so do what I’m telling ye this minute.’  The house was being built on ‘the path’ I suppose—­the path used by the people of faery in their journeys, and my mother brings Joseph down and shows him, and he changes the foundations, the way he was bid, but didn’t bring it exactly to where was pointed, and the end of that was, when he come to the house, his own wife lost her life with an accident that come to a horse that hadn’t room to turn right with a harrow between the bush and the wall.  The Wee Woman was queer and angry when next she come, and says to us, ’He didn’t do as I bid him, but he’ll see what he’ll see."’ My friend asked where the woman came from this time, and if she was dressed as before, and the woman said, “Always the same way, up the field beyant the burn.  It was a thin sort of shawl she had about her in summer, and a cloak about her in winter; and many and many a time she came, and always it was good advice she was giving to my mother, and warning her what not to do if she would have good luck.  There was none of the other children of us ever seen her unless me; but I used to be glad when I seen her coming up the bum, and would run out and catch her by the hand and the cloak, and call to my mother, ’Here’s the Wee Woman!’ No man body ever seen her.  My father used to be wanting to, and was angry with my mother and me, thinking we were telling lies and talking foolish like.  And so one day when she had come, and was sitting by the fireside talking to my mother, I slips out to the field where he was digging.  ‘Come up,’ says I, ’if ye want to see her.  She’s sitting at the fireside now, talking to mother.’  So in he comes with me and looks round angry like and sees nothing, and he up with a broom that was near hand and hits me a crig with it.  ‘Take that now!’ says he, ‘for making a fool of me!’ and away with him as fast as he could, and queer and angry with me.  The Wee Woman says to me then, ’Ye got that now for bringing people to see me.  No man body ever seen me, and none ever will.’

“There was one day, though, she gave him a queer fright anyway, whether he had seen her or not.  He was in among the cattle when it happened, and he comes up to the house all trembling like.  ’Don’t let me hear you say another word of your Wee Woman.  I have got enough of her this time.’  Another time, all the same, he was up Gortin to sell horses, and before he went off, in steps the Wee Woman and says she to my mother, holding out a sort of a weed, ’Your man is gone up by Gortin, and there’s a bad fright waiting him coming home, but take this and sew it in his coat, and he’ll get no harm by it.’  My mother takes the herb, but thinks to herself, ‘Sure there’s nothing in it,’ and throws it on the floor, and lo and behold, and sure enough! coming home from Gortin, my father got as bad a fright as ever he got in his life.  What it was I don’t right mind, but anyway he was badly damaged by it.  My mother was in a queer way, frightened of the Wee Woman, after what she done,