Page:Salem - a tale of the seventeenth century (IA taleseventeenth00derbrich).pdf/216

 any more—I broke from them, and fairly ran down the street. But what did it all mean, grannie?—was it not strange?"

Could Alice have seen her grandmother's averted face in the gathering twilight, she would have been struck with its sudden change—the ruddy complexion was ashy pale.

"An' hoo should I ken?" she answered angrily, snapping out the words with sharp bitterness; "I did na' see her."

"But what could she have meant?"

"Her meanin'? don't ye ken well enough that they are awfu' liars?"

"But you know who the woman is, I suppose?"

"An' hoo should I? If she is ane of those vile creatures, I wad na' wish to ha' ony thing to do wi' her."

"Oh! but I thought you might have known something of her at home years ago, because she is a Scotch woman, and came out in the spring. Her name is Evans, I think, and I heard she had been making many inquiries about us—so I thought it was possible it might be some one you used