Davy and the Goblin/Chapter IX

Chapter IX. Lay-Overs for Meddlers. As Davy stood in the road, in doubt which way to go, a Roc came around the corner of the house. She was a large bird, nearly six feet tall, and was comfortably dressed, in a bonnet and a plaid shawl, and wore overshoes. About her neck was hung a covered basket and a door-key; and Davy at once concluded that she was Sindbad’s house-keeper.

Davy meets the Roc.

“I didn’t mean to keep you waiting,” said the Roc, leading the way along the road; “but I declare that, what with combing that lawn every morning with a fine tooth comb, and brushing those shells every evening with a fine tooth-brush, I don’t get time for anything else let alone feeding the animals.”

“What animals?” said Davy, beginning to be interested.

“Why, his, of course,” said the Roc, rattling on in her harsh voice. “There’s an Emphasis and two Periodicals, and a Spotted Disaster, all crawlin’ and creepin’ and screechin’”—

Here Davy, unable to control himself, burst into a fit of laughter, in which the Roc joined heartily, rolling her head from side to side, and repeating, “All crawlin’ and creepin’ and screechin’,” over and over again, as if that were the cream of the joke. Suddenly she stopped laughing, and said in a low voice, “You don’t happen to have a beefsteak about you, do you?”

Davy confessed that he had not, and the Roc continued, “Then I must go back. Just hold my basket, like a good child.” Here there was a scuffling sound in the basket, and the Roc rapped on the cover with her hard beak, and cried, “Hush!”

“What’s in it?” said Davy, cautiously taking the basket.

“Lay-overs for meddlers,” said the Roc, and, hurrying back along the road, was soon out of sight.

“I wonder what they’re like,” said Davy to himself, getting down upon his hands and knees and listening curiously with his ear against the cover of the basket. The scuffling sound continued, mingled with little sneezes and squeaking sobs, as if some very small kittens had bad colds and were crying about it.

“I think I’ll take a peep,” said Davy, looking cautiously about him. There was no one in sight, and he carefully raised the cover a little way and tried to look in. The scuffling sound and the sobs ceased, and the next instant the cover flew off the basket, and out poured a swarm of little brown creatures, like snuff-boxes with legs. As they scampered off in all directions Davy made a frantic grab at one of them, when it instantly turned over on its back and blew a puff of smoke into his face, and he rolled over in the road, almost stifled. When he was able to sit up again and look about him the empty basket was lying on its side near him, and not a lay-over was to be seen. At that moment the Roc came in sight, hurrying along the road with her shawl and her bonnet-strings fluttering behind her; and Davy, clapping the cover on the basket, took to his heels and ran for dear life.