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"I forgot to tell Tom of something that happened to me this very day. I had been looking about me in the poultry-yard, and was just coming out, when who should I see but Dick Jackson making up to the servants' hall-door with two bits of deal board in his hand, bringing them to father, you may be sure; mother had chanced to send him of a message to father, and then father had bid him bring up them two bits of board, for he could not no how do without them. I knew what all this meant, for the servants' dinner-bell was ringing at the very moment over our heads; and as I hate such encroaching people (the Jacksons are very encroaching, I have always said so: just the sort of people to get all they can), I said to the boy directly (a great lubberly fellow of ten years old, you know, who ought to be ashamed of himself), 'I'll take the boards to your father, Dick, so get you home again as fast as you can.' The boy looked very silly, and turned away without offering a word, for I believe I might speak pretty sharp; and I dare say it will cure him of coming marauding about the house for one while. I hate such greediness— so good as your father is to the family, employing the man all the year round!" — Mrs. Norris speaking in Chapter 15 of Mansfield Park
Who's Afraid of the Toad-Eating Witch?
Freed from his errand by the witch, Dick started walking away towards the woods, though he turned back around just before he got there and stuck his tongue out at her, though she didn't see it, and then he went running toward the frog pond where he was going to meet his younger brother Neddy.
It wasn't many minutes before Neddy ran up, with some rolls tied up in a napkin.
"Oh, I thought I'd be here first," he said. "You found Papa awful fast."
"No, the old witch took them and sent me off, like I was doing something bad. What's it to me if she wanted to carry them bits of board? Saves me some trouble."
"I once heard Mama tell Papa that she was a..." Neddy furrowed his brow as he tried to remember the precise words, "toad-eating... hippo... hippo-bit?... who'd make a fairy sea look like a saint. And Papa told her to pay her no never mind because the witch is all bark and can't bite."
"I should have known she'd eat toads," Dick said, crouching down to look at the pond. "I wish it was frog season. I'm sure I saw about 250 last spring."
"Don't be silly," Neddy said. "You can't even count that high."
"Can so," Dick insisted. "You have to if you want to be a carpenter. Anyway, there were bunches and bunches then." He sighed.
Neddy sat down next to him. "I bet that old witch doesn't know the difference between frogs and toads," he said. "Do you think that... she ate them all?"
Dick shrugged. "Maybe. Wouldn't put it past her. Greedy thing." He stood up. "No use wondering. Let's skip stones. Winner gets the last roll."
"No fair! You always win," Neddy said.
"I'll let you pick the first stone, and give you five points to start with," Dick said.
"Ok. Fine," Neddy said, going to look for the best rocks.
Dick looked back at the pond. In the tall grass, he thought he saw a frog. Maybe they should catch it and take it home so it would be safe from the witch.
The End