eep it in, at last
broke into shouts of laughter. She turned furiously upon them.

"It was you who did it!"

"No, indeed it wasn't!" said they, jumping farther to escape her blows.
For she had got one of her clothes-props, and was laying about her in
the most reckless manner. However, she hurt nobody, and then she
suddenly burst out, not laughing, but crying.

"It's a cruel thing, whoever has done it, to play such tricks on a poor
old body like me, with a sick husband that she works hard for, and not a
child to help her. But I don't care. I'll wash my clothes again, if it's
twenty times over, and I'll hang them out again in the very place, just
to make you all ashamed of yourselves."

Perhaps the little people were ashamed of themselves, though they really
had not done the mischief. But they knew quite well who had done it, and
more than once they were about to tell; only they were afraid, if they
did so, they should vex the Brownie so much that he would never come and
play with them any more.

So they looked at one another without speaking, and when the Gardener's
wife had emptied her basket and dried her eyes, they said to her, very
kindly:

"Perhaps no harm may come to your clothes this time. We'll sit and watch
them till they are dry."

"Just as you like; I don't care. Them that hides can find, and them that
plays tricks knows how to stop 'em."

It was not a civil speech, but then things were hard for the poor old
woman. She had been awake nearly all night, and up washing at daybreak;
her eyes were red with crying, and her steps weary and slow. The little
children felt quite sorry for her, and, instead of going to play, sat
watching the clothes as patiently as possible.

Nothing came near them. Sometimes, as before, the things seemed to dance
about without hands, and turn into odd shapes, as if there were people
inside them; but not a creature was seen and not a sound was heard. And
though there was neither wind nor sun, very soon all the linen was
perfectly dry.

"Fetch one of mother's baskets, and we'll fold it up as tidily as
possible--that is, the girls can do it, it's their business--and we boys
will carry it safe to Gardener's cottage."

So said they, not liking to say that they could not trust it out of
their sight for fear of Brownie, whom, indeed, they were expecting to
see peer round from every bush. They began to have a secret fear that
he was rather a naughty Brownie; but then, as the eldes