Donald was not so sure about his safety as the old man was, but he was willing to risk much to effect his brother’s rescue. So he agreed to try the experiment, whatever the result might be. He made the rowan cross and carried it in his pocket, and every evening he passed Merlin’s Crag watching for the lights. But the crag was perfectly dark until just a year after the day when the brothers first saw the fairies. That evening Donald saw the lights glimmering from the crevices of the rocks, and he at once left the road and climbed up till he found the very window that he had looked through a twelve-month previous.
There was the same scene within of merry dancers, and the music was just as stirring and delightful. In the midst of the dancers was John Gilray whirling about with the little old fairy, exactly as his brother had last seen him. Donald crept through the window and advanced with trembling footsteps. His courage returned as he went on, and presently he made a sudden dash in among the dancers and seized his brother by the collar.
“You must come with me,” said he.
“Yes, yes,” said John, “I’ll come, and you need not handle me so roughly. But first let me finish this dance. What is your hurry anyhow? I haven’t been here a half hour yet!”
“A half hour!” exclaimed Donald. “You have been here a whole year.”
John refused to believe this, but Donald dragged him away and got him outside. The little old fairy woman looked forth at them through the window. “Good-by,” she said, waving her hand to John. “We have had you here a whole year, a prisoner in our dance. That is your punishment for taking the roof off our house. But the grass has again grown green on the spot where you removed the turf, and the roof is nearly as good as ever. So you can go if you choose, but I warn you not to be digging your turf there again.”
She waved her hand once more, and suddenly the lights were gone, and the rocks of Merlin’s Crag were as black and solid as ever. It was now midnight, and the two brothers went home rejoicing.
THE LITTLE BOY AND THE BIG COW
ONCE upon a time there was a little boy who had a big cow, and he fed her and took good care of her and milked her twice a day. Everything went on very well until one morning he went out to milk her, and said: