grandmother, and she had now no kin in Thrums.

"Tell me about the Painted Lady," Tommy said to her. "Is it true she's a
witch?" But Mrs. Sandys had never heard of any woman so called: the
Painted Lady must have gone to Thrums after her time.

"There ain't no witches now," said Elspeth tremulously; Shovel's mother
had told her so.

"Not in London," replied Tommy, with contempt; and this is all that was
said of the Painted Lady then. It is the first mention of her in these
pages.

The people Mrs. Sandys wanted to hear of chiefly were Aaron Latta and
Jean Myles, and soon Tommy brought news of them, but at the same time he
had heard of the Den, and he said first:

"Oh, mother, I thought as you had told me about all the beauty places
in Thrums, and you ain't never told me about the Den."

His mother heaved a quick breath. "It's the only place I hinna telled
you o'," she said.

"Had you forget, it mother?"

Forget the Den! Ah, no, Tommy, your mother had not forgotten the Den.

"And, listen, Elspeth, in the Den there's a bonny spring of water called
the Cuttle Well. Had you forgot the Cuttle Well, mother?"