eye to the hole, and there she saw Tom sitting on the
settle, and after all it was only Betty that he was talking to.

Betty was standing beside him with a little box in her hand, from which
she took something that looked like ointment, which she smeared over her
husband's eyes, and all the time she did it she seemed to be mumbling some
verses or something that sounded like a charm. There seemed to be other
voices as well, though, and to Joan's great annoyance she could not see
from whence they came.

All this put old Joan in a fearful flutter. People had always told her
that Betty was a witch, and that Tom had the power of the evil eye, and
now she began to believe them. You would not have thought so to look at
him, for though they were very piercing, they were handsome hazel eyes,
clear and kind-looking,--unless he was angered, and _then_--

Completely mystified, and more inquisitive than ever, Joan went round to
the window by the chimney, to see if from there she could hear what they
were saying; but it was of no use. The door of the cottage was on the
landward side, and the windows of the cottage were to seaward, and round
the kitchen window was a great bush of honeysuckle and 'Traveller's Joy,'
which prevented anyone's getting quite close, and what with the sound of
the sea, the singing of the birds, and the shouting of the children below,
one might as well have been a mile off, for all one could hear!

Back tiptoed Joan again, and sat down on the bench outside the house to
think, but her curiosity would not let her keep still, so up she jumped
again, and peeped through the door once more. This time she saw that Tom
was standing up, preparing to come out; so not wanting to be caught
prying, she tapped at the door, and lifting the latch at the same time,
walked in as if she had but that moment arrived. She was so excited by
what she was doing that she did not notice that the door opened quite
easily now. She went in so quickly, too, that she was just in time to see
Betty push something under the dried ferns at the back of the chimney.

After saying "good day," and hearing what she had come for, Tom went out,
leaving them to make their plans by themselves, but Betty, though she
seemed pleased to see her friend, could not be persuaded to go to market
with her. She was very sorry, she said, but she was very bad, she had not
been well for days, and she still had a good day's work to get through
making ready f