Churr set down the bottle upon the table, and, as he did so, his hands trembling visibly, Mother Goodhugh slowly sidled up, and was about to make a pounce upon the flask, when, with a cunning flash of the eye, Churr forestalled her and snatched it up, laughing heartily as he took out the cork, and smelt the contents. "Old mother of lies," he cried, chuckling. "I'll drink this poison all day long. Hah!" he ejaculated, shaking the flask so that the spirit within gurgled. "Hah!" He placed the vessel to his lips and drank savagely, while Mother Goodhugh stood glaring at him, with head stretched forward and fingers crooked like the claws of an animal about to spring. "Here," he cried, pouring out a little of the spirit in a cup, and holding it to the old woman; "here, I will not take it all. Drink, mother, drink." The old woman eagerly snatched up the cup and drained it. "That settles it. I thought so," he said, laughing, as he took another draught. "Poor old Mother Goodhugh will be poisoned, too. Old fool! to think thou could'st deceive me with such shallow tricks. There," he continued, after another draught, as he thrust in the cork, and placed the flask in his breast. "Now I be going away." "Help me that bottle," cried the old woman. "Don't take away that flask. It is mine." "No more thine than mine," cried Churr, turning round at her with a snarl. "Haven't I for years helped you in getting together what you have; helped you to cheat and trick the silly, gaping fools about here with thy mummery? Speak to me again as you did, and I'll go and tell them all of thy tricks, and jugglery, and putting water in the founder's moulds to blow them up, and let them see thee as a woman like themselves--old idiot that you be." "Tell them," cried Mother Goodhugh, furiously, as she made an effort to tear the flask from him, but only to be driven back by another furious blow; "tell them, coward, and they will not believe thee. You mock at me--do you? You call my spells foolery. We shall see how you will fare, now that I curse thee, and tell thee that thou shalt not die upon a bed." "Curse away, mother," he cried. "I have the strong waters." "They'll not believe thee; while, if I say the word, there are a dozen who would slay thee for injuring me, and leave thee to rot in the forest or die on a mixen." "Say it then," he cried, with a malignant grin. "Let them try if they dare." "We shall see," cried the old woman, stretching out one hand, and gazing fiercely at her confederate. "I do curse thee sleeping and waking. You have braved me, Abel Churr, and laughed at all my trade. Now we shall see." "Yes," he said, "now we shall see;" and, putting the bottle in his breast, he turned to the door. "I fear thy threats as much as I do thy poison. Ha, ha, ha! Poison--brave poison--good poison--poison for princes. Mother, wouldn't you like to know what I have found out about Captain Gil?"