"No, not a drop more," said Thomas Putnam peremptorily. "You have had
too much already."

The old man frowned--and turning the skeleton steed after considerable
effort, he gave his parting shot--"Crown and anchor--wait till he
comes!" and rode off in a spasmodic trot down the lane.

"I shall have to go to Ipswich, and see about this, it may supply the
missing link in our chain of evidence!"

"But how about this afternoon?" queried his wife.

"Oh, I can get to Salem by three o'clock, by fast riding. I will leave
the roan horse for you."

"Saddle the grey mare, Jehosaphat."

And thus it was that his brother Joseph, looking out of his sitting-room
window, about an hour after his arrival at home, saw Master Thomas
Putnam, on his well-known grey mare, riding along the road past his
house on the most direct route to Ipswich.

"He is out of the way, for one--if he waits an hour or two for any
person to meet him on important business at the Crown and Anchor,"
thought the young man. "It is important indeed though that he should go,
and keep himself out of mischief; and from helping to take any more
innocent lives. And when he comes to his senses--in the next world, if
not in this--he will thank me for deceiving him. Now let me see whether
I can do as good a turn for that delectable wife of his."

CHAPTER XLIV.

How Master Joseph Circumvented Mistress Ann.

About an hour afterwards, Master Joseph saw one of his farm-hands coming
over the fields from the direction of his brother's house, which was
about two miles almost directly to the west of his own house. Going out
to meet him, he said--

"Well, Simon Peter, I see that you got the rake."

"Yes, Master Joseph; but they wish me to return it as soon as we can."

"That is right. Finish your job in the garden this afternoon, and take
it back early tomorrow morning. You can go to work now."

The man walked off toward the garden.

"Wait a moment!" his master cried. The man stopped. "Anything new at
brother Thomas's? Are they all at home?"

"No, indeed! Master Thomas has gone off to Ipswich--and little Ann is at
Salem town."

"I could not borrow a horse, then, of them, you think?"

"No, indeed, sir. There is only one left in the stable; and Mistress
Putnam means to use that to go to the trial this afternoon."

"Oh, well, I do not care much;" and his master walked off to the house,
while Simon Peter went to his work.

Then, after a somewhat earlier d