“Aye, and why not?” cried Hempie, undaunted. “I was country-bred, Master Nat, and I learned not to mind the smell of a fox or of a civet cat … or of a Fairy. They’re mischievous creatures, I daresay, and best left alone. But though we can’t always pick and choose our neighbors, neighborliness is a virtue all the same. For my part, I’d never have chosen the Fairies for my neighbors — but they were chosen for me. And we must just make the best of them.”
