e old woman a witch after all? Bertram's
next words quite confirmed her in this wild notion. "Maud," he said in a
whisper, "do you know that Harry was one of the prisoners."

"Who told you so?" asked Maud, quickly, for it had been agreed that this
intelligence should not reach the children, or even Mistress Mabel.

"Dame Coppins told me," replied Bertram; "she said he would have been
shot if you had not gone to Oxford with those papers," he added.

Maud actually shuddered with horror as the boy said this. "Bertram, you
must not go to Dame Coppins again," she said, quickly.

"Why not?" asked Bertram, in surprise.

"Prithee, I scarce can tell you, but--but you will keep it quite a
secret, Bertram, even from Bessie," said Maud--"this dreadful thing I am
going to tell you."

Bertram nodded. "Isn't she a good old woman?" he asked.

"Bertie, she's a witch," whispered Maud, in a tone of horror.

Bertram started back pale with fright. "I don't believe it, Maud," he
said: "she couldn't talk about God taking care of Harry, and pray for
Him to do it, if she was a wicked old witch. I do believe God took you
safe to Oxford in time because she prayed so much about it, and that
He's kept Harry safe in all the battles, that he might come home to us
again in answer to Dame Coppins's prayers."

Bertram spoke quickly, almost passionately, but Maud only shook her head
sadly. "I thought she was a good woman," she said, "but how could she
know what happened at Oxford if she was not a witch? Nobody here knows
that Harry was in prison--not even Mistress Mabel or the servants, so
that no one could tell her about it."

But Bertram was still unwilling to believe in Dame Coppins's wickedness,
until Maud said pettishly, "I do believe she has bewitched you, Bertie,
and you must not go to see her again."

"But I will go," said Bertram, beginning to lose his temper.

"Then I shall ask Mistress Mabel to forbid you going beyond the moat,"
said Maud.

This threat, which Bertram knew she would put into execution, made him
give the required promise not to go and see Dame Coppins until Maud had
discovered who had told her about Harry; which Maud feeling sure was a
dark mystery, that no one would ever be able to penetrate, made up her
mind not to try, now that she had extorted this promise from Bertram.

Some thoughts of the poor old woman's anxiety troubled her after she
left Bertram, and she wondered what effect their neglect might have upon