s.

"The charges that have been made are too absurd and ridiculous for
serious denial. The 'yellow bird' is my canary bird, Cherry, given me by
Captain Alden when we lived in Boston. He brought it home with him from
the West Indies. Ask him whether it is a familiar. My black horse
misbehaved on that afternoon Jethro Sands tells of, as I told him at the
time; simply because I had no whip. When he gave me his switch, the
vixenish animal came at once into subjection to save herself a good
whipping. It was not a hazel switch, his statement is false, and he
knows it, it was a maple one."

"And you mean to say, I suppose," shrieked out Mistress Ann Putnam,
"that you have no witch-mark either; that you do not carry the devil's
brand of a snake over your heart?"

"I have some such mark, but it is a birth-mark, and not a witch-mark. It
is a simple curving line of red," and the girl blushed crimson at being
compelled to such a reference to a personal peculiarity. But she
faltered not in her speech, though her tones were more indignant than
before. "It is not a peculiarity of mine, but of my mother's family.
Some say that a distant ancestor was once frightened by a large snake
coming into her chamber; and her child was born with this mark upon her
breast. That is all of it. There is no necessity of any examination, for
I admit the charge."

"Yes," screamed Mistress Putnam again, "your ancestress too was a noted
witch. It runs in the family. Go away with you!" she cried striking
apparently at something with her clenched hand. "It is her old great
grandmother! See, there she is! Off! Off! She is trying to choke me!"
endeavoring seemingly to unclasp invisible hands from her throat.

The other "afflicted" ones joined in the tumult. With one it was the
"yellow bird" pecking at her eyes, with another the black horse rearing
up and striking her with its hoofs. Leah Herrick cried that Dulcibel's
"spectre" was choking her.

"Hold her hands still!" ordered Squire Hathorne, and a constable sprang
to each side of the accused maiden and held her arms and hands in a
grasp of iron.

Joseph Putnam made an exclamation that almost sounded like an oath, and
made a step forward; but a firm hand was laid upon his shoulder. "Be
patient!" whispered Ellis Raymond, though his own mouth was twitching
considerably. "We are the anvil now; wait till our turn comes to be
sledgehammer!"

Such a din and babel as the "afflicted" kept up! By the curious