"She is so reported, Mrs. Lloyd; but you must not believe all you hear."

"But, yoo do know very well she's a real witch, so dunna yoo deny it."

"I have no personal knowledge of the fact, ma'am," replied the good parson; "I have always found her a harmless and inoffensive woman, though some persons say she has put her mark on certain families."

"I should think she has, indeed; so dunna yoo think she ought to be hanged and quartered, and her body and bones, and her heart and liver, burned by the common hangman, for causing so much trouble and loss to poor and innocent folks?"

"Surely she has not paid you a visit, has she?"

"She ha, though; and, what is worse, she has spoiled a beautiful churning of milk, and killed our pony, which Lloyd was offered thirty pounds for at last May fair."

"I am sorry to hear this of Mrs. McGee," observed Mr. Jones; "but, my dear madam, when and how did this happen?"

"When my daughter Mary was churning on Wednesday morning, who should k.u.m up to the dairy door but Moll the witch. She sez, sez she, 'Will you give me some b.u.t.termilk, Mrs. Lloyd?'

"'No,' sez I; 'I've no b.u.t.termilk to spare.'

"'But yoo must,' sez she, 'give me some.'

"'I have sed the word, Mrs. McGee, that I've none to spare; and if I had, you shudna have any.'

"'Why?' sez she.

"'Why,' sez I; 'because yoo are a bad woman.'

"'You had better give me som,' sez she agen; 'for if you won't it 'ul be the worse for yoo.'

"'What will yoo do, Mary?' sez I.

"'I'll mark yore cattle,' sez she, 'and I'll _leave_ the mark there too, for your hard-heartedness.'

"'Then,' replied I, 'I won't give yoo milk. Yoo'll witch my things, will yoo? Do thy worst Moll,' sez I, 'for I dunna fear thee.'

"'Then,' sez she, 'may yur milk never turn into b.u.t.ter, may yur cows cease to give yoo milk, and may yoo find some of yur beasts in the black quarry before another week's gone, and may the curse of Mary of the Black Dingle ever follow yoo and yours.'

"The old hag, when she finished her curse, turned upon her heel, and in a moment afterwards my daughter and me saw her going through the gate in the form of a large black monkey. After she left, we continued to churn away with all our might and main, but the b.u.t.ter wouldna come, and since that day the cows have refused to give us any milk."

"But what about the pony, Mrs. Lloyd?"

"Oh, I had almost forgotten to tell yoo about that. Well, last night, as Lloyd was coming whome from the fields, he saw a black monkey on the back of the pony. The brute was urging the poor creature forward by sticking her devilish claws in the pony's side. And will yoo believe it-G.o.d ha'

mercy upon us! for we live in strange times,-the monkey drove the pony straight for the quarry. Lloyd saw her fall over the rock, and running up to the edge of the quarry, saw the poor creature dashed to atoms at the bottom, and Moll standing by grinning. But p'raps yoo wunna believe the truth of my story, but it is as true as I'm a Christian woman."

"Indeed, Mrs. Lloyd," replied Mr. Jones with great firmness, "I don't believe that Mary McGee, or any mortal, possesses the power which you evidently believe she does possess. Heaven has not delegated to sinful mortal, nor even to any of His creatures, power to inflict injury affecting life or limb upon any of the creatures He has made, and by whose power and goodness they are sustained."

"Yoo are a learned man, and I'm no scholard, tho' I kun read my Bible, thank G.o.d! and that book tells me that evil spirits did enter into man and beast; and parson, yoo cunna make me believe that the arch-fiend has not entered into the heart of that woman."

"Oh! don't, I beseech you, my friend, give too much credence to idle tales and silly talk; and pray don't believe that she is the real cause of, and the instrument by which, this affliction has come upon you. If you were to sift thoroughly the evidence respecting Mary's malpractices, you would discover, in the end, that the whole is based upon hearsay, and on the inventions of persons who might have fancied it possible for such things to exist."

"Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones," replied Mrs. Lloyd, "these tales are not idle invention; I wish they was. But as true as G.o.d made Llandegley Rocks, and I s'pose He made them, my cows wanna give no milk, and the cream wunna turn to b.u.t.ter, churn as much as we will; and it's a fact 'bout the old hag and our pony, as Lloyd witnessed the whole matter. I believe, and Lloyd believes, and my daughter believes it too, that our calamities are the result of the evil influences of this witch, who has been practising upon our creatures her infernal and malignant arts. I have now told you my tale, parson, and I want your advice."

"What do you wish me to do, Mrs. Lloyd?"

"Oh, sir! there is only one thing yoo can do."

"What is that, my friend?"

"What is that, yoo ask? Ye know very well. Why, break the spell, to be sure. Until that's done we shall neither have b.u.t.ter nor milk, and then how shall we be able to pay our rent?"

"Indeed, ma'am, I don't see how I can a.s.sist you. Oh, I do wish you would not place any faith in this woman's power."

"I cunna help it, Mr. Jones. But I do believe this, that yoo can master her, and yoo only. I know yoo have power over these evil spirits and witches, but especially over Moll McGee."

"Why do you think so, ma'am?"

"Oh," replied Mrs. Lloyd, "she's afeared of yoo. Indeed, she said she was afeared of yoo; and no wonder, for we know very well that yoo can master her master-the great fiend himself."

"Pray, Mrs. Lloyd," remarked the vicar, "don't for a moment entertain the belief that such power belongeth to man, nor that I, one of the most sinful of G.o.d's creatures, have authority over the ruler of darkness.

However, as your cattle are afflicted, I will step up in the morning, and examine them."

"I'm so thankful to yoo, Misther Jones, for your kindness. I shall now go whome with a lighter heart than I came, for I know you will break the witch's spell."

I thought Mr. Jones would give her a lecture about her faith in his power. However, for this she waited not; for on securing his promise she rose from her chair, and took her departure, wishing us both a hearty good-night.

In about a quarter of an hour after Mrs. Lloyd had left, who should walk into the study but Mrs. McGee, who took possession of Mrs. Lloyd's seat without any invitation from the vicar. When she had made herself comfortable before the blazing fire of wood on the hearth, Mr. Jones addressed her:-

"Why are you out so late to-night, Molly?"

"I've come to speak with you on business."

"But it is rather late for business now. Why did you not come earlier?"

"I couldn't do so."

"Why?"

"Because Mrs. Lloyd had not visited you till to-night."

"But what had her visit to do with you?"

"Everything; 'cause she come to tell you a tale 'bout me."

"I fear, Molly, she has a very just cause of complaint, against you especially, if reports be true."

"Bad luck to her, and all she has, Mr. Jones!"

"Withdraw that word this moment, Molly; or," his piercing eye being fixed on the woman, which appeared to enter her soul, "I must use my power-that is, I must request you to leave my house this instant."

"But don't you think she was a hard-hearted woman not to give a poor body a dhrop of b.u.t.termilk?"