fret them = restrict themselves?

[NewHopeR]

Context:
Sometimes, in the course of long summer evenings, the friends would take a stroll together in the Wild Wood, now successfully tamed so far as they were concerned; and it was pleasing to see how respectfully they were greeted by the inhabitants, and how the mother-weasels would bring their young ones to the mouths of their holes, and say, pointing, ‘Look, baby! There goes the great Mr. Toad! And that’s the gallant Water Rat, a terrible fighter, walking along o’ him! And yonder comes the famous Mr. Mole, of whom you so often have heard your father tell!’ But when their infants were fractious and quite beyond control, they would quiet them by telling how, if they didn’t hush them and not fret them, the terrible grey Badger would up and get them. This was a base libel on Badger, who, though he cared little about Society, was rather fond of children; but it never failed to have its full effect.

[NewHopeR]

Let it rise

[5jj]

, they would quiet them by telling how, if they didn’t hush them and not fret them, the terrible grey Badger would up and get them. .

It is probably an attempt to mimic a rural dialect; themselves would be more normal with both verbs.

[NewHopeR]

It is probably an attempt to mimic a rural dialect; themselves would be more normal with both verbs.

Thanks.

What does the word fret mean there?