lso cried out, and began striking into the air before their faces, till
there was anew a perfect babel of cries, shrieks and sympathizing
voices.

Master Raymond, amid all his indignation at such barefaced and wicked
and yet successful imposture, could hardly avoid smiling at the
expression of the old seaman's face as he stood on the chair, and
fronted all this tempest of absurd and villainous accusation. At first
there had been a deep crimson glow of the hottest wrath upon the old
man's cheeks and brow; but now he seemed to have been shocked into a
kind of stupor, so unexpected and weighty were the charges against him,
and made with such vindictive fierceness; and yet so utterly absurd,
while at the same time, so impossible of being refuted.

"He bought the yellow bird from Tituba's mother--her spectre told me
so!" cried Abigail Williams.

"What do you say to that, Master Alden?" said Squire Gedney. "That is a
serious charge."

"I never saw any Tituba or her mother," exclaimed the Captain, again
growing indignant.

"Who then did you buy the witch's familiar of?" asked Squire Hathorne.

"I do not know--some old negro wench!"

Here the magistrates looked at each other sagely, and nodded their
wooden heads. It was a fatal admission. "You had better confess all,
and give glory to God!" said Squire Gedney solemnly.

"I trust I shall always be ready to give glory to God," answered the old
man stoutly; "but I do not see that it would glorify Him to confess to a
pack of lies. You have known me for many years, Master Gedney, but did
you ever know me to speak an untruth, or seek to injure any innocent
persons, much less women and children?"

Squire Gedney said that he had known the accused many years, and had
even been at sea with him, and had always supposed him to be an honest
man; but now he saw good cause to alter that judgment.

"Turn and look now again upon those afflicted persons," concluded Squire
Gedney.

As the accused turned and again looked upon them, all of the "afflicted"
fell down on the floor as if he had struck them a heavy blow--moaning
and crying out against him.

"I judge you by your works; and believe you now to be a wicked man and a
witch," said Squire Gedney in a very severe tone.

Captain Alden turned then and looked directly at the magistrate for
several moments. "Why does not my look knock you down too?" he said
indignantly. "If it hurts them so much, would it not hurt you a little?"