The King of the Fairies was a very handsome fairy, tall and slim, compared to the rest of his band; and he was very fond of going off by himself occasionally, so that he might see how mortals lived, and how they conducted themselves in their moments of merriment and leisure. Sometimes he would go to watch the mill-wheel at Menstrie go round, and see the sparkling water splash as it came tumbling down from Menstrie Glen. He thus came to know the miller. This miller had a very handsome wife, who sometimes came to the mill to speak to her husband, and tell him the news of the day. Her laugh was like the sound of the gurgling water that drove the mill-wheel round so merrily, and the King of the Fairies would stand, himself unseen, and watch with pleasure the pretty wife of the sonsy miller. The more he saw and heard the miller's wife the more he fell in love with her, so that one day, meeting her when she was taking a walk up the hillside, he made himself visible, and entered into conversation with her. The miller's wife had never seen so handsome a man before, and as he spoke to her she felt quite flattered. This meeting was followed by many more, and by-and-by the silly matron was head over ears in love with the Fairy. She did not know that the handsome lover was a fairy, having never asked him such a question, but she had given her foolish heart into his keeping and did not care any more for the honest miller, who loved her all the same, and often wondered what had come over his pretty wife. He never said a word to her about the change which he perceived had come over her affection for him: he thought that everything would come right again, and so he held his peace, like a wise man.

One day, not long after, when the miller came from his mill, he found that his wife had left him, and gone off with her lover. The poor man was perfectly distracted with grief, and went about like one demented. He could not attend to his work, and the music of the mill-wheel was silent, the water rushed past without turning the big wheel, and the farmers could not get their corn ground, because the miller's wife had gone and left him.

At last the miller of Menstrie went to consult an old woman who was said to be a witch. He told her all his trouble, how his wife had left him, and that he would do anything to get her back again, for he loved her even more than ever. The old witch said that she would cast a spell and find out who it was who had carried off his lovely wife, for until they knew this nothing could be done. It took some time before the spell could be properly cast, but at length it was done, and the witch told the sorowing miller that his wife had been carried off by the King of the Fairies, and there was only one way by which she could be restored to him again. He was to go back to his mill, set the wheel agoing again, and resume his ordinary employment. Then, when he was riddling the corn, he was to give the riddle a certain magic turn, which she showed to him, and if that were done correctly his wife would drop down at his feet. The miller returned home cheerier than he had been for many a day, and began to work as usual. The big wheel began to turn and drone out its usual song, the water came splashing over the weir, and the hum of industry was once more heard at the old mill.

One bright summer day, as the miller was busy riddling the corn, he heard singing in the air, and the notes reminded him of his wife's voice. Listening attentively, he heard her singing a plaintive air, of which he made out this verse:

Oh, Alva woods are bonny,
Tillicoultry hills are fair;
But when I think o' the bonny braes o' Menstrie,
It makes my heart aye sair.