CHAPTER XL.
An Interview with Lady Mary.
Master Raymond, having obtained an introduction to the Governor's wife,Lady Mary, lost no time in endeavoring to "cultivate the amenities oflife," so far as that very influential person was concerned. He had paidthe most deferential court to her on several occasions where he had beenable to meet her socially; and had impressed the Governor's lady veryfavorably, as being an unusually handsome, well-bred and highlycultivated young man. A comely and high-spirited lady of forty, she wasbetter pleased to be the recipient of the courteous and deferentialattentions of a young Englishman of good connections like MasterRaymond, than even to listen to the wise and weighty counsel of solearned a man as Master Cotton Mather.
Only in the last minutes of their last meeting however, when handing herladyship to her carriage, did Master Raymond feel at liberty to ask herif he could have a short private interview with her the next morning.She looked a little surprised, and then said, "Of course, MasterRaymond."
"At what hour will it suit your ladyship?"
"At twelve, precisely, I have an engagement at one;" and the carriagedrove off.
A minute or two before twelve, Master Raymond was at the Governor'shouse in Green lane; and was duly admitted, as one expected, and showninto her ladyship's boudoir.
"Now, come right to the point, Master Raymond; and tell me what I can dofor you," said her ladyship smiling. "If I can help you, I will; if Icannot, or must not, I shall say so at once--and you must continue to bejust as good a friend to me as ever."
"I promise that to your ladyship," replied the young man earnestly. Hereally liked and admired Lady Mary very much.
"Is it love, or money?--young men always want one of these."
"Your ladyship is as quick-witted in this as in everything else."
"Well, which is it?"
"Love."
"Ah--who?"
"Mistress Dulcibel Burton."
"What!--not the girl with the snake-mark?"
Raymond bowed his head very low in answer.
Lady Mary laughed. "She is a witch then, it seems; for she has bewitchedyou."
"We were betrothed to each other only a few days before that absurd andlying charge was made against her."
"And her horse--her black mare--that upset the Reverend Master Parrisinto the duck pond; and then went up into the clouds; and, as MasterCotton Mather solemnly assured me, has never been seen or heard ofsince--what of it--where is it, really?"
"In an out-of-the-way place, up in Master Joseph Putnam's woods,"replied the young man smiling.
"And you are certain of it?"
"As certain as riding the mare for about ten miles will warrant."
"Master Mather assured me that no man--except perhaps Satan or one ofhis imps--could ride her."
"Then I must be Satan or one of his imps, I suppose."
"How did you manage it?"
"I put a side-saddle on the beast; and a woman's skirt on myself."
The lady laughed outright. "Oh, that is too good! It reminds me of whatSir William often says, 'Anything can be done, if you know how to doit!' I must tell it to him he will enjoy it so much. And it will be agood thing to plague Master Mather with."
"Please do not tell anyone just now," protested the young man earnestly."It may bring my good friend, Joseph Putnam, into trouble. And it wouldonly make them all angrier than they are with Dulcibel."
"Dulcibel--that is a strange name. It is Italian--is it not."
"I judge so. It is a family name. I suppose there is Italian blood inthe family. At least Mistress Dulcibel looks it."
"She does. She is very beautiful--of a kind of strange, fascinatingbeauty. I do not wonder she bewitched you. Was that serpent mark toofrom Italy?"
"I think it very likely."
"Perhaps she is descended from Cleopatra--and that is the mark left bythe serpent on the famous queen's breast."
"I think it exceedingly probable," said Master Raymond. My readers willhave observed before this, that he was an exceedingly polite andpolitic young man.
"Well, and so you want me to get Mistress Dulcibel, this witchdescendant of that famous old witch, Cleopatra, out of prison?"
"I hoped that, from the well-known kindness of heart of your ladyship,you would be able to do something for us."
"You see the difficulty is simply here. I know that all these charges ofwitchcraft against such good, nice people as Captain Alden, Master andMistress English, your betrothed Dulcibel, and a hundred others, aremere bigotry and superstition at the best, and sheer spite andmaliciousness at the worst--but what can I do? Sir William owes hisposition to the Reverend Increase Mather--and, besides, not being agreatly learned man himself, is more impressed than he ought to be bythe learning of the ministers and the lawyers. I tell him that a learnedfool is the greatest fool alive; but still he is much puzzled. If hedoes not conform to the wishes of the ministers and the judges, who areable to lead the great majority of the people in any direction theychoose, he will lose his position as Governor. Now, while this is not somuch in itself, it will be a bar to his future advancement--forpreferment does not often seek the men who fail, even when they failfrom having superior wisdom and nobleness to the multitude."
It was evident that Sir William and Lady Mary had talked over thiswitchcraft matter, and its bearing upon his position, a good many times.And Master Raymond saw very clearly the difficulties of the case.
"And still, if the robe of the Governor can only continue to be worn bydyeing it with innocent blood, I think that a man of the naturalgreatness and nobility of Sir William, would not hesitate as to hisdecision."
"But a new Governor in his place might do worse."
"Yes, he might easily do that."
"When it comes to taking more lives by his order, then he will decideupon his course. So far he is temporizing," said the lady.
"And Dulcibel?"
"She is not suffering," was the reply. "Oh, if I only could say the sameof the poor old women, and poor young women, now lying in those cold andloathsome cells--innocent of any crime whatever either against God oragainst man--I should not feel it all here so heavily," and Lady Marypressed her hand against her heart. "But we are not responsible for it!I have taken off every chain--and do all I dare; while Sir William shutshis eyes to my unlawful doings."
"Will you aid her to escape, should her life be in danger? You told meto speak out frankly and to the point."
The lady hesitated only for a moment. "I will do all I can--even toputting my own life in peril. When something _must_ be done, come to meagain. And now judge me and Sir William kindly; knowing that we are notdespots, but compelled to rule somewhat in accordance with the desiresof those whom we have been sent here to govern."
Lady Mary extended her hand; the young man took it, as he might havetaken the hand of his sovereign Queen, and pressed it with his lips.Then he bowed himself out of the boudoir.