"Those never throve that did me harm," said she."I'm alone in the world, and helpless; the more do the saints in heaven hear my prayers.Hear me, ye blessed ones! hear me while I ask for sorrow on this bad, cruel man.He has killed the only creature that loved me--the dumb beast that I loved.Bring down heavy sorrow on his head for it, O ye saints! He thought that I was helpless, because he saw me lonely and poor; but are not the armies of heaven for the like of me?""Come, come," said he, half remorseful, but not one whit afraid.
"Here's a crown to buy thee another dog.Take it, and leave off cursing! I care none for thy threats.""Don't you?" said she, coming a step closer, and changing her imprecatory cry for a whisper which made the gamekeeper's lad, following Mr.Gisborne, creep all over."You shall live to see the creature you love best, and who alone loves you--ay, a human creature, but as innocent and fond as my poor, dead darling--you shall see this creature, for whom death would be too happy, become a terror and a loathing to all, for this blood's sake.Hear me, O holy saints, who never fail them that have no other help!"She threw up her right hand, filled with poor Mignon's life-drops;they spirted, one or two of them, on his shooting-dress,--an ominous sight to the follower.But the master only laughed a little, forced, scornful laugh, and went on to the Hall.Before he got there, however, he took out a gold piece, and bade the boy carry it to the old woman on his return to the village.The lad was "afeared," as he told me in after years; he came to the cottage, and hovered about, not daring to enter.He peeped through the window at last; and by the flickering wood-flame, he saw Bridget kneeling before the picture of Our Lady of the Holy Heart, with dead Mignon lying between her and the Madonna.She was praying wildly, as her outstretched arms betokened.The lad shrunk away in redoubled terror; and contented himself with slipping the gold piece under the ill-fitting door.The next day it was thrown out upon the midden; and there it lay, no one daring to touch it.
Meanwhile Mr.Gisborne, half curious, half uneasy, thought to lessen his uncomfortable feelings by asking Sir Philip who Bridget was? He could only describe her--he did not know her name.Sir Philip was equally at a loss.But an old servant of the Starkeys, who had resumed his livery at the Hall on this occasion--a scoundrel whom Bridget had saved from dismissal more than once during her palmy days--said:-"It will be the old witch, that his worship means.She needs a ducking, if ever a woman did, does that Bridget Fitzgerald.""Fitzgerald!" said both the gentlemen at once.But Sir Philip was the first to continue:-"I must have no talk of ducking her, Dickon.Why, she must be the very woman poor Starkey bade me have a care of; but when I came here last she was gone, no one knew where.I'll go and see her to-morrow.
But mind you, sirrah, if any harm comes to her, or any more talk of her being a witch--I've a pack of hounds at home, who can follow the scent of a lying knave as well as ever they followed a dog-fox; so take care how you talk about ducking a faithful old servant of your dead master's.""Had she ever a daughter?" asked Mr.Gisborne, after a while.
"I don't know--yes! I've a notion she had; a kind of waiting woman to Madam Starkey.""Please your worship," said humbled Dickon, "Mistress Bridget had a daughter--one Mistress Mary--who went abroad, and has never been heard on since; and folk do say that has crazed her mother."Mr.Gisborne shaded his eyes with his hand.
"I could wish she had not cursed me," he muttered."She may have power--no one else could." After a while, he said aloud, no one understanding rightly what he meant, "Tush! it is impossible!"--and called for claret; and he and the other gentlemen set-to to a drinking-bout.
