"She's awitched my boy," screamed Mrs. Fry high above the rest. "She's
a witch and she ought to be drownded in the river."
The serjeant looked puzzled, and was relieved to see the Corporal come
limping up the road; but Mrs. Mugford no sooner saw him than she
screamed at the top of her voice, "Ah, don't 'ee listen to he, maister.
'Twas he that let mun go weeks agone, and there's been nothing but bad
work for us all since then. He's so bad as any o' mun; 'twas he that
let mun take her Ladyship's childer; and we'm not going to be plagued
with witches no more. Lave the witches to us. We knows what to do
with mun."
"What have you got against the man?" asked the Corporal of the serjeant.
"He's a deserter," said the serjeant shortly, "and it seems that these
women know him well enough, if you don't."
"He ain't no deserter," said the idiot's mother savagely, "he wasn't
never 'listed."
"Then how comes he to drum as he did?" retorted the serjeant. "Our own
drummers couldn't beat better."
The woman clenched her fists in despair, and the Corporal looked very
grave; but he no sooner tried to speak to the serjeant than the women
again raised a yell that he was not to be trusted, and renewed their
cry that they would be troubled with witches no longer, but would drown
them in the river and have done with them. At last they worked
themselves up into such a state of fury that the Corporal saw that they
meant mischief, and said sharply to the serjeant that if he didn't look
out they would take his prisoner from him.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108