Water never drowns the witch.
Witch or wizard would ye know?
Sink or swim, is ay or no.
Lift her, swing her, once and twice,
Lift her, swing her o'er the brim,--
Lille--lera--twice and thrice
Ha! ha! mother, sink or swim!"

And while the last line was chanted, amidst the full jollity of
laughter and clamour and clattering timbrels, there was a splash in
the sullen water; the green slough on the surface parted with an
oozing gurgle, and then came a dead silence.

"A murrain on the hag! she does not even struggle!" said, at last, the
hump-backed tinker.

"No,--no! she cares not for water. Try fire! Out with her! out!"
cried Red Grisell.

"Aroint her! she is sullen!" said the tinker, as his lean fingers
clutched up the dead body, and let it fall upon the margin. "Dead!"
said the baker, shuddering; "we have done wrong,--I told ye so! She
dealt with me many a year. Poor Madge! Right's right. She was no
witch!"

"But that was the only way to try it," said the humpbacked tinker;
"and if she was not a witch, why did she look like one? I cannot
abide ugly folks!"

The bystanders shook their heads. But whatever their remorse, it was