The Brownie from Hilton

Once upon a time, there lived a brownie—a household spirit—at Hilton Hall, and he was the most mischievous of all the brownies in the world. At night, when the servants went to bed, he would turn everything upside down. He would pour sugar into salt shakers, throw pepper into beer, overturn chairs, set tables on their heads, rake hot coals out of fireplaces—in short, he caused as much trouble as he could. But sometimes he was in a good mood, and then—oh, then!..

"Wait, what is a brownie?" you might ask.

A brownie is like an unclean spirit, but not as malicious as a devil... Surely you know what an "unclean spirit" and a "devil" are? Good heavens! What strange things exist in this world! Well, know this: a brownie is a funny little creature, half-human, half-elf, all hairy and with pointy ears.

Where was I? Ah, yes, I was telling you about the brownie from Hilton Hall and the mischief he caused. But if the maids left him a bowl of cream or a honey cake, the brownie, in gratitude, would clear the table for them and tidy up the entire kitchen.

One late night, the maids stayed up late and suddenly heard a noise in the kitchen. They peeked in and saw the brownie swinging on the spit chain, muttering:

"Oh, woe is me! Woe!
An acorn did not fall from the branch,
Which would grow into an oak tree,
Which would become a cradle,
Where a child would sleep,
Who would grow into a man,
Who would dismiss me!
Oh, woe is me! Woe!"

The maids took pity on the poor creature and asked the poultry keeper how they could "dismiss" the brownie—that is, make it so he could leave the house.

"It's as simple as can be," replied the poultry keeper. "Give the brownie something good and sturdy as a reward for his work, and he will disappear at once."

So the maids sewed a cloak with a hood from the finest green cloth and placed it by the fireplace, then waited to see what would happen. Suddenly, they saw the brownie approach the fireplace, spot the cloak, put it on, and begin hopping around the room on one leg, chanting:

"I take the cloak with the hood,
And now it shall be mine.
No more will the Hilton brownie
Help you from now on!"

With that, the brownie vanished. And he was never seen again.

More fairy tales

• Jack Hannaford
• I Can Do It Myself!
• Young Pollard and the Okland Boar
• The Water Was Locked Up
• King John and the Abbot of Canterbury