stop there," said the curate.

Still the old woman hesitated, and still she muttered to herself; but
after some further prelude, and some further enticement from the curate,
the which we spare our reader, she came at length to the following
narration:--

"It was on the 7th of February, in the year '44,--yes, '44, about six
o'clock in the evening, for I was a-washing in the kitchen,--when Mr.
Aram called to me an' desired of me to make a fire upstairs, which I
did; he then walked out. Some hours afterwards, it might be two in the
morning, I was lying awake, for I was mighty bad with the toothache,
when I heard a noise below, and two or three voices. On this I was
greatly afeard, and got out o' bed, and opening the door, I saw Mr.
Houseman and Mr. Clarke coming upstairs to Mr. Aram's room, and Mr.
Aram followed them. They shut the door, and stayed there, it might be
an hour. Well, I could not a think what could make so shy an' resarved
a gentleman as Mr. Aram admit these 'ere wild madcaps like at that hour;
an' I lay awake a thinking an' a thinking, till I heard the door open
agin, an' I went to listen at the keyhole, an' Mr. Clarke said: 'It
will soon be morning, and we must get off.' They then all three left the
house. But I could not sleep, an' I got up afore five o'clock; and about
that hour Mr. Aram an' Mr. Houseman returned, and they both glowered at
me as if they did not like to find me a stirring; an' Mr. Aram went into
his room, and Houseman turned and frowned at me as black as night. Lord
have mercy on me, I see him now! An' I was sadly feared, an' I listened
at the keyhole, an' I heard Houseman say: 'If the woman comes in, she'll
tell.'

"'What can she tell?' said Mr. Aram; 'poor simple thing, she knows
nothing.' With that, Houseman said, says he: 'If she tells that I am
here, it will be enough; but however [with a shocking oath], we'll take
an opportunity to shoot her.'

"On that I was so frighted that I went away back to my own room, and did
not stir till they had gone out, and then--"

"What time was that?"

"About seven o'clock. Well--You put me out! where was I? Well, I went
into Mr. Aram's, an' I seed they had been burning a fire, an' that
all the ashes were taken out o' the grate; so I went an' looked at the
rubbish behind the house, and there sure enough I seed the ashes, and
among 'em several bits o' cloth and linen which seemed to belong to
wearing apparel; and there, too, was a handkerchief w