CHAPTER VI.
THE HAYSLOPE WITCH.
There had never been much communication between the villagers ofHayslope and the family living at the Grange. Mistress Mabel believedthat the villagers existed solely for the convenience of the family, butnever troubled herself to consider their wants or necessities, andbrought up her niece Mary upon the same principle. Maud appeared to beof a similar opinion; but sharing Harry's confidence in everything, sheknew he went about among his poorer neighbours, and began to take aninterest in them herself, although not very actively.
Now, however, she determined to follow Harry's example, and take up hiswork; and, mounted on Cavalier, she went out the very next day to makeinquiries after an old woman whom she knew Harry had often befriended.She inquired at the blacksmith's shed for Dame Coppins, but wassurprised by the man coming to the door, and instead of pointing out theway to the cottage, saying, "We'll do it, Mistress Harcourt! We'll havejustice on the old witch that's done the mischief!"
"What mischief?" asked Maud, in some surprise, patting Cavalier to makehim stand still.
"What mischief should it be but sending away Master Harry Drury to theParliament wars, as though the king hadn't had enough of the lads fromHayslope?"
"But this poor old woman did not send Harry away," said Maud, quickly.
"Marry, but she bewitched him. I see it with my own eyes," said the man."If I had but known it then I'd have ducked her in the horse-pond, andbroken the spell."
Maud shivered. The belief in witchcraft was universal then, and shebegan to fear whether Harry had been under Satanic influence. At lengthshe said, "I should like to see this old woman, if she be a witch, andask her where Master Harry has gone."
"Prithee, be not so venturesome, lest she send thee after him," said theblacksmith, in some consternation.
Maud thought this would not be so much of a calamity, perhaps, until theman added, "Nobody will ever hear aught of Master Harry again, and ifthou dost go to the witch, thou wilt disappear too."
The young lady looked undecided when she heard this, but she couldhardly restrain Cavalier from turning down a narrow lane close by, whichthe blacksmith observing, said, "Now, you may be sure mistress, that theold witch has worked her spells; for Cavalier there is under them, andis bidden by her to take thee to be bewitched too."
It seemed that the horse was determined to take her somewhere, whethershe would or no, and the next minute was trotting down the lane, Maudscarcely knowing what to make of the proceeding. After trotting abouthalf a mile he paused, and then turned in at a broken-down gateway, andwalked up to the window of a cottage, where he stopped and looked round,as if telling Maud to dismount.
"The horse certainly is bewitched," said Maud, half aloud, determinednot to move from her seat, and trying to turn Cavalier's head in theopposite direction.
But Cavalier seemed obstinately bent on looking in at the window, andwould not move; and Maud's consternation was complete when the doorslowly opened, and an old woman, leaning on a crutched stick, camehobbling out. She was in the presence of the witch herself, and, with acry of horror, Maud dropped the reins and covered her face with herhands. Finding the witch did not attempt to drag her into the house, nowthat she had her in her power, Maud ventured to look up in a minute ortwo, and saw a venerable-looking old woman standing on the threshold,looking very pale and ill, and quite as frightened as she herself did.
DAME COPPINS.]
But the old woman was the first to recover herself, and she said, "Youhave come to tell me about Master Harry Drury? The Lord reward you foryour kindness to a poor old woman."
Maud hardly knew what to say. She felt ashamed of her fright now, andyet an idea had entered her head that Cavalier could see Harry in thecottage, and she said, "Nay, but I have come to ask _you_ about Harry."
The poor old woman trembled visibly when she heard this. "Prithee, but Icannot tell you that," she said, speaking as calmly as she could. "Ihave not seen him these three days," she went on, "and sorely have Imissed him, for not a word of the Book can I read now. He's been eyes tome ever since my own boy went away to fight for the King."
"What book did he read to you?" asked Maud.
"Marry, and what should it be but God's word?" said Dame Coppins. "It'sbeen open at the place where he left off these three days, for it issore hard to believe I sha'n't hear his voice again." Tears choked theold woman here, and Maud, quite forgetting her reputation as a witch,jumped off her horse, saying, "Shall I read a chapter for you, as Harryused?"
"Then it is true he's gone away?" said the old woman.
Maud nodded. The tears were in her eyes now. "We don't know where he hasgone," she said.
"Poor lamb, it is a sore trial for you; but it will be worse for me, Itrow," and the old woman sighed heavily.
"Why?" asked Maud, entering the cottage, where, on a little table lay aBible open at the Gospel of St. John. There was nothing remarkable inthis book, she knew, for she recognised it as an old one of Harry's,which they had read from together many times, until she gave him a newone on his birthday once, when the old one disappeared.
After she had read part of the sixth chapter, the old woman begged for afew verses more about the "mansions," and Maud read part of thefourteenth.
"I'll keep that in mind when the time comes," murmured the old woman;"and if I never see you again, Mistress Harcourt----"
"But I will come and see you again," interrupted Maud.
The old woman shook her head. "It'll be all over soon; I couldn't bearit again," she said.
"What will be all over?" asked Maud. "You are not ill, are--at least,not very ill--not likely to die yet," she added, hastily.
"If I waited till the Lord called me by disease I'd may be wait a goodwhile yet, for I'm strong when I'm well; but the people hereabout say Iam a witch, and but for Master Harry I should have been tried beforelast night."
"Last night!" uttered Maud. "What did they do to you?" for she had lostall fear of her as a witch now.
The poor old creature looked round fearfully. "They did it," she said,"tried me for a witch. They took me to the horse-pond and ducked me, butthere was not enough water to drown me. They'd have done it before ifMaster Harry had not been my protector, but now he is gone nothing willsave me, for they say I've sent him away; as if I should want to lose mybest friend," and the old woman burst into tears again.
Maud was indignant. "Prithee, do not be afraid," she said. "I willprotect you, they shall not hurt you!"
For a minute the old woman looked up glad and grateful, but then sheshook her head sadly. "You can't do it, they are coming again to-night,"she said, "and the ill-usage will kill me;" and she pushed up the sleeveof her gown and showed how her arms were cut and bruised.
"You must be protected," said Maud, "it will be murder. I will go toMaster Drury at once and tell him about it," and without waiting anotherminute, Maud mounted Cavalier and cantered up the lane.
At the top, clustered round the blacksmith's shed, were a group ofsoldiers, who made way for her to pass, but the blacksmith sprangforward and stopped her horse.
"These soldiers have seen Master Harry Drury Mistress Harcourt," hesaid.
"Then you will not repeat the cowardly attack on Dame Coppins, I trow!"said the young lady, burning with anger still.
The blacksmith drew back somewhat ashamed, and Maud, forgetting allelse, turned to the soldiers and said, "Tell me where you met MasterHarry Drury."
The man doffed his cap respectfully, for he could see Maud was a lady."It was near by the gate of London," he said. "Our leader, CaptainStanhope, has now gone to the Grange, bearing tidings of it."
Maud urged Cavalier into a sharp canter when she left the soldiers, forshe wished to be in time to hear the Captain's account of his meetingwith Harry, which she was likely to lose for ever if not in time to hearit given to Master Drury. Captain Stanhope and his troopers had been toHayslope before, and the Captain knowing the importance of his meetingwith Harry, would be mo
st likely to speak of it at supper time, whenthey were all assembled in the dining-hall.
Before supper, however, she wanted to consult Master Drury aboutprotecting Dame Coppins from the village mob, and as soon as Cavalierhad been left to Roger she went in search of that gentleman. But he wasnot in the study or the keeping-room, and thinking he must have gone outwith Captain Stanhope, she went into the garden to watch for his return.
Walking noiselessly over the velvet turf, she was close to thequaintly-cut leafy screen that sheltered the arbour from the garden,when she heard voices close by, and some one say, "Then we are to arresthim as a traitor, wherever he may be found?"
"Yes," faintly answered Master Drury's voice.
Maud felt as though she were rooted to the spot. Could it be Harry theywere talking of? All uncertainty about this was set aside by MasterDrury's next words. "He has disgraced the family name by this, and Iwould you had taken him prisoner ere he entered London to finish hisrebellion."
"That might not be, Master Drury, seeing I knew not wherefore he wasjourneying there," said Captain Stanhope.
Maud disdained to listen to what was not intended for her ears, andrapidly walked away in a tumult of passion against her guardian for hiscruelty to his son.
When she entered the keeping-room Mistress Mabel and Mary looked up fromtheir work of spinning, but she did not heed the command to come and sitdown at her wheel with them. Passing up to her own room, she took outsome warm wraps, and then went round to the stable in search of Roger,to whom she gave some directions about coming to the village with abasket of provisions a little later in the evening.
She then set out on her walk back to Dame Coppins' cottage, determinedto stay there all night, and protect the old woman by her presence. Shewas likewise anxious to tell her of this fresh danger threatening Harry,for she was the only one to whom she could speak about it, and she knewthe old woman would sympathise with her in her sorrow.
The poor old woman could give more than sympathy, she found she couldgive strength and comfort by her apt quotations from God's Word, for sheherself had tasted sorrow and learned their power. Then they fell into aconversation about Harry, which lasted until Roger arrived with thebasket, and a message from Master Drury that he and Captain Stanhopewere coming to the cottage shortly.
Maud was not in a humour to thank either her guardian or the soldier foranything they might do now, but when they arrived she told them what hadtaken place the night before; and on the gentlemen promising to rideback to the village and make inquiries into the matter, to prevent itsrecurrence, she was obliged to promise to return to the Grange, uponRoger being sent down as a guard for Dame Coppins for this night. Butshe was very ungracious in her bearing towards the young soldier,although it was evident that he greatly wished to please her.
It was Captain Stanhope's business just now to get fresh men to recruithis Majesty's army, and he readily consented to Master Drury'sproposition that he should make Hayslope Grange his head-quarters forthe present. His men could be lodged in the village, and they could makeshort expeditions into the surrounding country in search of recruits,and thus business could be combined with pleasure on the part of theCaptain, while it would afford the Royalist leaders a proof that MasterDrury of the Grange was still a staunch Cavalier, should they hear ofthe defection of his son; and thus the matter was settled to thesatisfaction of all parties--at least, all but Maud, and the arrangementvexed her exceedingly.