the scene, and then died away again, leaving it more weird even than
it had been before. A faint roll of thunder broke upon the unpleasant
reverie into which the company had fallen, and Sir George's voice
ordering the oil lamps to be lighted, somewhat reassured the more
fearful among the spectators. A long five minutes elapsed before the
lights appeared, minutes of darkness and suspense, disturbed only
by the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, which rapidly grew
louder in sound.

Nathan Grene had touched the body, and the trial had proclaimed him
innocent. Indeed, Sir George fully expected it would do so, seeing
that Nathan had been fast bound in the stocks at the time the crime
was perpetrated. His name had only been called out because the baron
had a standing dislike to the man. But the woman still lay on the
rough stones without offering a sign of life.

"Sir George, is that the witch?" asked De Lacey.

"It is."

"Then she is praying to her master the devil. Listen!"

In the dread stillness of those awful minutes it was not difficult to
discover that she was moaning. The crowd was stricken with terror, and
catching up the words which Sir John had let fall, reiterated the cry
which even yet added to the dismal terror of the scene.

"This cannot long endure," said Sir George, as a vivid flash of
lightning almost, for the moment, blinded him.