“And now, dame,” I said, recollecting the preacher and his too probable fate, should he not be set at liberty, “what help can you render the other prisoner I spoke of? will gold not find its way to his jailers’ hearts?”
“That task would be a more difficult one even than the other,” she answered; “yet, could I find out where he is shut up, I might perchance accomplish it.”
“Cannot your art help you?” I asked.
She turned a quick glance round at me.
“It is a matter in which I am not disposed to exercise it,” she answered. “Now go your ways, and make your arrangements for rescuing the young lady. Come here again to-night at ten o’clock, and perhaps by that time I may be able to give you further information.”
Having said this, the old woman, as if suddenly recollecting that she had been too matter-of-fact in the way of dealing with us, went to her cauldron, and poking up the fire, began to mutter various cabalistic words, at the same time stirring its contents with her wand.
Taking this as a sign that she wished our visit to terminate, without further waste of words we returned by the way we had come, the doors opening as before, without our touching the latch, while the last one shut with a loud slam behind us, and we heard bars and bolts immediately drawn across it, showing us that some person had been concealed close to the door. Soon after we reached the house Captain Radford arrived.