Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
there we saw a man slouching along the slob, among the seals The South Saxons mistrust a man who talks too well. Ah!
at Manhood End. My good Eddi disliked seals—but he swal- Now, I’ve left out the very point of my story. He kept a great
lowed his objections and ran like a hare.’
grey-muzzled old dog-seal that he had brought up from a
‘Why?’said Dan.
pup. He called it Padda—after one of my clergy. It was rather
‘For the same reason that I did. We thought it was one of like fat, honest old Padda. The creature followed him every-
our people going to drown himself. As a matter of fact, Eddi where, and nearly knocked down my good Eddi when we
and I were nearly drowned in the pools before we overtook first met him. Eddi loathed it. It used to sniff at his thin legs
him. To cut a long story short, we found ourselves very muddy, and cough at him. I can’t say I ever took much notice of it (I
very breathless, being quietly made fun of in good Latin by a was not fond of animals), till one day Eddi came to me with
very well-spoken person. No—he’d no idea of going to Wotan. a circumstantial account of some witchcraft that Meon
He was fishing on his own beaches, and he showed us the worked. He would tell the seal to go down to the beach the
beacons and turf-heaps that divided his land from the church last thing at night, and bring him word of the weather. When
property. He took us to his own house, gave us a good din- it came back, Meon might say to his slaves, “Padda thinks we
ner, some more than good wine, sent a guide with us into shall have wind tomorrow. Haul up the boats!” I spoke to
Chichester, and became one of my best and most refreshing Meon casually about the story, and he laughed.
friends. He was a Meon by descent, from the west edge of the ‘He told me he could judge by the look of the creature’s
kingdom; a scholar educated, curiously enough, at Lyons, my coat and the way it sniffed what weather was brewing. Quite
old school; had travelled the world over, even to Rome, and possible. One need not put down everything one does not
was a brilliant talker. We found we had scores of acquaintan- understand to the work of bad spirits—or good ones, for
ces in common. It seemed he was a small chief under King that matter.’ He nodded towards Puck, who nodded gaily in
Ethelwalch, and I fancy the King was somewhat afraid of him. return.
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