Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rudyard Kipling
hot weather,’ Una replied, watching a yellow-and-violet- least noise and movement reached them like whispers up a
banded snail-shell close to her eye.
water-Pipe.
‘Brooks flood. Then you must shift your sheep—let alone ‘That is clever,’ said Puck, leaning over. ‘How truly you
foot-rot afterward. I put more dependence on a dew-pond shape it!’
any day.’
‘Yes, but what does The Beast care for a brittle flint tip?
‘How’s a dew-pond made?’ said Dan, and tilted his hat over Bah!’ The man flicked something contemptuously over his
his eyes. Mr Dudeney explained.
shoulder. It fell between Dan and Una—a beautiful dark-blue
The air trembled a little as though it could not make up its flint arrow-head still hot from the maker’s hand.
mind whether to slide into the Pit or move across the open. The man reached for another stone, and worked away like
But it seemed easiest to go downhill, and the children felt a thrush with a snail-shell.
one soft puff after another slip and sidle down the slope in ‘Flint work is fool’s work,’ he said at last. ‘One does it
fragrant breaths that baffed on their eyelids. The little whis- because one always did it; but when it comes to dealing with
per of the sea by the cliffs joined with the whisper of the The Beast—no good!’ He shook his shaggy head. ‘The Beast
wind over the grass, the hum of insects in the thyme, the was dealt with long ago. He has gone,’ said Puck.
ruffle and rustle of the flock below, and a thickish mutter ‘He’ll be back at lambing time. I know him.’ He chipped
deep in the very chalk beneath them. Mr Dudeney stopped very carefully, and the flints squeaked.
explaining, and went on with his knitting. They were roused ‘Not he. Children can lie out on the Chalk now all day
by voices. The shadow had crept halfway down the steep side through and go home safe.’
of Norton Pit, and on the edge of it, his back to them, Puck ‘Can they? Well, call The Beast by his True Name, and I’ll
sat beside a half-naked man who seemed busy at some work. believe it,’ the man replied. ‘Surely!’ Puck leaped to his feet,
The wind had dropped, and in that funnel of ground every curved his hands round his mouth and shouted: ‘Wolf! Wolf!’
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