FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352  
353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   365   366   367   368   369   370   371   372   373   374   375   376   377   >>   >|  
k if so be that you remembered her." The dame looked up, her quick and saucy petulance exchanged for a subdued and melancholy air. "Remember thee! thou foul witch? ay long, long years have passed; I thought thy persecutions at an end; thy prediction was nigh forgotten. It was my wedding-ring, Gervase!" "More marvellous still." "Peace, and I'll tell thee. Grace Ashton, come forward. I know thine ears are itching for the news. Well, well, it was when thou wast but a boy, Gervase, and I remember an evening just like this. I was standing by the draw-well yonder, looking, I now bethink me, at the dovecot, where I suspected thieves; and in a humour somewhat of the sharpest, I trow. By-and-by comes, what I thought, an impudent beggar-woman for an alms. Her dress was red and tattered, with a high red cap to match. I chided her it might be somewhat harshly, and I shall not soon forget the malicious look she put on. 'I ask not, I need not thy benison,' she said; 'I would have befriended thee, but I now curse thee altogether:' and stretching out her shrivelled arm, dry and bare, she shook it, threatening me with vengeance. Suddenly, or ere I was aware, she seized my left hand, drew off my wedding-ring; breathing upon it and mumbling a spell, she held it as though for me to take back, but with such a fiendish look of delight that I hesitated. All on a sudden I remembered to have heard my grandmother say that should a witch or warlock get your wedding-ring, and have time to mutter over it a certain charm, _so long as that ring is above ground_ so long misery and misfortune do afflict the owner. Lucky it was I knew of this, for instead of replacing it I threw it into the well, being the nearest hiding-place. And happy for me and thee it was so near; for, would you believe, though hardly a minute's space in my hand, the black heifer died, the red cow cast her calf, and a large venture of merchandise was wrecked in a fearful gale off the gulf. I had no sooner thrown it into the well than the witch looked more diabolical than ever. 'It will come again, dame,' said she, 'and then look to it;' and with this threat she departed. But what am I doing? If it be the ring, which I doubt not, I've had it o'er long in my keeping. Even now disaster may be a-brewing; and is there not a richly-freighted ship on its passage with silks and spices? I'll put it out of her reach this time anyhow. No! I'll hide it where never a witch in Christendo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   328   329   330   331   332   333   334   335   336   337   338   339   340   341   342   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352  
353   354   355   356   357   358   359   360   361   362   363   364   365   366   367   368   369   370   371   372   373   374   375   376   377   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

wedding

 

thought

 

remembered

 

Gervase

 
looked
 
nearest
 

hiding

 

replacing

 

heifer

 

minute


afflict
 

warlock

 
grandmother
 
delight
 

hesitated

 
sudden
 

ground

 

misery

 
misfortune
 
Ashton

mutter

 

disaster

 
brewing
 

richly

 
keeping
 
freighted
 

Christendo

 
passage
 
spices
 

sooner


thrown
 
venture
 

merchandise

 

wrecked

 

fearful

 

departed

 

threat

 

diabolical

 

fiendish

 

sharpest


passed
 

persecutions

 

suspected

 
thieves
 
humour
 

impudent

 

beggar

 

tattered

 

dovecot

 
remember