Элизабет Джордж Спир - The Witch of Blackbird Pond / Ведьма с пруда Черных Дроздов. 10-11 классы Страница 11

Suddenly Kit wished with all her heart that she would stand here before her uncle with a clear conscience. She promised herself to tell him all some day when Hannah’s safe.

Later that noon Matthew came back for a meal with his family. Even Mercy asked for a drink of water. The mood was high, and that’s why this time they were not alarmed by the knock on the door. Matthew went to open it, and they heard a man’s voice, “We have business with you, Matthew, that can’t wait. Better call your wife, too, and that girl from Barbados.”

Rachel and Kit walked into the company room. There were four visitors: a deacon from the church, the constable of the town, Goodman Cruff and his wife. They were not excited this morning. They looked serious and grave.

“I know you don’t believe in witchcraft,” the constable began, “but you may change your mind. Last night we couldn’t find that old Quaker woman. She ran away somehow, and we seem to know how. We’ve searched the whole town this morning, but here’s not a trace of her. Don’t see how she could have gone that far.”

Suddenly, Kit felt sick and dizzy. Now Goodwife Cruff’s husband cleared his throat. “I didn’t rightly see it myself,” he apologized. “But there’s someone who saw her big yellow cat running out of the house with a great fat mouse in its mouth, and it never let it go. That mouse was Hannah Tupper!”

“She’s gone straight back to Satan!” cried Goodwife Cruff now looking at Kit, “but she’s left another one to do her work! They found something when they searched her place. Look at the letters on it, Matthew!”

The constable took something out of his pocket. It was the little book Kit presented to Prudence.

Matthew took the thing in his hands and turned it over. “Ask her where it came from?” hissed Goodwife Cruff. Matthew looked at his niece’s white face. “Can this be yours, Katherine?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Kit whispered.

“Did you know you had lost it? Was it stolen from you?”

“No sir. I knew it was there. I took it there myself – it was a present. Hannah was my friend! I’m sorry, Uncle Matthew, I wanted to tell you, as soon as I could. I used to go to see her, on the way home from the meadow. Sometimes, I took things to her.”

“Why? I don’t understand this, Katherine. I forbade you to go to that woman’s house!”

“I know. But Hannah needed me, and I needed her. She wasn’t a witch, Uncle Matthew!”

Matthew looked at the constable. “I am sorry,” he said, “that I have not controlled my own household. But the girl is young and ignorant. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Matthew,” the constable said. “I’m sorry, but we have to lock this girl up. She is charged with witchcraft!”

“That is ridiculous!” cried Matthew. “How long do you intend to keep her?”

“Until the trial. Tomorrow Captain Talcott will question her first. Then there’ll be a jury trial in Hartford.”

“What if I give you my word that until tomorrow I’ll keep her locked in her room upstairs?” tried Matthew.

“What good is his word?” demanded Goodwife Cruff. “Has he known where she was these past months?” Kit felt numbed by the hatred in the woman’s eyes and thought that Goodwife Cruff wanted to see her in jail.

“Don’t worry,” the constable answered. “The girl will be safe with me.”

Kit stood numb. Rachel started crying when she handed Kit her coat. Then they walked together all the way to the constable’s house, and saw how Kit was locked safely in the shed. The shed was empty with just a pile of straw in one corner. There was no window either. Inside Kit leaned against the door. Tears were running down her cheeks. In the late afternoon the constable kindly brought her supper and a thick blanket. “We never had a girl in here before,” he said.

“And what about the others who had been kept here? What happened to them?” asked Kit.

“Well, one was banished from the colony. The other one was hanged. But I don’t think they’ll be so hard on you. You’re so young. Probably they’ll just brand you, or cut off an ear.”

After his words Kit couldn’t eat. She began to shake, and the blanket didn’t warm her. Was there anyone who could help her? John Holbrook, maybe. But he was far away in Massachusetts. Nat Eaton? He was halfway down the river. William? Of course! William could help her! Why hadn’t she thought of him before? William had a position in this town. The thought calmed her. She imagined him coming to save her. Dear reliable William! Perhaps he would come tonight. Kit sat down on the floor and waited for William. But it was Rachel who finally came instead. Long after dark Kit heard her whisper outside the shed wall. “Kit? Can you hear me? Are you all right?”

“Yes! Oh, Aunt Rachel, I’m so sorry! They’ll never forgive me. What do they do to witches?”

“Nothing, child,” whispered Rachel. “They won’t do anything to you. We’ll think of something. The questioning will be in the morning. If there’s something you haven’t told, you must tell them everything.”

Encouraged by her aunt’s visit, Kit now felt less panicky. She sat down and thought about her chances. Nobody in the town would have much sympathy for her. Goodwife Cruff had hated Kit since that first day on the Dolphin. What if they discovered that Prudence too had visited Hannah? What had poor Hannah ever done to harm these people? But Kit had promised the poor child that it’d all be all right. How could she have been so stupid?

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning the constable took Kit to the Town House. The building was full of people. At a table at the end of the room sat Captain Talcott and a group of town selectmen. Her uncle sat in his place among them, frowning. At the opposite end of the table sat the two ministers, Reverend John Woodbridge and Dr. Gershom Bulkeley, both known for their sermons against witchcraft. Kit’s heart sank. There was no one, no one in the whole room, except her uncle, who would defend her. William had not come.

Soon Captain Talcott began his speech: “We have come here to question Mistress Katherine Tyler, of Barbados, who is accused by witnesses of the practice of witchcraft. Mistress Tyler, come forward.” Kit got up and stood facing the magistrate across the table.

“Listen to the charge against you.” A clerk read ridiculous statements which, to Kit’s horror, ended with the words “for which by the law of God and the law of the Colony you deserve to die”. Then the clerk continued: “Mistress Tyler, you are accused by Goodman Cruff with the following. Firstly, you were a friend and companion of the Widow Hannah Tupper of Blackbird Pond, an alleged witch who has disappeared in a suspicious manner. Secondly, you are guilty of devilish actions, which have caused illness and death in this town.”

The clerk sat down. Captain Talcott looked at the girl before him. “Mistress Tyler,” he said, “you have heard the complaints against you. Is it true that you were a friend and companion of the Widow Tupper and that you have entered her house and visited her?”

“Yes, sir,” Kit managed to say.

“Is it true that you and the Widow Tupper practiced enchantments to cause mischief to other people?”

“No, sir! I don’t know what you mean by enchantments.”

At this moment Matthew Wood jumped suddenly to his feet. “I protest!” he shouted.

“Matthew Wood, were these visits to the Widow Tupper taken with your approval?” asked Captain Talcott.

“No, I had no knowledge of them,” Matthew admitted. “And I forbade her to go. But the girl has been disobedient and thoughtless at times. That’s because of her upbringing. But I swear before all that the girl is no witch.”

Now Goodwife Cruff rose to her feet. “Sir, I’ve something to say,” she announced. “I’ve got here what was found in the widow’s house that night.” With these words she took an object from her pocket. It was not the book, as Kit had expected. It was the little copybook.

“Look at that!” Goodwife Cruff demanded. “What do you say about that? My Prudence’s name is written over and over. It’s a spell!”

The magistrate took the copybook. “Does this book belong to you, Mistress Tyler? Did you write this name?”

“Yes, sir,” Kit managed to say again. She could hardly stand. “I wrote the name.”

Matthew Wood covered his eyes with his hand. He looked old and ill.

“Why did you write a child’s name like that? This is a serious matter. You must explain to us why you chose this child’s name.”

Kit was silent. All men and women in the hall jumped to their feet, screaming, “She won’t answer! She’s guilty! She’s a witch! Hang her! Put her to the water test!”

Meanwhile, Gershom Bulkeley quietly took the copybook and studied it carefully. Then he whispered something to the magistrate. Captain Talcott announced, “Silence now! This case will be taken to court in Hartford!”

“Wait a minute, Captain!” called a voice. “There’s a man here who says he has an important witness for the case.”

Kit turned slowly to face a newcomer. At the door of the room stood Nat Eaton. Beside him, holding his hand stood Prudence Cruff. Nat! Kit immediately felt joy and relief.

“Where is the witness?” the magistrate asked. Nat put his hands on the child’s shoulders and gently pushed her forward. “Come here, child,” the magistrate said. Prudence walked straight to the magistrate’s table. There was something strange about her. She was not afraid!

“We will ask you some questions, Prudence,” said the magistrate quietly. “Do you know this young woman?”

“Yes sir,” whispered Prudence. “She is my teacher. She taught me to read.”

“Where did she teach you?”

“At Hannah’s house in the meadow.”

Goodwife Cruff screamed loudly from across the room.

“Do you mean Mistress Tyler took you to Hannah Tupper’s house?”

“The first time she took me there. After that I went by myself.”

It is all over, thought Kit. Gershom Bulkeley still held the little copybook. He passed the book to Captain Talcott. “Have you ever seen this book before?” the magistrate asked the child.

“Yes, sir. Kit gave it to me. I wrote my name in it.”

“That’s a lie!” cried Goodwife Cruff. “The child is bewitched!”

Captain Talcott turned to Kit. “Is it true that the child wrote her own name in this book?”

“It’s true,” Kit answered quietly. “I wrote it for her once and then she copied it.”

The magistrate turned to the child again. “Could you write your name now, do you think?”

“I think so, sir.”

He dipped the quill pen in the ink and gave it to the child. Prudence set the pen on the copybook and started writing. For a moment the room was silent. The magistrate looked at the writing and gave the copybook to Gershom Bulkeley. “Very nice writing, I should say,” Dr. Bulkeley commented, “for a child with no learning.”

“Now Prudence,” the magistrate continued. “You say that Mistress Tyler taught you to read? What sort of reading? What can you read, child?”

“I can read the Bible.”

Dr. Bulkeley picked up the Great Bible from the table and turned the pages thoughtfully. “Read that for us, child, beginning right there.”

Kit held her breath. Then across the silence came the child’s whisper: “Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding…”