158 THE WITCH OF SMOKY HOLLOW 
him, though he cared nought fur she. He'd bin 
travellin' in furrin parts, an' fell in love like wi' a lady, 
and wud ha' married she, but the old squire, his 
father, swore a most desprit wicked oath that if he 
did it he would cut him off with a shillin' to buy a 
rope fur to hang himself with ; he should niver darken 
his doors agin as long as ever he lived. Well, he wus 
'bliged ter du it, an' he married the lady 'as his father 
wanted him tu. But he waunt happy ; no more wus 
she when she found as she'd no chance o' makin' him 
fond o' her. An' what duse she du, mad with temper 
like, but tell him 'twas a real pity his lady love over 
the sea waunt thear tu see how happy he wus. 'Tis 
said he said summut back to she as made her shrike 
out like a mad critter, an' when her maid run tu her 
she found her in a dead faint, an' her husband gone. 
'Where he went tu waunt known about here. 
Arter a time he came back, an' 'twas whispered very 
quiet like, as he had somebody cum with him. His 
wife had left these parts then, an' gone tu her gran' 
house in Lunnon ; but I hev heerd tell as she'd walk 
about her gran' rooms many a time cryin' most pitta- 
ble. They niver had no children, but the lady as 
lived here had. Arter a time she tuk ill an' died. 
He carried on dreadful then, 'twas feared fur a time 
as he wud lose his senses. Arter the wust part o' 
