they wouldn't own such a lazy
good-for-nothing. They does more work in a morning than you'd get through
in a year, you who never does a hand's-turn for anybody and haven't sense
enough to earn your own bread!"

"I've sense enough to find out if there's any such things as Buccas in
that there well, and I'll go there and watch and listen till I finds out
something, and if there's Buccas there I'll catch one!"

So away he went to spend his time idly lying amidst the tall grass and
ferns which grew thickly around the well. This sort of job suited him to
a nicety, for the sun was warm and pleasant, and he did no work, for, said
he, if he was to work he wouldn't be able to hear any sounds that might
come from below. And for once he spoke the truth.

Day after day Barker went and lay by the Fairy Well, and at first he heard
never a sound but the birds singing, and the bees humming, and his own
breathing. By and by, though, other sounds began to make themselves heard
by him, noises of digging and hammering, and numbers of little voices
talking and laughing merrily.

Barker could not at first make out what they said, but he could understand
that they were always busy. Instead, though, of taking them as an
example, the lazy fellow only said to himself gleefully that if others
worked so hard, there was the less need for him to do so!

Having discovered that his neighbours were right, and that there really
were such people as Buccas, you would have thought that he would have
hurried home to tell of his discoveries; but no, he liked the lazy life,
lying in the sun by the well, doing nothing. So he kept quiet about his
discovery, and every day started off for his favourite spot, making the
excuse that he was still watching for Buccas.

As the days passed by he began to understand what the little workmen said,
and he gathered from their talk that they worked in sets, and that each
set worked for eight hours,--which was, of course, the origin of the Eight
Hours Day we hear so much about. He also found that when they had
finished they hid away their tools, and every day in a fresh place.
I cannot tell you why they hid them, or from whom, unless it was those
other 'little people,' the Fairies and Piskies, who love to be up to
mischief when they are not doing good. It could not have been from each
other that they hid the things, for they talked together about the
hiding-places.

One evening, when the day's work was coming