what he is saying. The fit is
upon him. I tell you the truth before God. My son, my only son, is
mad.'

They stood aghast at the intelligence. The grave young citizen, who had
silently taken his part in life close by them in their daily lives--not
mixing much with them, it was true, but looked up to, perhaps, all the
more--the student of abstruse books on theology, fit to converse with
the most learned ministers that ever came about those parts--was he the
same with the man now pouring out wild words to Lois the witch, as if
he and she were the only two present! A solution of it all occurred to
them. He was another victim. Great was the power of Satan! Through the
arts of the devil, that white statue of a girl had mastered the soul of
Manasseh Hickson. So the word spread from mouth to mouth. And Grace
heard it. It seemed a healing balsam for her shame. With wilful,
dishonest blindness, she would not see--not even in her secret heart
would she acknowledge, that Manasseh had been strange, and moody, and
violent long before the English girl had reached Salem. She even found
some specious reason for his attempt at suicide long ago. He was
recovering from a fever--and though tolerably well in health, the
delirium had not finally left him. But since Lois came, how headstrong
he had been at times! how unreasonable! how moody! What a strange
delusion was that which he was under, of being bidden by some voice to
marry her! How he followed her about, and clung to her, as under some
compulsion of affection! And over all reigned the idea that, if he were
indeed suffering from being bewitched, he was not mad, and might again
assume the honourable position he had held in the congregation and in
the town, when the spell by which he was held was destroyed. So Grace
yielded to the notion herself, and encouraged it in others, that Lois
Barclay had bewitched both Manasseh and Prudence. And the consequence
of this belief was, that Lois was to be tried, with little chance in
her favour, to see whether she was a witch or no; and if a witch,
whether she would confess, implicate others, repent, and live a life of
bitter shame, avoided by all men, and cruelly treated by most; or die
impenitent, hardened, denying her crime upon the gallows.

And so they dragged Lois away from the congregation of Christians to
the gaol, to await her trial. I say 'dragged her,' because, although
she was docile enough to have followed them whither they would, she