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Iv.] THE WITCHES’ ISLAND. 225

 

poor woman’s mind, and were then succeeded by others
which drove them thence.

No: she argued to herself; ‘men might be false ;
she had often heard her female friends say so, though
from her experience of her John, she had never
greatly, believed them. Men might like pleasure
better than work, men might be fond of good eating
and drinking, and lively society, and for such things
they might, for a time at least, neglect and leave the
domestic comforts of their own firesides. Nay, more
than all this, it was just within the range of possibility
that. some men might even go so far as to prefer,
upon certain occasions, the company of other ladies to
that of their own wives, though this was a point
not readily to be conceded. But no man that ever
existed willingly assumed the shape of a donkey, and
delighted in. the company of those who had invested
him with that uncouth form and appearance. There-
fore, if that animal were really her husband, it was
clear to Molly that he was under some magic spell,

and that the words he had used, and the sentiments he

had conveyed in those words, were not really his
own. Once firmly convinced of this, the fisherman’s

wife did not hesitate as to her reply.

“You great Donkey !’ she exclaimed, ‘I know your
voice is my John’s voice, and as sich I answer it. You
are not the first man, no doubt, that has been made

_an ass of by a woman, and probably you won't be the

last. But how ever you can go for to wear such a
shape is more than I can tell! Come home, John, I
tell you, and don’t oe mumbling and grumbling there
like a great porpoise,’

*9