eople, and stopped to ask them questions. But she
passed quite through their midst, and entered the cottage under the
sprig of dill, and the verse. She did not envy Dame Clementina or Nan,
anything.

"Tell me what this means," said she. "Why are all these people
standing in your yard in the rain with umbrellas?"

[Illustration: SUCH FRANTIC EFFORTS TO GET AWAY.]

Then Dame Clementina and Nan told her. "And oh! what shall we do?"
said they. "Will these people have to stand in our yard forever and
ever?"

Dame Elizabeth stared at them. The way out of the difficulty was so
plain to her, that she could not credit its not being plain to them.

"Why," said she, "don't you take down the sprig of dill and the
verse?"

"Why, sure enough!" said they in amazement. "Why didn't we think of
that before?"

So Dame Clementina ran out quickly, and pulled down the sprig of dill
and the verse.

Then the way the people hurried out of the yard! They fairly danced
and flourished their heels, old folks and all. They were so delighted
to be able to move, and they wanted to be sure they could move. The
robbers tried to get away unseen with their silver milk-pans, but some
of the people stopped them, and set the pans safely inside the dairy.
All the people, except the count, were so eager to get away, that they
did not stop to inquire into the cause of the trouble then.

Afterward, when they did, they were too much ashamed to say anything
about it.

It was a good lesson to them; they were not quite so envious after
that. Always, on entering any cottage, they would glance at the door,
to see if, perchance, there might be a sprig of dill over it. And if
there was not, they were reminded to put away any envious feeling they
might have toward the inmates out of their hearts.

[Illustration: DAME ELIZABETH STARED WITH ASTONISHMENT.]

As for the count, he had not been so much alarmed as the others, since
he had been to the wars and was braver. Moreover, he felt that his
dignity as a noble had been insulted. So he at once dismounted and
fastened his horse to the gate, and strode up to the door with his
sword clanking and the plumes on his hat nodding.

"What," he begun; then he stopped short. He had recognized his
daughter in Dame Clementina. She recognized him at the same moment.
"O, my dear daughter!" said he. "O, my dear father!" said she.

"And this is my little grandchild?" said the count; and he took Nan
upon his knee, and cove