defamation?"

"I certainly am very sorry, and humbly beg Master Raymond's pardon,"
said Jethro, very much alarmed. He had never thought that the affair
might take this turn--as indeed it did in many cases, some six months
afterward; and which was a very effective damper upon the spirits of the
prosecutors.

Then the magistrates could do nothing less than discharge the prisoner;
and Master Raymond stepped down from the platform a free man, to be
surrounded by quite a circle of sympathizing friends. But his first
thanks were due to Dr. Griggs for his professional services.

"Doctor, those things you did for me when in the convulsions, relieved
me greatly," and he took out his purse. "Yes, Doctor, I insist upon it.
Skill like yours is always worth its recompense. We must not muzzle the
ox, you know, that treads out the corn." And he put a gold piece into
Dr. Grigg's palm--which was not often favored with anything but silver
in Salem.

Dr. Griggs was glad that he had been able to render him a little
service; and said that, if there had been the least necessity for it, he
would have gone on the platform, and testified as to the complete
absurdity of the charge that that excellent woman, Mistress Ann Putnam,
evidently in mistake, had brought against him.

Then the "afflicted circle" had to be spoken to, who this afternoon did
not appear to be in the least afflicted, but in the very best of
spirits. They now felt more admiration for him than ever; and greeted
him with great cordiality as he came to where they were standing. "When
are you going back to England?" was a frequent question; and he assured
them he now hoped to go before many weeks; and then, smiling, added that
they would be certain to hear from him.

As the crowd thinned out a little, Abigail Williams called him aside;
"and did you really see the yellow bird, Master Raymond?" said she
archly.

"The yellow bird!" replied he dreamily. "Ah! you know that when we that
are 'afflicted' go into trances, we are not conscious of all that we
see."

"For it seemed to me," continued the girl in a low tone, "that those
feathers looked very much like chicken feathers." Then she laughed
cunningly, and peered into his face.

"Indeed!" replied the young man gravely; "well, a chicken's bill,
pecking at your eyes, is not a thing to be made light of. I knew of a
girl, one of whose eyes was put entirely out by her pet canary."

And as he moved at once toward the rest of th