"Four days," said the old woman trembling; "four days. The time be short, but it will do. I tell thee the wedding will never be."

"Can I believe thee this time, Mother Goodhugh?" cried the girl excitedly.

"Give me thy word as a lady, that I shall not be ill-treated by thy father and his people, and I swear to you the wedding shall never be."

"There is my hand," said Anne; and, as the old woman held it, there was a strange look on the girl's face as she bent down and Mother Goodhugh whispered to her for a few minutes, after which she hurried from the cottage.

"And they call me witch, and think me ready to do any evil!" she muttered as she gazed after the girl; "while that young, fairly-formed creature has a heart full of devilry such as never entered mine. But it must be done--it must be done."

She sat brooding over her cold hearth till evening: and then, as soon as it was dark, put on her cloak, took her stick, and walked cautiously to the Pool-house, where she succeeded in getting to the kitchen window unperceived, reaching in and touching Janet on the shoulder with her stick as she sat nodding near it in her chair.

The girl started, and as her eyes fell upon the face of the visitor her lips parted to utter a cry, but the peculiar look on the old woman's face seemed to fascinate her, and she sat back gazing at her as Mother Goodhugh climbed in at the casement, and stood by her side.

"Wh-what do you want?" faltered the girl.

"I've come to see thee, dearie," said the old woman, smiling. "I want to know how you be getting on."

"But you must not stay here!" cried Janet, making an effort to recover herself. "If master knew he would drive me hence."

"Go and tell him, then, child," said Mother Goodhugh mockingly. "Go and tell him that Mother Goodhugh has come to ask thee about thy love affairs, and the philtre she gave thee. What? You will not? He, he, he, he! What a strange girl you are."

"But you must not stay!" cried Janet in alarm. "If you were found here master would never forgive me."

"He is sitting smoking and drinking in his parlour, dearie, and never comes this way after dark."

"Yes, yes, he does!" cried the girl; "he comes sometimes to go down to the powder-cellar with a lantern."

"What, through that door?" said Mother Goodhugh, pointing.

"Nay, nay! That be the beer cellar. That be the way to the powder-cellar," she said, pointing to a massive door, down a couple of steps. "That be the first door, and there be another farther on at the end of the passage."

"Lawk adear!" said Mother Goodhugh, "and aren't you afraid, when they bring the stuff down?"

"They never bring it through here," said the girl. "They let the little barrels down through a hole covered with a flat stone outside there amongst the trees, and master goes along with Tom Croftly to take it, in their slippers, and then comes back and locks it up."

"Ay, and I'll be bound to say always carries the keys in his pocket, eh!"

"No," said the girl, shaking her head. "They hang on a nail in the passage by the door."

"There, I don't want to know about the powder, dearie," cried Mother Goodhugh. "Oh, the horrible stuff! I always begin to curse when I hear it mentioned, so we won't talk about it. I came to see you, and talk about love, and--"

"But you mustn't stop, indeed you mustn't stop," whispered Janet.

"Suppose Mistress Mace should come?"

"But she won't come, dearie. She's in the corner of the parlour window with the handsome young spark from town."

"How do you know?" cried Janet. "How do I know, child! He-he-he! Do you think there's anything I don't know? You came to me because I was the wise woman, eh?"

"Ye-es," faltered the girl. "Well, didn't you expect me to be wise, child, eh?"

Janet shrank as far away from her as she could, and stared at her, round of eye and parted of mouth.

"Look here, dearie," whispered the old woman, "don't try to deceive me.

I'm such a good friend, but such a bad enemy. You wouldn't like to make me angry, and set me cursing and ill-wishing you."

"N-no," faltered Janet, who began to be horribly frightened of the penetrating eyes that seemed to read her inmost thoughts.

"No, of course you would not. How often dids't say Mas' Cobbe went down into the powder-cellar?"

"Only once a month," said the girl, "when they've finished working."

"Then he'll be going down directly?"

"Oh, no; they finished there last week, and it will be three weeks, just," faltered Janet.

"Dear me, will it?" said the old woman. "But, as I was saying, it would be so horrible if I cursed you, though it is not me, my dear, but something in me that does it. It be an evil spirit," she whispered, "and I've known girls as handsome as you lose their round, red cheeks, and soft, smooth skin, and their eyes have grown sunken, and their foreheads wrinkled. It be very horrible, my dear, but I couldn't help it."

Janet tried to get up and go away, but her visitor's fierce, sharp eyes seemed to hold her back in her seat, a fact which Mother Goodhugh well knew and rejoiced in.

It was the only pleasure the old woman had, and she felt at times like this how it recompensed her for the dread she felt of the stringent laws. A curious smile played round her thin lips, and Janet shuddered as the old woman leaned forward till her face was close to that of her victim.

"How is the love going on, dearie?" she whispered.

"Don't--ask--me," faltered the girl.

"You didn't take the stuff, dearie, to give yourself ease?"

"How--how did you know?"

"How did I know? He-he-he!" laughed the old woman, with a cacchination that was enough to freeze the girl's blood. "I know, child, and you can't deceive me. Why didn't you take it?"

"I--I was afraid," stammered Janet. "Mary Goodsell took some once, but it killed her and her baby too."

"Afraid? Stuff! Afraid to give yourself ease when Mistress Mace was torturing you by her love-makings with the fine spark who played with you, and pretended to love you."

"He didn't pretend," said the girl, indignantly. "He did love me till she came between."

"Ah, yes, child, I suppose so; but she be a white witch and very strong, and she would come between and master him. She could lead him wherever she liked, and win him to love her with her spells. Don't trouble your poor, dear heart about him any more, my child, but take the drops, and be happy."

"I--I don't think I dare," faltered the girl.

"Dare? Pish! child, you be too brave and handsome a girl not to dare.

It be a pity, too, that she should have come between," said Mother Goodhugh, musingly. "Ah! I have known cases where handsome, noble gentlemen have come down into country places and seen village girls, not so beautiful as thou, child, and married them, and taken them away; and a few years after they have come back looking fine ladies, with their diamonds, and jewels, and carriages, and servants."

Janet's eyes sparkled as this indirect piece of flattery went on.

"I'll take it," she said hastily; "I'll take it."