Page:Salem - a tale of the seventeenth century (IA taleseventeenth00derbrich).pdf/295

 darling's danger, thus suddenly brought before her, tears, that her own woes had not called forth, fell thick and fast upon her fettered hands.

The wily accuser saw her advantage, and hastened to press it on.

"She has said so—she has been heard to say it, and you yourself have heard her."

"She ha' said it—said what?" said Elsie, starting like a war-horse at the sound of the trumpet. "What ha' she said?"

"That you were cruel to her; that you had no mercy; that you stabbed her to the heart and tortured her."

As these terrible words fell upon her ears, a burning flush rose to poor Mistress Campbell's brow; too well she remembered Alice's passionate and heedless words—too clearly she realized now who had been listening beneath her window on that sad night; and as the utter impossibility of ever clearing herself from this new and horrible imputation broke upon her, she wrung her fettered hands in anguish, sank back and groaned aloud.

Of course the impression this made was