ed had
gone to Oxford, I had to walk past Deborah Teague's cottage, and saw
the old woman sitting on the doorstep quietly smoking.

"Come ere, Maaster Roger," she said; "I've been waitin' for 'ee a bra
long while."

I looked at her in astonishment.

"Iss' my dear, I knawed you was a comin', so I says I'll jist wait for
Maaster Roger."

"How did you know I was coming?"

"Knaw!" she replied, "what doan't I knaw? But come in, I want to talk
to 'ee."

"What about?"

"Somethin' you're interested in, my deer. Ther set down. Yer brother
es gone away to college edn't a?"

"Yes, he's gone."

"Ah, ould Debrah ev for a long time bin thinkin' 'bout it, my dear."

"About what?"

"'Twas a hawful storm, Maaster Roger, wadn't it, then? People do say
that ould women ca'ant do nothin', but, law, that storm wur big enough
and bad enough!"

"Do you mean to say that you caused the storm then?"

"No, not me, my dear, but I knawed it wur a comin' ded'n I un? And
ded'n I give 'ee warnin', my dear? Ef I dedn't, why she would'n ev bin
livin' now."

"Deborah," I said, "you are talking in riddles. If you have anything
to tell me, let me know about it."

"Doan't 'ee be vexed, Maaster Roger. Ould Debrah is yer friend, and do
want for you to be her friend!"

"But I don't understand all this mysterious talk. You are hinting at
strange things. Let me know about it. Is there witchcraft in the
matter?"

"Ould Debrah do knaw 'bout Trewinion's curse, doan't she, my deer? How
should she know that except by--well, we wa'ant say what."

"Yes, you have hinted about it? But what have I to do with it? I have
done nothing that will cause it to rest upon me."

"But tes comin', Maaster Roger, ef I and some more doan't help 'ee.
Tell 'ee, my dear, things belongin' to the sperrits can onnley be
stopped by they who--well, who have got power in they paarts."

I was getting interested.

"Are you a witch, then?" I asked.

"Can 'ee bear to hear it, Maaster Roger?" she whispered.

"I can bear anything," I said.

"Maaster Roger, you've eerd of Farmer Jory?"

"Yes, often."

"Ah, ee died a awful death, my deer."

"So I've heard," I said. "People have told me that his last hours were
terrible; that he seemed like one placed upon a rock. And that
although at one time he was well off, all his cattle died and his
ground refused to grow crops."

"You've eerd that, av 'ee? Well, now, I tell 'ee summin. My old man
Pitter use