witchcraft," said Mrs.
Mugford very loudly in Mrs. Fry's hearing, "'tis a jidgment on evil
tongues, and the sins of parents that's visited on the children. The
mother goeth back and vor biting and slandering, and the mouth of the
innocent child is stopped." Mrs. Fry wept with rage as she heard the
words, for she had no answer ready. But she was more than ever
convinced from that moment that it was witchcraft which had wrought the
mischief in poor Tommy, and that only further witchcraft could undo it.
Despite the sad end of her pig, owing to the malignant influence of the
white witch of Gratton, she now lamented the death of the old man and
wished that he were back, if only for one day, that she might consult
him and show her contempt for Mrs. Mugford. As things were, she was
fain to fall back on her neighbours to learn where some wizard or wise
women of equal power could be discovered; and it was with dismay that
she found that not one of any repute was to hand nearer than the
borders of Dartmoor, fifty miles away. In vain she questioned hawkers,
waggoners, and the guards of the coaches, any passing folks in fact
that had seen the world; not one could enlighten her.

The neighbours, however, were ready enough with suggestions of their
own, of which the commonest was that Tommy's tongue should be split
with a silver sixpence. It is possible that some attempt might have
been made to perform this operation, for abundance of sixpences were
offered for the purpose; and there was a crooked one of the time of
Queen Anne from which great things were expected, for it was said to
have been given by the Queen herself when, touching children for the
King's Evil. Unfortunately, however, not one of these designs escaped
the keen ears of Mrs. Mugford, who at once communicated them to the
Corporal.

"'Tis not that I hold with them as slanders their neighbours, Mr.
Brimacott," she said, "nor that I bear no malice against them that
can't let a poor boy go to sea to sarve the King without a-saying that
his mother drave mun from home. I could tell of many in this parish as
isn't no better than they should be, and yet takes her Ladyship's
kindness and charity as if no one hadn't no right to it but themselves.
I could tell of such, but I won't, not I. But I'm not going to stand
by and see an innocent boy's tongue cut out of his mouth; though I
wouldn't say, Mr. Brimacott, but what there's tongues in the parish
that would be the b