I think of the way she
treated me," he exclaimed, suddenly getting into a rage, "I've a great
mind to turn back into a robin and peck her head off!"

"Would you like to see her now?" asked Fairyfoot, innocently.

Mr. Goodfellow glanced behind him in great haste, and suddenly sat down.

"No, no!" he exclaimed in a tremendous hurry; "by no means! She has no
delicacy. And she doesn't deserve to see me. And there's a violence and
uncertainty about her movements which is annoying beyond anything you can
imagine. No, I don't want to see her! I'll let her go unpunished for the
present. Perhaps it's punishment enough for her to be deprived of me.
Just pick up your cap, won't you? and if you see any birds lying about,
throw it at them, robins particularly."

"I think I must take the swine home, if you'll excuse me," said
Fairyfoot, "I'm late now."

"Well, let me sit on your shoulder and I'll go with you and show you a
short way home," said Goodfellow; "I know all about it, so you needn't
think about yourself again. In fact, we'll talk about the party. Just
blow your whistle, and the swine will go ahead."

Fairyfoot did so, and the swine rushed through the forest before them,
and Robin Goodfellow perched himself on the Prince's shoulder, and
chatted as they went.

It had taken Fairyfoot hours to reach the place where he found Robin, but
somehow it seemed to him only a very short time before they came to the
open place near the swineherd's hut; and the path they had walked in had
been so pleasant and flowery that it had been delightful all the way.

"Now," said Robin when they stopped, "if you will come here to-night at
twelve o'clock, when the moon shines under this tree, you will find me
waiting for you. Now I'm going. Good-bye!" And he was gone before the
last word was quite finished.

Fairyfoot went towards the hut, driving the swine before him, and
suddenly he saw the swineherd come out of his house, and stand staring
stupidly at the pigs. He was a very coarse, hideous man, with bristling
yellow hair, and little eyes, and a face rather like a pig's, and he
always looked stupid, but just now he looked more stupid than ever. He
seemed dumb with surprise.

"What's the matter with the swine?" he asked in his hoarse voice, which
was rather piglike, too.

"I don't know," answered Fairyfoot, feeling a little alarmed. "What _is_
the matter with them?"

"They are four times fatter, and five times bigger, and six times