innocent as lambs. At length the biggest boy pointed out
a large wasp which had settled in Dolly's ear.

"That accounts for everything," said the Gardener.

But it did not mend everything; for when he tried to drive it away it
kept coming back and back again, and buzzing round his own head and the
cow's with a voice that the children thought was less like a buzz of a
wasp than the sound of a person laughing. At length it frightened Dolly
to such an extent that, with one wild bound she darted right away, and
galloped off to the farther end of the field.

"I'll get a rope and tie her legs together," cried the Gardener,
fiercely. "She shall repent giving me all this trouble--that she shall!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed somebody. The Gardener thought it was the
children, and gave one of them an angry cuff as he walked away. But they
knew it was somebody else, and were not at all surprised when, the
minute his back was turned, Dolly came walking quietly back, led by a
little wee brown man who scarcely reached up to her knees. Yet she let
him guide her, which he did as gently as possible, though the string he
held her by was no thicker than a spider web, floating from one of her
horns.

"Soh, Dolly! good Dolly!" cried Brownie, mimicking the Gardener's voice.
"Now we'll see what we can do. I want my breakfast badly--don't you,
little folks?"

Of course they did, for the morning air made them very hungry.

"Very well--wait a bit, though. Old people should be served first, you
know. Besides, I want to go to bed."

"Go to bed in the daylight!" The children all laughed, and then looked
quite shy and sorry, lest they might have seemed rude to the little
Brownie. But he--he liked fun; and never took offence when none was
meant.

He placed himself on the milking-stool, which was so high that his
little legs were dangling half-way down, and milked and milked--Dolly
standing as still as possible--till he had filled the whole pail. Most
astonishing cow! she gave as much as two cows; and such delicious milk
as it was--all frothing and yellow--richer than even Dolly's milk had
ever been before. The children's mouths watered for it, but not a word
said they--even when, instead of giving it to them, Brownie put his own
mouth to the pail, and drank and drank, till it seemed as if he were
never going to stop. But it was decidedly a relief to them when he
popped his head up again, and lo! the pail was as full as ever!

"Now, little one