held prisoners by the Parliament, and of course could not
return home this winter; and lads too young to serve as soldiers, and
the women, with Martin the blacksmith at their head, were wildly
clamouring for the destruction of the Parliament and all the rebels. The
poor wounded messenger had most mysteriously disappeared, Maud heard,
but on questioning some of them more closely, it seemed that he had more
than once been threatened by Martin, if he would not swear to serve the
King, while he stoutly refused, and at last he left the village with his
wound only half healed.

Poor old Dame Coppins was of course accused of having some hand in this
business. Without the help of witchcraft the man could not have escaped,
the women said, and for once Maud felt thankful to the unknown witch,
whoever she might be, who had done this service. She believed in
witchcraft almost as fully as the ignorant villagers, but she did not
believe Dame Coppins was a witch simply because she did not choose to
tell all the village her business--where she had come from, and what had
induced her to take the lonely cottage outside Hayslope,--and this was
the only reason they had for supposing her a witch.

Maud had tried to reason them out of this, had told them she was a poor
widow who had seen a great deal of trouble, and preferred a solitary
life; that she loved the Bible and feared God as much as any of them;
but it was all of no avail. That any one could exist without gossip was
to them impossible to understand, and they shook their heads sadly, and
thought Maud bewitched herself when she talked about Dame Coppins.

So the cottage in the lane was as lonely as ever, in spite of the
patronage extended to the widow by Maud and the two children at the
Grange.

For a day or two after her return Maud was not able to go to the
cottage, for Master Drury had scarcely reached home when he was taken
seriously ill, and Mistress Mabel's herbs and decoctions failed to
relieve his sickness for some time. Bertram and Bessie, however, went
each day, and brought back the report that the widow had seemed very
joyful when she heard that Maud had returned, and that her errand had
been so successful as to gain the prisoners their freedom.

Maud smiled when she heard this. "Marry, but their freedom is not gained
yet," she said, with something of a sigh.

"Dame Coppins says they are free, and on their way to London," said
Bessie.

Maud opened her eyes. Was th