not love money more than you do kindness and pity? And you are going to commit an unkind deed—for it will be an unkind deed if you sell me for gold. Woe is me!’
‘But the purse belongs to the Spriggan King,’ said Gerna, as if to excuse herself. ‘I shall be only giving him what belongs to him.’
‘That is quite true. But I do not belong to him; I belong to my Mammie and Daddy and my own little True Love, whom I shall never, never see again if you take me to Piskey Goog. And I shall be dead to them for ever and ever and ever!’
‘Then I won’t let those nasty little Dark People have ’ee, whatever they do offer,’ cried the child. ‘I only wish I could take ’ee over that bog an’ moor you told me of to the Tolmên.’
‘A wish is father to the deed,’ said the little voice somewhat more cheerfully. ‘If you really desire to do that act of pity,’ it added, after a pause, ‘you have not much time to lose, for the moon is on the wane, and there are only three clear days to the birth of the new moon.’
‘I wish I wasn’t afraid of being out alone in the dark,’ said the child, shuddering. ‘I am a wisht coward when it is dark. So I’m afraid I shall never be brave enough to take ’ee to the Tolmên, though I want to, dreadful. But I’ll never let the Spriggans have ’ee, dear,’ she added, greatly distressed, as a groan terrible in its despair came out of the bag. ‘Don’t ’ee make so wisht a sound. It do make me sad to hear ’ee.’
‘I can’t help it,’ said the wee voice, which was as full of tears as ever a voice could be. ‘Not even love can keep me from the Spriggans after the moon is born. All power to resist them will be gone, and they can come into this cottage unseen by human eyes and take me away. They suspect where I am now, and are only afraid I have discovered a child who is not only no lover of money, but who is kind enough to take me to the Tolmên.’
‘Whatever will ’ee do!’ cried Gerna, tears welling to her eyes. ‘I don’t believe I shall be happy any more if I know those ghastly little Spriggans have ’ee.’