y folk would take so much notice of me? But, I suppose, that comes
of being a pastor's daughter. She'll be so set up there'll be no
speaking to her now. Faith! thinkest thou that Hota really had
bewitched her? She gave me corn-cakes, the last time I was at Pastor
Tappau's, just like any other woman, only, perchance, a trifle more
good-natured; and to think of her being a witch after all!'

But Faith seemed in a hurry to reach home, paid no attention to
Prudence's talking. Lois hastened on with Faith, for Manasseh was
walking alongside of his mother, and she kept steady to her plan of
avoiding him, even though she pressed her company upon Faith, who had
seemed of late desirous of avoiding her.

That evening the news spread through Salem, that Hota had confessed her
sin--had acknowledged that she was a witch. Nattee was the first to
hear the intelligence. She broke into the room where the girls were
sitting with Grace Hickson, solemnly doing nothing, because of the
great prayer-meeting in the morning, and cried out, 'Mercy, mercy,
mistress, everybody! take care of poor Indian Nattee, who never do
wrong, but for mistress and the family! Hota one bad wicked witch, she
say so herself; oh, me! oh me!' and stooping over Faith, she said
something in a low, miserable tone of voice, of which Lois only heard
the word 'torture.' But Faith heard all, and turning very pale, half
accompanied, half led Nattee back to her kitchen.

Presently, Grace Hickson came in. She had been out to see a neighbour;
it will not do to say that so godly a woman had been gossiping; and,
indeed, the subject of the conversation she had held was of too serious
and momentous a nature for me to employ a light word to designate it.
There was all the listening to and repeating of small details and
rumours, in which the speakers have no concern, that constitutes
gossiping; but in this instance, all trivial facts and speeches might
be considered to bear such dreadful significance, and might have so
ghastly an ending, that such whispers were occasionally raised to a
tragic importance. Every fragment of intelligence that related to Mr.
Tappau's household was eagerly snatched at; how his dog howled all one
long night through, and could not be stilled; how his cow suddenly
failed in her milk only two months after she had calved; how his memory
had forsaken him one morning, for a minute or two, in repeating the
Lord's Prayer, and he had even omitted a clause thereof