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"Really! That's delightful." "Na, na, od wite it! no story, ouer true for that, I sid it a wi my aan eyen. But the barn here, would not like, at these hours, just goin' to her bed, to hear tell of freets and boggarts." "Ghosts? The very thing of all others I should most likely to hear of." "Well, dear," said Mrs. Jenner, "if you are not afraid, sit ye down here, with us."
"I've seen what's worse nor ten thousand boggarts, Mayster Frank," said Jacob, sorrowfully. "And pray what may that be?" asked his master. "Why, mayster, I've seen what's filled scores of homes and hearts with boggarts. I've seen the bottles as holds the drink the strong drink as ruins millions upon millions." Frank started as if pierced by a sudden sting. His colour went and came.
He drew near the verandah; and there, by a little round table on which was a bottle and tumblers, and a box of cigars sat, or rather lolled, Frank and his man, smoking, drinking, and playing cards. "And so it's you, Jacob, my boy!" cried Frank; "it's quite an age since I've seen you; the boggarts haven't kept you away, I hope?"
The Germans had their Kobolds, and the Scotch their Brownies, and the English had their Boggarts and Robin Goodfellow and Lubberkin all of them beings of the same description: house and farm spirits, who liked to live amongst men, and who sometimes did hard, rough work out of good-nature, and sometimes were spiteful and mischievous, especially to those who teased them, or spoke of them disrespectfully, or tried to see them when they did not wish to be seen.
"I hope when Boggarts grow into men," said the Old Owl, "that their children will be Boggarts too, and then they'll know what it is!" "Don't!" roared Tommy. "I won't be a Boggart. I'll be a Brownie." "That's right," nodded the Old Owl. "I said you were a boy who could understand when one spoke. And remember that the Brownies never are seen at their work.
"Very nice," said the Old Owl. "But what" and she shook herself more fiercely than ever, and glared so that Tommy expected nothing less than that her eyes would set fire to her feathers and she would be burnt alive. "But what must I say of the Boggarts?
"But I always have to call you," said the Tailor. "We get back to bed again," said the boys. "But how was it you never did it before?" asked the Tailor doubtfully. "We were idle, we were idle," said Tommy. The Tailor's voice rose to a pitch of desperation "But if you did the work," he shouted, "where is the Brownie?" "Here!" cried the boys, "and we are very sorry that we were Boggarts so long."
The Brownies, though mischievous, like the Boggarts, were more helpful, for they did a good deal of house-work; and would bake, and brew, and wash, and sweep, but they would never let themselves be seen; or if any one did manage to see them, or tried to do so, they went away.
He walked hastily a step or two towards the house, and then turned back. "And pray, my friend Jacob," he said, with a forced assumption of gaiety, "why should my little bottle of spirits be worse for you than ten thousand boggarts?" "Oh, Mayster Frank, Mayster Frank," was the reply, "just excuse me, and hearken to me one minute.
"No, mayster, it's not the boggarts; it's my own heart as has kept me away." "What, Jacob! you've fallen in love with some fair maiden is that it?" "No, Mr Frank; I haven't fallen in love with any young wench, and there's some of the other sex as I'm still less like to fall in love with." "Oh, you mean my friend Juniper here!
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