登陆注册
15384500000016

第16章 THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER(16)

He said there must be witchcraft at the bottom of it, and told the villagers to resume relations with Marget and Ursula in a private and unostentatious way, and keep both eyes open.They were told to keep their own counsel, and not rouse the suspicions of the household.The villagers were at first a bit reluctant to enter such a dreadful place, but the priest said they would be under his protection while there, and no harm could come to them, particularly if they carried a trifle of holy water along and kept their beads and crosses handy.This satisfied them and made them willing to go; envy and malice made the baser sort even eager to go.

And so poor Marget began to have company again, and was as pleased as a cat.She was like 'most anybody else--just human, and happy in her prosperities and not averse from showing them off a little; and she was humanly grateful to have the warm shoulder turned to her and be smiled upon by her friends and the village again; for of all the hard things to bear, to be cut by your neighbors and left in contemptuous solitude is maybe the hardest.

The bars were down, and we could all go there now, and we did--our parents and all--day after day.The cat began to strain herself.She provided the top of everything for those companies, and in abundance--among them many a dish and many a wine which they had not tasted before and which they had not even heard of except at second-hand from the prince's servants.And the tableware was much above ordinary, too.

Marget was troubled at times, and pursued Ursula with questions to an uncomfortable degree; but Ursula stood her ground and stuck to it that it was Providence, and said no word about the cat.Marget knew that nothing was impossible to Providence, but she could not help having doubts that this effort was from there, though she was afraid to say so, lest disaster come of it.Witchcraft occurred to her, but she put the thought aside, for this was before Gottfried joined the household, and she knew Ursula was pious and a bitter hater of witches.By the time Gottfried arrived Providence was established, unshakably intrenched, and getting all the gratitude.The cat made no murmur, but went on composedly improving in style and prodigality by experience.

In any community, big or little, there is always a fair proportion of people who are not malicious or unkind by nature, and who never do unkind things except when they are overmastered by fear, or when their self-interest is greatly in danger, or some such matter as that.Eseldorf had its proportion of such people, and ordinarily their good and gentle influence was felt, but these were not ordinary times--on account of the witch-dread--and so we did not seem to have any gentle and compassionate hearts left, to speak of.Every person was frightened at the unaccountable state of things at Marget's house, not doubting that witchcraft was at the bottom of it, and fright frenzied their reason.

Naturally there were some who pitied Marget and Ursula for the danger that was gathering about them, but naturally they did not say so; it would not have been safe.So the others had it all their own way, and there was none to advise the ignorant girl and the foolish woman and warn them to modify their doings.We boys wanted to warn them, but we backed down when it came to the pinch, being afraid.We found that we were not manly enough nor brave enough to do a generous action when there was a chance that it could get us into trouble.Neither of us confessed this poor spirit to the others, but did as other people would have done--dropped the subject and talked about something else.And I knew we all felt mean, eating and drinking Marget's fine things along with those companies of spies, and petting her and complimenting her with the rest, and seeing with self-reproach how foolishly happy she was, and never saying a word to put her on her guard.And, indeed, she was happy, and as proud as a princess, and so grateful to have friends again.And all the time these people were watching with all their eyes and reporting all they saw to Father Adolf.

But he couldn't make head or tail of the situation.There must be an enchanter somewhere on the premises, but who was it? Marget was not seen to do any jugglery, nor was Ursula, nor yet Gottfried; and still the wines and dainties never ran short, and a guest could not call for a thing and not get it.To produce these effects was usual enough with witches and enchanters--that part of it was not new; but to do it without any incantations, or even any rumblings or earthquakes or lightnings or apparitions--that was new, novel, wholly irregular.There was nothing in the books like this.Enchanted things were always unreal.Gold turned to dirt in an unenchanted atmosphere, food withered away and vanished.

But this test failed in the present case.The spies brought samples:

Father Adolf prayed over them, exorcised them, but it did no good; they remained sound and real, they yielded to natural decay only, and took the usual time to do it.

Father Adolf was not merely puzzled, he was also exasperated; for these evidences very nearly convinced him--privately--that there was no witchcraft in the matter.It did not wholly convince him, for this could be a new kind of witchcraft.There was a way to find out as to this: if this prodigal abundance of provender was not brought in from the outside, but produced on the premises, there was witchcraft, sure.

Chapter 7

同类推荐
  • 古书隐楼藏书

    古书隐楼藏书

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 济公诗词

    济公诗词

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • St. Ives

    St. Ives

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 咸淳玉峰续志

    咸淳玉峰续志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 五显灵观大帝灯仪

    五显灵观大帝灯仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 惊魂人生路

    惊魂人生路

    辛亥革命前夕,武昌新军管带革命党人鲍德明全家被杀,鲍德明之子鲍玉岩因回徽州祭祖逃过一劫。紧随其后是海捕文书到达徽州府,迫使鲍玉岩上了逃亡之路。在清末民初动荡的社会中,鲍玉岩几次落入险境,命悬一线,他将如何生存?鲍一刀是徽州名厨,身怀绝技,招牌菜一品锅名扬四海,鲍玉岩几经周折投其门下学艺。鲍一刀非常严厉,他让鲍玉岩懂得了一个真正的徽州名厨是怎样炼成的?他不仅要有顶尖的绝技,更要有高尚的艺德。吃得苦中苦,方能人上人。鲍玉岩忍受着常人难以忍受的苦难与折磨,以顽强的意志和坚韧的毅力苦学厨艺。患难中,鲍玉岩与小桃红真心相爱,他们的爱情能经受风雨吹打吗?
  • 成大事必备的148个成功法则

    成大事必备的148个成功法则

    追求卓越,渴望成功,是古今中外有识之士的不懈追求,更是23世纪人们的热门话题。如何捕获成功?通向成功之路的起点在哪里?本书告诉你!本书将向你传授如何才能走向成功之路?其内容浅显易懂,突出实践指导性。你不妨对照这些因素,看看自己是否具备这些成功的资本?在当今社会,拥有一颗健康的心灵,保持积极乐观的心态,去创造幸福、美好的人生。相信,你一定会从中受益,熟悉成大事的规律,掌握成大事的策略,从而取得无往不利的大事业!
  • 异血玄光

    异血玄光

    天罗大陆是一座庞大的陆地,在这上面有着四个帝国。主角生活在四大帝国之一,排名第二的帝国,名叫天空帝国。主角玄夜原本跟他爷爷生活了8年时间,但是因为他爷爷要遵守8年前定下也约定,必须在玄夜八岁的时候让他离开。玄夜也因此开始了他的修炼之旅
  • 弑天成帝

    弑天成帝

    人各有命,上天注定,有人天生为王,有人落草为寇,一位少年偶然间获得天道法则残页,开启了他逆天之旅。
  • TFBOYS之爱的涟漪

    TFBOYS之爱的涟漪

    2022年的夏天,三个女生在重庆遇到了那三个她们做梦也想见到的男生,他们成为了朋友,很快又展开了一场浪漫的爱恋……
  • 在恶世:神灭

    在恶世:神灭

    人在恶世,心本善还是恶?没有哪个是世界是绝对光明的,黑暗无处不在。
  • 剑神梁月

    剑神梁月

    为了爷爷的名誉,为了家族的荣耀,他甘心背负废柴的名号,忍受屈辱,幻境中放大的木剑,未曾谋面的父亲,天选之人的身份,破解养剑大阵,丹田可以凝聚元气,御剑流赋予它门徒的能量,潜心修炼,步步突破,黑色的灵印,紫色的血液,又会给他带来怎样的奇遇?以剑破天,以剑救世,以剑平天下,他就是一代剑神!【辰风出品,必属精品】好作品看了当然要收藏起来,作者不容易,大家看了之后求留下你们的票票,或者道具之类的。要是没有的话,也留一句书评吧,这也算是大家对我的支持,谢谢了~。~剑神梁月交流群:180636235有意思的朋友欢迎进来。
  • 国民王子轻轻亲:强宠99夜

    国民王子轻轻亲:强宠99夜

    万世一系的圣人后裔,当是翩翩君子,温润如玉。扯淡!孔钦泽根本就是个抖S暴君!名门高中子在川上,师生和谐,团结友爱。扯淡!这里根本就是一个大写的封建社会!弱鸡平民虞七七,走了狗屎运,傍上孔家二公子。扯淡!明明是那个死不要脸的非拉着人家说要生猴子!校园的战争开始,世家的仇恨展开,在这里生存唯一的方法就是——斗争!【本文一对一,女强男更强,又宠又爽么么哒(女主前期还是要吃几个亏,不然怎么栽倒男主手上呢~)】
  • 一个七零后的挨踢经历

    一个七零后的挨踢经历

    混来混去--一个70后的IT经历
  • 闪婚蜜爱:总裁大人好眼熟

    闪婚蜜爱:总裁大人好眼熟

    (宠文,1V1,圆满结局)(宠文,1V1,圆满结局)