‘Twist me, and turn me, and show me the Elf; I looked in the water, and saw--’
“‘And will I see a Brownie?’ asked little Mary.
“‘If you fail to see one, it will be no use,’ answered the wise old owl.
“Off went Mary to the pool deep in the woods. Gazing deep into the dark water which was like a mirror, she slowly repeated the magic words.
“But though she looked hard for the Brownie, all she saw was her own sober reflection in the pool.
“‘I must have done it wrong,’ thought Mary. ‘Anyway, there is no word to rhyme with “Elf.”’
“Disappointed and puzzled, the little girl went back to the old owl to report that the charm had failed to work.
“‘Whoooo,’ hooted the owl, winking his sleepy eyes, ‘and what did you see in the pool?’
“‘No one but myself,’ answered little Mary.
“‘Hoot! Hoot!’ said the owl, and he seemed to be laughing in his feathers. ‘And what did you expect to see?’
“Then the owl explained to Mary that she herself was the Brownie and that she could make herself beloved in the household by helping with the work.
“‘I’m not sure I would enjoy being a Brownie,’ said Mary, thinking over what the owl had said. ‘I would rather have someone else do the work for me.’
“‘Fie!’ the old owl scolded crossly. ‘You would be idle and lazy--one who eats, yet never helps with the supper!’
“‘Say no more,’ sighed Mary. ‘I don’t really want to be like that. I’ll go home now and tell my brother Tommy what you have said.’
“The very next day, the little girl told her brother of her talk with the owl. Together they worked out a plan whereby they arose each morning before the old folks were awake. They swept the hearth, tidied the house and started breakfast.
“Each day the children found more and more things to do for their father and their grandmother. The house rang with laughter and everyone was much happier.
“Now this went on for many days. Then one morning, the tailor stole downstairs very early to watch for the Brownies. Instead, he saw Mary and Tommy doing the work.
“‘What’s this?’ he demanded. ‘Where are the Brownies?’
“‘We are the only ones,’ laughed Mary and Tommy.
“‘Surely this is a joke,’ declared the astonished tailor. ‘Are there no real Brownies?’
“The old tailor then agreed with his mother that children indeed were a blessing and not a burden.”