uld throw a knife from the table
at the waiting ladies, and if anything vexed her she would maybe work
upon the floor. A thousand dresses she left after her. Very
superstitious she was. Sure after her death they found a card, the ace
of hearts, nailed to her chair under the seat. She thought she would
never die while she had it there. And she bought a bracelet from an old
woman out in Wales that was over a hundred years. It was superstition
made her do that, and they found it after her death tied about her
neck."

HER DEATH

"It was a town called Calais brought her to her death, and she lay
chained on the floor three days and three nights. The Archbishop was
trying to urge her to eat, but she said 'You would not ask me to do it
if you knew the way I am,' for nobody could see the chains. After her
death they waked her for six days in Whitehall, and there were six
ladies sitting beside the body every night. Three coffins were about
it, the one nearest the body of lead, and then a wooden one, and a
leaden one on the outside. And every night there came from them a great
bellow. And the last night there came a bellow that broke the three
coffins open, and tore the velvet, and there came out a stench that
killed the most of the ladies and a million of the people of London with
the plague. Queen Victoria was more honourable than that. It would be
hard to beat Queen Elizabeth."

THE TRACE OF CROMWELL

"I'll tell you now about the trace of Cromwell. There was a young lady
was married to a gentleman, and she died with her first baby, and she
was brought away into a forth by the fairies, the good people, as I
suppose. She used to be sitting on the side of it combing her hair, and
three times her husband saw her there, but he had not the courage to go
and to bring her away. But there was a man of the name of Howley living
near the forth, and he went out with his gun one day and he saw her
beside the forth, and he brought her away to his house, and a young baby
sprang between them at the end of a year. One day the husband was out
shooting and he came in upon Howley's land, and when young Howley heard
the shooting he rose up and went out and he bade the gentleman to stop,
for this was his land. So he stopped, and he said he was weary and
thirsty, and he asked could he rest in the house. So young Howley said
as long as he asked pardon he had leave to use what he liked. So he came
in the house and he sat at the table, and he p