e, she at last drew out from under a glass shade, covering a
group of stuffed birds, a dust-begrimed book, with a brass clasp and
nails at the corners. Dusting it carefully she laid it on the table
before her, and proceeded to decipher its faded inscriptions. Yes--no
doubt this was the book for which she had sought, and with a brown
finger following the words, she read aloud:

"ANN OWENS, HER BOOK,
GARTHOWEN."

Beneath this was written in a boyish hand the well-known doggerel lines:

"This book is hers, I do declare,
Then steal it not or else beware!
For on the dreadful Judgment Day
You may depend the Lord will say,
'Where is that book you stole away?'"

It was written in English, and Morva, though she could make herself
understood in that language, was not learned enough to read it easily.
However, there was no difficulty in reading the signature of "William
Owens" which followed. She turned over a leaf, and here indeed were
signs of Gethin, for all over the title page was scrawled with many
flourishes "Gethin Owens, Garthowen," "Gethin Owens," "G. O.,"
"Gethin," etc. It was wrong, no doubt, to deface the first page of the
Bible in this way, but Ann had said "too wicked to leave about!" so
Morva searched through the whole book, until on the fair leaf which
fronted "The Revelations" she found evident proof of Gethin's
depravity; and she quailed a little as she saw a vivid and realistic
pen and ink drawing of a fire of leaping flames, standing over which
was a monster in human shape, though boasting of a tail and cloven
hoofs. With fiendish glee the creature was toasting on a long fork
something which looked fearfully like a man, whose starting eyes and
writhing limbs showed plainly that he was not as happy as his
tormentor. It was very horrible, and Morva closed the book with a
snap, but could not resist the temptation of another peep, as there was
something written beneath in Welsh, which translated ran thus:

"Here's the ugly old Boy! I tell you beware!
If you fall in his clutches there's badly you'll fare!
Look here at his picture, his claws and his tail,
If you make his acquaintance you're sure to bewail!
Hallelujah! Amen!
--GETHIN OWENS."

At the last words Morva stood aghast; this then was Gethin's terrible
crime! "Oh! there's a boy he must have been!" said the girl, clasping
her fingers as she leant over the big Bible. "Oh! dear, dear! no
wonder 'n'wn