e something to
eat and drink, and he said he'd be hanged by the neck any day if it
pleased me. He said he'd even tell old Cissie he was sorry. That's a
great come-down for a Witchmaster, you know.

'I was ashamed of myself for being so silly, and I dabbed my eyes and
said, "The least you can do now is to give poor Ciss some sort of a
charm for me."

'"Yes, that's only fair dealings," he said. "You know the names of the
Twelve Apostles, dearie? You say them names, one by one, before your
open window, rain or storm, wet or shine, five times a day fasting. But
mind you, 'twixt every name you draw in your breath through your nose,
right down to your pretty liddle toes, as long and as deep as you can,
and let it out slow through your pretty liddle mouth. There's virtue for
your cough in those names spoke that way. And I'll give you something
you can see, moreover. Here's a stick of maple which is the warmest tree
in the wood."'

'That's true,' Una interrupted. 'You can feel it almost as warm as
yourself when you touch it.'

'"It's cut one inch long for your every year," Jerry said. "That's
sixteen inches. You set it in your window so that it holds up the sash,
and thus you keep it, rain or shine, or wet or fine, day and night. I've
said words over it which will have virtue on your complaints."

'"I haven't any complaints, Jerry," I said. "It's only to please
Cissie."

'"I know that as well as you do, dearie," he said. And--and that was all
that came of my going to give him a flogging. I wonder whether he made
poor _Troubadour_ shy when I lashed at him? Jerry has his ways of
getting even of people.'

'I wonder,' said Una. 'Well, did you try the charm? Did it work?'

'What nonsense! I told Rene about it, of course, because he's a doctor.
He's going to be a most famous doctor. That's why our doctor hates him.
Rene said, "Oho! Your Master Gamm, he is worth knowing," and he put up
his eyebrows--like this. He made joke of it all. He can see my window
from the carpenter's shed, where he works, and if ever the maple stick
fell down, he pretended to be in a fearful taking till I propped the
window up again. He used to ask me whether I had said my Apostles
properly, and how I took my deep breaths. Oh yes, and the next day,
though he had been there ever so many times before, he put on his new
hat and paid Jerry Gamm a visit of state--as a fellow-physician. Jerry
never guessed Rene was making fun of him, and so he told Rene ab