had not been in the hall before had just come in at the
far end from the King, who had caught sight of him. He was smoking a
pipe. He had his hands in the pockets of his little green breeches, he
wore a red jacket, and on his head was a red cap. He came slowly up
the hall, when the King called him, and stood before the throne. "Take
off your cap, ye worthless vagabone," said the King, "when you speak
to me."

"I wasn't spakin' to you," said Naggeneen; "it was you that spoke to
me. You called me, and here I am to the fore, though I don't belong to
your pitiful little thribe, and I needn't come when you call, if I
don't like."

"Oh, needn't ye?" said the King. "Take off your cap now, or it'll be
taken off for ye."

Naggeneen took off his cap.

"Now," said the King, "what have ye been doin' to the Sullivans, that
they're lavin' the counthry and persuadin' the O'Briens to go wid
them?"

"I've been doin' nothin'," said Naggeneen, "but what you said I might
do."

"Oh, haven't ye?" said the King. "And what was that?"

"Oh," said Naggeneen, "I just took all the cream and the most of the
milk from their cow, and you yourself had a share of it, as you know
well; and I put a charm on their pig, so that it wouldn't get fat, no
matter how much it 'uld be atin'; and then I druv the smoke of their
fire down the chimney, and I threw the dishes and the pans around in
the night, just so they wouldn't get lazy wid restin' too well, and a
few more little things like that."

"Was that all ye did?" said the King. "And how long have ye been at it
that way?"

"Ever since the day that Mrs. Sullivan threw the dirthy wather on me,
as I was passin' the house. But I'm not the only one that's in it.
Some of your own people here have helped me, and good they are at
divilment too."

"And those things was all you did, was they?" said the King. "And
didn't I tell ye ye could bother them a little, but not too much? What
would ye have done if I had told ye to do what ye liked wid them?"

"What would I have done then? Oh, I'ld have shown ye the real fun
then. What would I have done then? I'ld have pinched them and stuck
pins in them all day and all night. I'ld have put charms on
themselves, so that they'ld grow thinner than the pig. I'ld have took
the pertaties out of the creel when they were put to drain at the
door. If they went away from home I'ld make them think that they saw
their house burning up, and so I'ld scare them to death. Wha