That day for dinner Simon told Nina to have a good meat stew and that Nina and Jack were to eat all they wanted. Jack told Nina what had happened at the stream in the woods and asked her if she thought the Fairy had anything to do with the accident that happened to Simon. "Of course not," said Nina. "Fairies always do good, not bad things, and, besides, Simon must have been burnt at the very time you saw the Fairy, and I wonder if you really did see a Fairy, after all. Are you sure you did not fall asleep and dream it all?" Jack was quite sure he did not dream it, but never again did Brindle Cow speak--at least, Jack never heard her if she did. But when Simon recovered from his burns and was quite well again something did happen, and whether the Field Fairy and Brindle Cow had anything to do with it Jack and Nina never knew. Simon was a changed man, that was sure. He would not let Nina do the work any more, but sent both of the children to school. He fixed up the house and bought new furniture, and, best of all, he bought nice clothing for Jack and Nina. "And if you don't mind," said Simon to Jack and Nina one day, "I wish you would call me Uncle Simon." He even bought a nice horse and pretty willow carriage for the children to drive to school; in fact, everybody thought Simon must have lost his mind, he was so changed. "It must be the work of the Field Fairy," said Jack when he and Nina were talking over what the neighbors said about Simon. "She said she would change him into a kind and good man." "Perhaps she came and found him burnt and thought she would wait and see what happened to him," said Nina, "but I think you fell asleep that morning, Jack, while you were waiting for Brindle Cow to drink at the stream." "Brindle Cow saw the Fairy. Didn't you, Brindle?" asked Jack, as Brindle Cow came up to the stone wall where Jack and Nina stood. Brindle Cow looked over the wall straight at Jack and answered, "Mo-o-o." "It does not matter, Jack," said Nina, with a laugh, as she patted Brindle Cow on the nose. "It has all turned out so well and Uncle Simon could not be kinder or nicer to us now if he were our father. Sometimes I think it is all because when he was so sick and helpless that we were kind to him and did all we could even though he had almost starved us and made us work so hard. I think he is sorry for it and is trying to do all he can now to make up for his unkindness and make us forget it." "Perhaps you are right, Nina," said Jack, "so we will forget it, but I am sure about the Field Fairy, and Brindle Cow knows it is true, for it was the Fairy who saved her from the butcher." But all the answer Jack could get from Brindle Cow was "M-o-o-o!" THE FROGS AND THE FAIRIES [Illustration: The Frogs and the fairies]