“So, was it surprising that the overburdened tailor one day complained to his mother that children were a grievance?
“‘No, children are not a burden but a blessing,’ the old woman replied, and she decided to prove it.
“One day when Mary asked her about the fairies, she sighed and repeated: ‘Fairies? Ah, the luck of our house is gone. It went with the Brownie, I believe.’
“‘Tell us about her,’ urged Mary. ‘Did she live with our family?’
“‘Yes, for many generations,’ replied the old woman. ‘Each morning before the family was up, she slipped in to sweep up the hearth, set out the breakfast and do all the housework. Then she would be off before anyone could catch her.’
“‘Yet they always knew it was a Brownie who came, Grandmother?’
“‘Oh, yes, they frequently could hear her laughing and playing about the house as she worked.’
“‘And her wages?’ asked little Mary.
“‘A Brownie always works for love,’ explained the old woman. ‘Sometimes though, the family would set a pancheon of clear water for her overnight, or now and then they would leave a bowl of bread and milk. Oh, she was a dainty little creature!’
“‘And why did she leave the family, Granny?’