of the fen. It had a
fine front door to it; but mindful of her dress of rushes she went round
to the back. And there she saw a strapping fat scullion washing pots and
pans with a very sulky face. So, being a clever girl, she guessed what
the maid was wanting, and said:

"If I may have a night's lodging, I will scrub the pots and pans for
you."

"Why! Here's luck," replied the scullery-maid, ever so pleased. "I was
just wanting badly to go a-walking with my sweetheart. So if you will do
my work you shall share my bed and have a bite of my supper. Only mind
you scrub the pots clean or cook will be at me."

Now next morning the pots were scraped so clean that they looked like
new, and the saucepans were polished like silver, and the cook said to
the scullion, "Who cleaned these pots? Not you, I'll swear." So the maid
had to up and out with the truth. Then the cook would have turned away
the old maid and put on the new, but the latter would not hear of it.

"The maid was kind to me and gave me a night's lodging," she said. "So
now I will stay without wage and do the dirty work for her."

So Caporushes--for so they called her since she would give no other
name--stayed on and cleaned the pots and scraped the saucepans.

Now it so happened that her master's son came of age, and to celebrate
the occasion a ball was given to the neighbourhood, for the young man
was a grand dancer, and loved nothing so well as a country measure. It
was a very fine party, and after supper was served, the servants were
allowed to go and watch the quality from the gallery of the ball-room.

But Caporushes refused to go, for she also was a grand dancer, and she
was afraid that when she heard the fiddles starting a merry jig, she
might start dancing. So she excused herself by saying she was too tired
with scraping pots and washing saucepans; and when the others went off,
she crept up to her bed.

But alas! and alack-a-day! The door had been left open, and as she lay
in her bed she could hear the fiddlers fiddling away and the tramp of
dancing feet.

Then she upped and off with her cap and robe of rushes, and there she
was ever so fine and tidy. She was in the ball-room in a trice joining
in the jig, and none was more beautiful or better dressed than she.
While as for her dancing...!

Her master's son singled her out at once, and with the finest of bows
engaged her as his partner for the rest of the night. So she danced away
to her heart's