nd lighted by glittering, black eyes; then lifting her staff
she darted it thrice at the trembling Roger:

"Hoosh! Scow! Begone!" she cried in harsh, croaking voice, whereupon
Roger forthwith took to his heels, stumbling and praying as he ran
while the Sergeant gripped Mrs. Agatha's gold cross with one hand while
he wiped sweat from his brow with the other as he met her piercing eyes.

"Good morrow, mam!" said he at last. The old woman shook her head but
remained silent, fixing him with her wide-eyed stare. "Mam," he
ventured again, "what would ye wi' me? Are you in trouble again, old
Betty? If so--speak, mam!"

The old woman, bowed upon her staff, viewed his tall figure up and down
with her bright eyes and nodded:

"'Tis my tall, fine sojer!" she said at last, and her voice had lost
its shrill stridency. "'Tis my kind sojer so like the one I lost long
and long since. I'm old: old and knew sorrow afore the mother as bore
ye. Sorrow hath bided in me all my woeful days. Pain, pain, and
hardship my lot hath been. They've hunted me wi' sticks and stones ere
now, I've knowed the choking water and the scorch o' cruel fire. I
mind all the pain and evil but I mind the good--aye, aye! There's been
many to harm and few t' cherish! Aye, I mind it all, I mind it, the
evil and the good. And you was kind t' old Betty because your 'eart be
good, so I be come this weary way to warn 'ee, my big sojer."

"Warn me--of what, mam?"

"A weary way, a woeful way for such old bones as Betty's!"

"Why then come sit ye and rest, mam. Come your ways to the arbour
yonder." Moaning and muttering the old woman followed whither he led,
but seeing how she stumbled he reached out his hand, keeping the other
upon his small gold cross and so brought her into the hutch-like
sentry-box. Down sat old Betty with a blissful sigh; but now, when he
would have withdrawn his hand, her fingers closed upon it, gnarled and
claw-like and, before he could prevent, she had stooped and touched it
to her wrinkled cheek and brow.

"'Tis a strong hand, a kindly hand," she croaked, "'tis a sojer's
hand--my boy was a sojer but they killed him when the world was young.
I'm old, very old, and deaf they say--aha! But the old can see and the
deaf can hear betimes, aha! Come, ope your hand, my dear, come ope
your hand and let old Betty read. So, here's a big hand, a strong
hand--now let us see what says the big, strong hand. Aha--here's
death----"