182 WHISPERS FROM FAIRYLAND. [iv.

 

and closer to. the fire, and mutter words of fear and
wonder.

More than this, too, sundry of the fishing folk had
vowed solemnly that at times they had seen strange
weird figures flitting about on the shores of the island,
and John Goodchild himself,though never very commu-
hicative on such subjects, had more than once dropped
hints of having seen more than he cared to mention.
Anyhow, both he and the other fishermen of the coast
never went nearer to the Witches’ Island than they
could help, and, indeed, seldom alluded to it in their
conversation, recognising it as something which must
exist, but with which it was desirable to have as little
to do as possible. So when Molly Goodchild heard
this strange song sung by such a strange singer, no_
wonder that terror at once struck chill upom her heart,
and she felt sure that some dreadful misfortune had
befallen her husband.

As soon as he had finished - his ands. the Turbot
again relapsed into an uncontrollable fit. of laughter,
which, to Molly Goodchild’s mind, appeared to be
in exceedingly bad taste under the circumstances.
Anxiety for her husband being, however, uppermost
in her mind,.she swallowed the rising wrath which
would have prompted her to tell the Turbot pretty
plainly what she thought of his conduct, and clasping
her hands together in a supplicating attitude, ex-
claimed in.a tone sufficiently pitiful to have melted
the heart of any fish that ever swam in the sea, ‘Oh
please, Mr. Turbot, if anything bad ’s happened to my
man, do tell us what’s to be done for to set things
right again |’