terfering nose into
everything, do we?" replied Lewis rudely. "Just make up your minds
whether you want to hear a most terrible and extraordinary thing, or
not, for I can't wait much longer. But if I don't tell you to-day I
sha'n't breathe a word of it another time, so it's no good teasing me
again."

This last remark decided Betty. She was very curious by nature, and
could not bear to miss any piece of news that promised to be
interesting.

"I think I must hear the secret, although I would much rather tell
Madge about it," she said in a hesitating voice. "And if you don't
like to promise, John, you must go a little way off and stop your ears."

But John was not equal to so much self-restraint. If Betty had
resisted the temptation of hearing the secret he would have done so
too, but he could not possibly let her enjoy the advantage of knowing
more than he did. "I promise not to tell," he grunted.

"Ah, that's all very well!" exclaimed Lewis; "but I must see if you two
babies can keep a secret. Just put out your hands. Now I am going to
pinch your little fingers, and if you cry out it means that you can't
be trusted." And pinch he did, and very hard too, but the twins
bravely clenched their teeth and said nothing.

When Lewis had teased them to his heart's content, he began his
wonderful tale by whispering in a mysterious voice:

"Do you know what Mrs. Howard really is?"

"An old lady," replied Betty very naturally. "Your aunt, perhaps? No?
But she looks rather like it, doesn't she?"

"Ah! but she is something quite different really," said Lewis. And
after pausing a short time to heighten Betty's curiosity, he added:
"She is a witch!"

The twins started back, hardly able to believe their ears. "But there
aren't any witches now!" they cried. "Besides, there aren't such
things really. They used to be burned, but Miss Thompson says most
likely they were only poor old women who couldn't hurt anybody."

"I don't care a bit what Miss Thompson or anybody says," replied Lewis.
"Mrs. Howard is an old witch, you can tell that by the black cat that
follows her everywhere. That's a sure sign."

Betty hardly knew what to say, for she had once seen a picture of a
witch, and there was undoubtedly a black cat crouching in the corner of
it.

"You noticed the way she shook her head, I dare say?" continued Lewis,
who was delighted by the awestruck looks of his two companions. "Well,
she is muttering spells