ff her."

"Well, there," says she, "I should ha' liked to ha' seen her."

"Well," says they, "there's a dance again this evening, and you must go
with us, for she's sure to be there."

Well, come this evening, Cap o' Rushes said she was too tired to go; and
do what they would she stayed at home. But when they were gone, she
offed with her cap o' rushes and cleaned herself, and away she went to
the dance.

The master's son was rarely glad when he saw her. He danced with none
but her, and never took his eyes off her. When she wouldn't tell him her
name, nor where she came from, he gave her a ring, and told her if he
didn't see her again he should die.

Well, before the dance was over, off she slipped, and home she went; and
when the maids came home she was pretending to be asleep with her cap o'
rushes on.

Well, next day they says to her: "There, Cap o' Rushes, you didn't come
last night, and now you won't see the lady, for there's no more dances."

"Well, I should have rarely liked to have seen her," says she.

The master's son he tried every way to find out where the lady was
gone; but go where he might, and ask whom he might, he never heard
anything about her. And he got worse and worse for the love of her, till
he had to keep to his bed.

"Make some gruel for the young master," they said to the cook. "He's
dying for the love of the lady." The cook set about making it, when Cap
o' Rushes came in.

"What are you a-doing of?" says she.

"I'm going to make some gruel for the young master," says the cook, "for
he's dying for love of the lady."

"Let me make it," says Cap o' Rushes.

Well, the cook wouldn't at first, but at last she said yes, and Cap o'
Rushes made the gruel. And when she had made it she slipped the ring
into it on the sly before the cook took it upstairs.

The young man he drank it, and then he saw the ring at the bottom.

"Send for the cook," says he.

So up she came.

"Who made this gruel here?" says he.

"I did," says the cook, for she was frightened.

And he looked at her.

"No, you didn't," says he. "Say who did it, and you shan't be harmed."

"Well, then, 't was Cap o' Rushes," says she.

"Send Cap o' Rushes here," says he.

So Cap o' Rushes came.

"Did you make my gruel?" says he.

"Yes, I did," says she.

"Where did you get this ring?" says he.

"From him that gave it me," says she.

"Who are you, then?" says the young man.

"I'll show you," says she. And she