Page:Christmas Fireside Stories.djvu/314

 The Witch. 302 know. There, take the child," she said, as she gave it to its mother. " Let me finish this drop of coffee, and 111 set to at once." When the coffee was drunk, and the cup was put away with many thanks and blessings, she went demurely to the hearth, and pulled out a snuff-horn. " Since last Thursday," she said, " IVe been in seven parishes and scraped lead off the frames of church-windows at midnight, for I used the last of my lead last Thursday. It's trying both to mmd and body," she mumbled to herself, while she shook out from the snuff-horn some of the lead, which, according to her statement, she had collected under so many difficulties. '* I suppose you have brought some water from a brook running north at midnight ? " she inquired further. Yes. I was down by the mill-stream last night ; it's the only stream running north for a long way round," answered the peasant woman, as she brought out a carefully closed pail, from which she poured the water into a large beer-bowl. Across this was placed a thin oatmeal cake, through which a hole was made with a darning needle. When the lead was melted, Gubjor went to the door, looked up at the sun, took the ladle and poured the melted lead slowly through the hole into the water, while she mumbled some words over it which seemed to be to this effect : — " I conjure for sickness, I conjure for pain— I conjure it off, and I call it again— I conjure the weather, the wind, and the ram ! I have spells for the north, I have charmsfor the west, And the south and the east must obey my behest— I conjure in water, I conjure on land, I conjure in rocks, and I conjure in sand — I conjure pain into the alder-tree root— I conjure disease into tiny foal's foot— Where the flame of Gehenna comes bellowing forth, Or where the charmed waters flow on to the north, There, there shall pain wither, consumed by my spell, And with the poor babe all shall henceforth be well !"