ime. The carpenter, Puttenham, has a bed at liberty,
but whether he'll take you in I don't know."

Mehetabel rose, and went to the cottage of the wheelwright. The
man himself was in his shop. She applied to his wife.

"I don't know," said Mrs. Puttenham. "They say you was off your
head when you did it. How can I tell you're right in your intellecks
now? You see, 'twould be mighty unpleasant to have anything happen
to either Puttenham or me, if we crossed you in any way. I don't
feel inclined to risk it. I mind when owd Sammy Drewitt was daft.
They did up a sort of a black hole, and stuck he in, and fed him
through a kind of a winder in the side, and they had the place
cleaned out once a month, and fresh straw littered for him to lie
on. Folk sed he ort to ha' been chained to the wall, but they
didn't do that. He never managed to break through the door. They
found him dead there one winter mornin' when the Hammer Ponds was
froze almost a solid block. I reckon there's been nobody in that
place since. The constable might send a man, and scrape it out,
and accommodate you there. It's terrible dangerous havin' a maniac
at large. Sammy Drewitt made a won'erful great noise, howlin' when
the moon was nigh full, and folk as lived near couldn't sleep then.
But he never knocked nobody on the head, as I've heard tell. I don't
mind givin' you a cup o' tea, and some bread and butter, if you'll
be quiet, and not break out and be uproarious. If you don't fancy
the lock-up, there is a pound for strayed cattle. I reckon of that
Mister Colpus keeps the key--that is if it be locked, but mostly
it be open. But then there's no roof to that."

Mehetabel declined the refreshment offered her so ungraciously,
and went to the cottage of Mrs. Caesar, the mother of Julia who
had been dismissed from the service of Mr. Colpus.

Of her she made the same request as of the two last.

"I call that pretty much like cheek, I do," replied Mrs. Caesar.
"Didn't you go and try to get into Colpus's, and oust my daughter?"

"Indeed, indeed, I did not."

"Indeed, you did. I heard all about it, as how you wanted to be
took in at Colpus's when Julia was out."

"But Mrs. Caesar, that isn't ousting her. Julia was already
dismissed!"

"Dismissed! Hoity-toity! My daughter gave notice because she was
too put upon by them Colpuses. They didn't consider their servants,
and give 'em enough to eat, and holidays when they wanted to go
out with their sweethearts.