Somebody suggested, however, that milk-pans turned over their heads would keep the rain off their slouched hats, at least; so she got a silver milk-pan for an umbrella for each.  They made such frantic efforts to get away then, that they looked like jumping-jacks; but it was of no use.

[Illustration:  NAN RETURNS WITH THE UMBRELLAS.]

Poor Dame Clementina and Nan after they had given the milk porridge to the people, and done all they could for their comfort, stood staring disconsolately out of the window at them under their dripping umbrellas.  The yard was fairly green and black and blue and yellow with umbrellas.  They wept at the sight, but they could not think of any way out of the difficulty.  The people themselves might have suggested one, had they known the real cause; but they did not dare to tell them how they were responsible for all the trouble; they seemed so angry.

About noon Nan spied their most particular friend, Dame Elizabeth, coming.  She lived a little way out of the village.  Nan saw her approaching the gate through the rain and mist, with her great blue umbrella and her long blue double cape and her poke bonnet; and she cried out in the greatest dismay:  “O, mother, mother! there is our dear Dame Elizabeth coming; she will have to stop too!”

Then they watched her with beating hearts.  Dame Elizabeth stared with astonishment at the people, and stopped to ask them questions.  But she passed quite through their midst, and entered the cottage under the sprig of dill, and the verse.  She did not envy Dame Clementina or Nan, anything.

“Tell me what this means,” said she.  “Why are all these people standing in your yard in the rain with umbrellas?”

[Illustration:  SUCH FRANTIC EFFORTS TO GET AWAY.]

Then Dame Clementina and Nan told her.  “And oh! what shall we do?” said they.  “Will these people have to stand in our yard forever and ever?”

Dame Elizabeth stared at them.  The way out of the difficulty was so plain to her, that she could not credit its not being plain to them.

“Why,” said she, “don’t you take down the sprig of dill and the verse?”

“Why, sure enough!” said they in amazement.  “Why didn’t we think of that before?”

So Dame Clementina ran out quickly, and pulled down the sprig of dill and the verse.

Then the way the people hurried out of the yard!  They fairly danced and flourished their heels, old folks and all.  They were so delighted to be able to move, and they wanted to be sure they could move.  The robbers tried to get away unseen with their silver milk-pans, but some of the people stopped them, and set the pans safely inside the dairy.  All the people, except the count, were so eager to get away, that they did not stop to inquire into the cause of the trouble then.

Afterward, when they did, they were too much ashamed to say anything about it.

It was a good lesson to them; they were not quite so envious after that.  Always, on entering any cottage, they would glance at the door, to see if, perchance, there might be a sprig of dill over it.  And if there was not, they were reminded to put away any envious feeling they might have toward the inmates out of their hearts.