see his old house, telling her he
had many curious things he wished to show her. She had always resisted
fixing a day for her visit, but happening to walk within a short distance
of his house, she determined to surprise him with a visit; her companion, a
lady older than herself, endeavoured to dissuade her from doing so, but she
would not be turned from her purpose. They {68} knocked at the door, but no
one answered them; they, however, discovered it was not locked, and
determined to enter. At the head of the stairs hung a parrot, which on
their passing cried out,--

"Peepoh, pretty lady, be not too bold,
Or your red blood will soon run cold."

And cold did run the blood of the adventurous damsel when, on opening one
of the room doors, she found it filled with the dead bodies of murdered
persons, chiefly women. Just then they heard a noise, and on looking out of
the window saw Bloody Baker and his servant bringing in the murdered body
of a lady. Nearly dead with fear, they concealed themselves in a recess
under the staircase.

As the murderers with their dead burden passed by them, the hand of the
unfortunate murdered lady hung in the baluster of the stairs; with an oath
Bloody Baker chopped it off, and it fell into the lap of one of the
concealed ladies. As soon as the murderers had passed by, the ladies ran
away, having the presence of mind to carry with them the dead hand, on one
of the fingers of which was a ring. On reaching home they told their story,
and in confirmation of it displayed the ring. All the families who had lost
relatives mysteriously were then told of what had been found out; and they
determined to ask Baker to a large party, apparently in a friendly manner,
but to have constables concealed ready to take him into custody. He came,
suspecting nothing, and then the lady told him all she had seen, pretending
it was a dream. "Fair lady," said he, "dreams are nothing: they are but
fables." "They may be fables," said she; "but is this a fable?" and she
produced the hand and ring. Upon this the constables rushed in and took
him; and the tradition further says, he was burnt, notwithstanding Queen
Mary tried to save him, on account of the religion he professed.

F. L.

_Cure for Warts._--Steal a piece of meat from a butcher's stall or his
basket, and after having well rubbed the parts affected with the stolen
morsel, bury it under a gateway, at a four lane ends, or, in case of
emergency, in any seclu