Iv.] THE WITCHES’ ISLAND. 179

 

threatened to choke him speedily if it continued much
longer.

_ Molly, however, was by no means disposed to
laugh at his words. She had gone off quite early that
morning to the neighbouring town in order to make
certain purchases of housekeeping necessaries, and, of
course, knew nothing of her husband’s doings during
the day. The laughter of the Turbot, however, at
once awakened in her breast the suspicion of evil. For
as turbots may be supposed to be naturally hostile to
fishermen, it was unlikely that any good luck which
might have befallen John Goodchild would have
excited the fish in question to the degree of merri-
ment with which he appeared to be possessed. Where-
fore the excellent Molly, losing at once any fear which
she might have entertained of the strange creature
who had accosted her in such an unwonted manner,
and feeling only anxiety for the husband whom she
had left safe and sound in the morning and whom
she was hastening to rejoin, spoke out at once in
answer to the fish, and ina voice somewhat shaken by
an undefined dread, gave utterance to the following
words :— _

‘Lack-a-daisy me, Muster Turbot, whatever do you
mean? Has anything happened along o’ my John?
Sure-ly he be at home and ready for his. supper, too,
bean’t he?’.

At this response to his question the Turbot posi-
tively roared, till great, juicy tears rolled from his eyes,
and his whole frame quivered with emotion. Molly
knew not what to make of it, or how to proceed un-
der these extraordinary circumstances, and was still

N2