When the children leaped into the hole at the foot of the tree they
found themselves sliding down a dark, narrow slant which dropped
them softly enough into a little room. This room was hollowed out
immediately under the tree, and great care had been taken not to
disturb any of the roots which ran here and there through the
chamber in the strangest criss-cross, twisted fashion. To get
across such a place one had to walk round, and jump over, and
duck under perpetually. Some of the roots had formed themselves
very conveniently into low seats and narrow, uneven tables, and
at the bottom all the roots ran into the floor and away again in
the direction required by their business. After the clear air
outside this place was very dark to the children’s eyes, so that
they could not see anything for a few minutes, but after a little
time their eyes became accustomed to the semiobscurity and they
were able to see quite well. The first things they became aware
of were six small men who were seated on low roots. They were all
dressed in tight green clothes and little leathern aprons, and they
wore tall green hats which wobbled when they moved. They were all
busily engaged making shoes. One was drawing out wax ends on his
knee, another was softening pieces of leather in a bucket of water,
another was polishing the instep of a shoe with a piece of curved
bone, another was paring down a heel with a short broad-bladed
knife, and another was hammering wooden pegs into a sole. He had
all the pegs in his mouth, which gave him a widefaced, jolly
expression, and according as a peg was wanted he blew it into his
hand and hit it twice with his hammer, and then he blew another
peg, and he always blew the peg with the right end uppermost, and
never had to hit it more than twice. He was a person well worth
watching.
The children had slid down so unexpectedly that they almost forgot
their good manners, but as soon as Seumas Beg discovered that he
was really in a room he removed his cap and stood up.
“God be with all here,” said he.
The Leprecaun who had brought them lifted Brigid from the floor to
which amazement still constrained her.
“Sit down on that little root, child of my heart,” said he, “and
you can knit stockings for us.”
“Yes, sir,” said Brigid meekly.
The Leprecaun took four knitting needles and a ball of green wool
from the top of a high, horizontal root. He had to climb over one,
go round three and climb up two roots to get at it, and he did
this so easily that it did not seem a bit of trouble. He gave the
needles and wool to Brigid Beg.
“Do you know how to turn the heel, Brigid Beg?” said he.
“No, sir,” said Brigid.
“Well, I’ll show you how when you come to it.”
The other six Leprecauns had ceased work and were looking at the
children. Seumas turned to them.
“God bless the work,” said he politely.
One of the Leprecauns, who had a grey, puckered face and a thin
fringe of grey whisker very far under his chin, then spoke.
“Come over here, Seumas Beg,” said he, “and I’ll measure you for a
pair of shoes. Put your foot up on that root.”
The boy did so, and the Leprecaun took the measure of his foot with
a wooden rule.
“Now, Brigid Beg, show me your foot,” and he measured her also.
“They’ll be ready for you in the morning.”
“Do you never do anything else but make shoes, sir?” said Seumas.
“We do not,” replied the Leprecaun, “except when we want new
clothes, and then we have to make them, but we grudge every minute
spent making anything else except shoes, because that is the proper
work for a Leprecaun. In the night time we go about the country
into people’s houses and we clip little pieces off their money,
and so, bit by bit, we get a crock of gold together, because, do
you see, a Leprecaun has to have a crock of gold so that if he’s
captured by men folk he may be able to ransom himself. But that
seldom happens, because it’s a great disgrace altogether to be
captured by a man, and we’ve practiced so long dodging among the
roots here that we can easily get away from them. Of course, now
and again we are caught; but men are fools, and we always escape
without having to pay the ransom at all. We wear green clothes
because it’s the colour of the grass and the leaves, and when we
sit down under a bush or lie in the grass they just walk by without
noticing us.”
“Will you let me see your crock of gold?” said Seumas.
The Leprecaun looked at him fixedly for a moment.
“Do you like griddle bread and milk?” said he.
“I like it well,” Seumas answered.
“Then you had better have some,” and the Leprecaun took a piece of
griddle bread from the shelf and filled two saucers with milk.
While the children were eating the Leprecauns asked them many
questions “What time do you get up in the morning?”
“Seven o’clock,” replied Seumas.
“And what do you have for breakfast?”
“Stirabout and milk,” he replied.
“It’s good food,” said the Leprecaun. “What do you have for dinner?”
“Potatoes and milk,” said Seumas.
“It’s not bad at all,” said the Leprecaun. “And what do you have
for supper?”
Brigid answered this time because her brother’s mouth was full.
“Bread and milk, sir,” said she.
“There’s nothing better,” said the Leprecaun.
“And then we go to bed,” continued Brigid.
“Why wouldn’t you?” said the Leprecaun.
It was at this point the Thin Woman of Inis Magrath knocked on the
tree trunk and demanded that the children should be returned to her.
When she had gone away the Leprecauns held a consultation, whereat
it was decided that they could not afford to anger the Thin Woman
and the Shee of Croghan Conghaile, so they shook hands with the
children and bade them good-bye. The Leprecaun who had enticed
them away from home brought them back again, and on parting he
begged the children to visit Gort na Cloca Mora whenever they felt
inclined.
“There’s always a bit of griddle bread or potato cake, and a noggin
of milk for a friend,” said he.
“You are very kind, sir,” replied Seumas, and his sister said the
same words.
As the Leprecaun walked away they stood watching him.
[Illustration: “Do you remember,” said Seumas, “the way he hopped
and waggled his leg the last time he was here?”]
“Do you remember,” said Seumas, “the way he hopped and waggled his
leg the last time he was here?”
“I do so,” replied Brigid.
“Well, he isn’t hopping or doing anything at all this time,” said
Seumas.
“He’s not in good humour to-night,” said Brigid, “but I like him.”
“So do I,” said Seumas.
When they went into the house the Thin Woman of Inis Magrath was
very glad to see them, and she baked a cake with currants in it,
and also gave them both stirabout and potatoes; but the Philosopher
did not notice that they had been away at all. He said at last that
“talking was bad wit, that women were always making a fuss, that
children should be fed, but not fattened, and that beds were meant
to be slept in.” The Thin Woman replied “that he was a grisly old
man without bowels, that she did not know what she had married him
for, that he was three times her age, and that no one would believe
what she had to put up with.”