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"I would just like to say that I - "

"Madam!" Woodward shouted, and his raw throat paid the price for it "Oneshall be delivered!"

Matthew had been scribing all this down as well Now he stared at her, his quill&039;s nib resting at the end of a letter, and he said quietly, "It would be wise not to speak further Believe istrate&039;s will Noever, she paused in her intent Woodaited, his fists clenched in his lap and his teeth gritted behind his lips Slowly Rachel Howarth closed her mouth and then seated herself on the bench

Woodward returned his full attention to Buckner "When did this event occuri Was it before or after the murder of Daniel Howarthi"

"after I believe Daniel had been laid doeek or two, so I reckon it was early February"

"all right Tell me then, as clearly as you recall, exactly what happened"

"Yes sir" Buckner spent a ether in his ood as I used to, but that kinda thing you don&039;t forget Me and Patience went to bed just like usual that night She put out the la it wasI heard my name spoke I opened my eyes Everythin&039; was dark, and silent I waited, a&039;lis-tenin&039; Just silent, like there was nothin&039; else in the whole world makin&039; a sound but ain, and I looked at the foot of the bed and seen her"

"By what light, if there was nonei" Woodward asked

"Well, I&039;ve put my mind to that but I can&039;t answer it The winda&039;s were shuttered, &039;cause it was ht But she was there, all right I seen her, clear as I see you"

"You&039;re positive it was Rachel Howarthi"

"I a at his hands spread out on the desktop before him "and what else transpiredi"

"I was scairt half out of my wits," Buckner said "any man would&039;ve been I started to wake up Patience, but then that woman - the witch - said I wasn&039;t to She said if I woke up Patience I would be sorry for it"

"But your asn&039;t roused by Madam Howarth&039;s voicei"

"No sir I&039;ve puzzled on that, too, but I can&039;t make no sense out of it Patience slept deep as usual Only thing I figure is that the witch put a conjure on her"

Matthew heard the worunt of frustration; he was telance at her, but the quill deht Then what occurredi"

"The witchsaid I was to keep her visit a secret Said if I spoke it to anyone, they would be killed on the spot Said I was to hts hence, in the orchard behind ht and two, she would find me"

"Madam Howarth was nude, you sayi"

"Yes sir, she wore not a stitch"

"But she had a serpent around her necki"

"Yes sir Black, it was With yella eyes"

"Had you latched your doors and s before retiring to bedi"

Buckner nodded "We had Never used to, butwith somebody a&039;killin&039; Reverend Grove and then Daniel like thatPatience felt easier with the latches throwed after dark"

"Therefore in your estimation there was no possible earthly way for Rachel Howarth to have entered your housei"

"Well sirafter she was gone, I lit the lantern and checked them latches They was all still throwed Patience woke up and asked me what I was doin&039; I had to tell her a lie, say a barkin&039; dog stirred me up She went on back to sleep, but I couldn&039;t near close my eyes"

"I can understand," Woodward said "Tell me this, then: exactly how did Madam Howarth leave your housei"

"I don&039;t know, sir"

"Ohi You didn&039;t see her leavei"

"Soon as she told one Didn&039;t fade nor nothin&039;, like you ht think a phantasm would She was there and then not"

"and you immediately lit the lanterni"

"I think so Maybe it was a minute or two It was kinda hazy what I did just after she left I believe I was still conjured, istratei" The voiceacross two neat lines above it before he could rein it in

"Yesi" Woodward snapped, looking toward the gaol&039;s entrance "What is iti"

"I&039;ve brought your tea, sir" Winston carried a wicker basket with a lid He caistrate&039;s desk, and opened it, revealing a white clay teapot and four cups, three of the same white clay but the fourth a dark reddish-brown "Cohan," Winston said "She sells pies, cakes, and tea froraciously offered to brew the pot free of charge I felt it my duty, however, to infor as well, therefore Mrs Vaughan asks that Madam Howarth use the dark cup so that it may be broken into pieces"

"Yes, of course Thank you"

"Is there anything else I ht do for youi Mr Bidwell has put o, and thank you for your assistance"

"Yes sir Ohone han would like Madam Howarth herself to break the cup, and then she asks that you gather the pieces and return them to her"

Woodward frowned "May I ask whyi"

"I don&039;t know, sir, but it was her request"

"Very well, then" Woodaited for the other man to leave, and then he removed the teapot from the basket and poured himself a cup He drank almost all of it immediately, to soothe his throat "Teai" he offered Buckner, but the far care not to spill any upon his papers "Mada in manners if I failed to offer you a cup of tea"

"Lucretia Vaughan brewed iti" she asked sullenly "I wonder if it&039;s not poisoned"

"I have drunk soood I&039;d daresay it&039;s been a while since you&039;ve had a taste" He poured some into the dark cup and handed it to Matthew "Put this through the bars, please"

Matthew stood up to do so, and the woman rose from her bench and approached In a moment Matthew found hi fixedly at him Curls of her thick ebony hair had fallen across her forehead, and Mattheare of tiny beads of sweat glistening on her upper lip, due to the gaol&039;s da in the valley of her throat

He pushed the cup through; it was a tight fit, but it did scrape between the bars She reached to accept it, and her fingers pressed across his The sensation of her body heat was like a wildfire that burned through his flesh and flao of the cup and jerked his arm back, and he didn&039;t knohat his expression had revealed but the wo at him with curious interest He abruprly turned his back to her and resumed his place

"Let us continue," Woodward said, when his clerk was once more situated "Matthew, read back to me the last question and answer, please"

"The question was: and you immediately lit the lanterni Mr Buckner&039;s reply was: I think so Maybe it was a minute or two It was kind of hazy what I did just after she left I believe I was still conjured, ht Mr Buckner, did you later that day inform your wife of what had occurredi"

"No sir, I did not I was a&039;feared that if I told her, the witch&039;s curse ht kill her on the spot I didn&039;t tell nobody"

"Two nights hence, did you go to the orchard at the prescribed tiht and two, just as the witch coot out of bed slow and quiet as I could I didn&039;t want Patience hearin&039; and wakin&039; up"

"and when you went to the orchard, what transpiredi" Woodward sipped at a fresh cup of tea and waited for the man to respond

This question obviously troubled Jeremiah Buckner, as the farmer shifted uneasily on his stool and chewed at his lower lip "Siri" he at last said "I&039;dbeg not relare it"

"If it has to do with Madaain, Buckner shifted and chewed but no words were forthco "I would remind you that you have taken an oath on the Bible," Woodward said "also, that this is a station of the law just as much as any courthouse in Charles Town If you&039;re fearful of your safety, let me assure you that these bars are solid and Madam Howarth cannot reach you"

"The walls of h &039;em, didn&039;t shei"

"You came here to testify of your own free will, did you noti"

"Yes sir, I did"

"Then you will leave here with your testimony incomplete if you fail to respond to my questions I need to knohat occurred in the orchard"

"Oh Lord," Buckner said softly; it was a supplication for strength He bowed his head, staring at the floor, and when he lifted it again the laht sparkled from the sheen of sweat on his face "I walked into the orchard," he began "It was a cold night, and silent I walked in, and directly I hearda wohin&039;, and another noise too Soruntin&039;" He was quiet, his head once again lowered

"Go on," Woodward said

"Well I followed them sounds Followed &039;em, deeper in I &039;member I stopped to look back atway off Then I took to walkin&039; again, tryin&039; to find the woman Wasn&039;t a few minutes passed &039;fore I did" Buckner paused and took a deep breath, as if fortifying himself for the rest of it "She was a&039;layin&039; on her back, under one of thes spread wide, &039;bout to split her down theI seen It was goin&039; at her, like the drivin&039; of a spike It was a&039;gruntin&039; ever&039;tihin&039;"

"a thingi" Woodward said "What kind of thingi"

Buckner looked directly into theon his forehead "It was somethin&039; thatkinda &039;sembled a man, butit had a black hide, and leathery I couldn&039;t see its faceI didn&039;t want to But it was big a beast the likes I&039;d never set eye on before It just kept poundin&039; her That wos open wide, and that beast comin&039; down a&039;top her I saw its back movin&039;it had some kinda spines or the like up and down its backbone Then all a&039;sudden it whipped its head side to side and let out an awful ot up off herht feet tall I could see" Buckner hesitated, his eyes glazed with the memory of it "I could see the woman was all bloody, there in her private parts The beast moved away, and thenthen soot down on its knees a&039;side her"

"What was iti" Woodward had gripped his teacup in his hand, his palm damp

"I don&039;t know It had white hair and a child&039;s face But it was a dwarf-thing, its skin all gray and shrivelled like a dead fish It got down on its knees a&039;side her It leaned its head down, and thenthen a terrible long tongue slid out of its mouth, and " He stopped, squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head "Can&039;t say," he gasped "Can&039;t say"

Woodward took a drink of tea and put the cup down He restrained hilance in Rachel Howarth&039;s direction He could feel Matthew tensed and ready to resu Woodward spoke quietly, "You must say"

Buckner released a noise that sounded like a sob His chest was tre He said painfully, "I&039;ll be damned to Hell for these pi&039;tures inas a proper Christian, sir You were an observer to these sins, not a participant I would ask you again to continue"

Buckner ran a hand across his ers palsied The hue of his flesh had become pasty, and dark hollows had taken forlooked like a child White hair a failed angel, is what I thought all shrunk up when it was cast in the Pit I saw itsaw that tongue come outsaet and shiny, like raw beef Thenthat tongue went up in the woman In her bloody parts She took to thrashin&039; and cryin&039; out, and the tongue was a&039;movin&039; inside her I wanted to hide my face, but I couldn&039;t near move my arms I had to stand there and watch it It was likesomebody was a&039;makin&039;

me watch it, when I wanted to hide hts away" His voice cracked, and for aBut then Buckner said, "When that thingslid its tongue back out againthere was blood all over it Drippin&039; blood, it was and that worinned like she was a new bride"

"Matthewi" Woodward&039;s throat felt so constricted that clear speaking had beco all thisi"

"If I weren&039;t," Mattheered tersely, "I would have to be deaf"

"Yes Of course This represents a new threshold in your experience of clerking, I am sure" Woodward used his sleeve to mop the moisture from his face "It certainly opens a new door for ht wish had remained latched"

"Then there was the third one," Buckner said "The one that was man and woman both"

Neither Woodward nor Matthew moved nor spoke In the silence they heard Buckner&039;s hoarse breathing Through the open roof-hatch ca in the far distance Matthew dipped his quill into the inkwell and waited

"Let us not say," spoke the istrate, "that in our interviee failed to turn over all rocks, regardless of what ht be coiled underneath them Tell us of the third creature, Mr Buckner"