Breaking a Spell Read online

  Produced by David Widger

  ODD CRAFT

  By W.W. Jacobs

  BREAKING A SPELL

  "Witchcraft?" said the old man, thoughtfully, as he scratched his scantywhiskers. No, I ain't heard o' none in these parts for a long time.There used to be a little of it about when I was a boy, and there wassome talk of it arter I'd growed up, but Claybury folk never took muchcount of it. The last bit of it I remember was about forty years ago,and that wasn't so much witchcraft as foolishness.

  There was a man in this place then--Joe Barlcomb by name--who was a firmbeliever in it, and 'e used to do all sorts of things to save hisselffrom it. He was a new-comer in Claybury, and there was such a lot of itabout in the parts he came from that the people thought o' nothing elsehardly.

  He was a man as got 'imself very much liked at fust, especially by theold ladies, owing to his being so perlite to them, that they used to 'old'im up for an example to the other men, and say wot nice, pretty ways he'ad. Joe Barlcomb was everything at fust, but when they got to 'ear thathis perliteness was because 'e thought 'arf of 'em was witches, anddidn't know which 'arf, they altered their minds.

  "He got 'imself very much liked, especially by the oldladies."]

  In a month or two he was the laughing-stock of the place; but wot wasworse to 'im than that was that he'd made enemies of all the old ladies.Some of 'em was free-spoken women, and 'e couldn't sleep for thinking ofthe 'arm they might do 'im.

  He was terrible uneasy about it at fust, but, as nothing 'appened and heseemed to go on very prosperous-like, 'e began to forget 'is fears, whenall of a sudden 'e went 'ome one day and found 'is wife in bed with abroken leg.

  She was standing on a broken chair to reach something down from thedresser when it 'appened, and it was pointed out to Joe Barlcomb that itwas a thing anybody might ha' done without being bewitched; but he said'e knew better, and that they'd kept that broken chair for standing onfor years and years to save the others, and nothing 'ad ever 'appenedafore.

  In less than a week arter that three of his young 'uns was down with themeasles, and, 'is wife being laid up, he sent for 'er mother to come andnurse 'em. It's as true as I sit 'ere, but that pore old lady 'adn'tbeen in the house two hours afore she went to bed with the yellowjaundice.

  Joe Barlcomb went out of 'is mind a'most. He'd never liked 'is wife'smother, and he wouldn't 'ave had 'er in the house on'y 'e wanted her tonurse 'is wife and children, and when she came and laid up and wantedwaiting on 'e couldn't dislike her enough.

  He was quite certain all along that somebody was putting a spell on 'im,and when 'e went out a morning or two arterward and found 'is best piglying dead in a corner of the sty he gave up and, going into the 'ouse,told 'em all that they'd 'ave to die 'cause he couldn't do anything morefor 'em. His wife's mother and 'is wife and the children all startedcrying together, and Joe Barlcomb, when 'e thought of 'is pig, he satdown and cried too.

  He sat up late that night thinking it over, and, arter looking at it allways, he made up 'is mind to go and see Mrs. Prince, an old lady thatlived all alone by 'erself in a cottage near Smith's farm. He'd set 'erdown for wot he called a white witch, which is the best kind and on'y douseful things, such as charming warts away or telling gals about theirfuture 'usbands; and the next arternoon, arter telling 'is wife's motherthat fresh air and travelling was the best cure for the yellow jaundice,he set off to see 'er.

  "Mrs. Prince was sitting at 'er front door nursing 'erthree cats."]

  Mrs. Prince was sitting at 'er front door nursing 'er three cats when 'egot there. She was an ugly, little old woman with piercing black eyesand a hook nose, and she 'ad a quiet, artful sort of a way with 'er thatmade 'er very much disliked. One thing was she was always making fun ofpeople, and for another she seemed to be able to tell their thoughts, andthat don't get anybody liked much, especially when they don't keep it totheirselves. She'd been a lady's maid all 'er young days, and it wasvery 'ard to be taken for a witch just because she was old.

  "Fine day, ma'am," ses Joe Barlcomb.

  "Very fine," ses Mrs. Prince.

  "Being as I was passing, I just thought I'd look in," ses Joe Barlcomb,eyeing the cats.

  "Take a chair," ses Mrs. Prince, getting up and dusting one down with 'erapron.

  Joe sat down. "I'm in a bit o' trouble, ma'am," he ses, "and I thoughtp'r'aps as you could help me out of it. My pore pig's been bewitched,and it's dead."

  "Bewitched?" ses Mrs. Prince, who'd 'eard of 'is ideas. "Rubbish. Don'ttalk to me."

  "It ain't rubbish, ma'am," ses Joe Barlcomb; "three o' my children isdown with the measles, my wife's broke 'er leg, 'er mother is laid up inmy little place with the yellow jaundice, and the pig's dead."

  "Wot, another one?" ses Mrs. Prince.

  "No; the same one," ses Joe.

  "Well, 'ow am I to help you?" ses Mrs. Prince. "Do you want me to comeand nurse 'em?"

  "No, no," ses Joe, starting and turning pale; "unless you'd like to comeand nurse my wife's mother," he ses, arter thinking a bit. "I was hopingthat you'd know who'd been overlooking me and that you'd make 'em takethe spell off."

  Mrs. Prince got up from 'er chair and looked round for the broom she'dbeen sweeping with, but, not finding it, she set down agin and stared ina curious sort o' way at Joe Barlcomb.

  "Oh, I see," she ses, nodding. "Fancy you guessing I was a witch."

  "You can't deceive me," ses Joe; "I've 'ad too much experience; I knew itthe fust time I saw you by the mole on your nose."

  Mrs. Prince got up and went into her back-place, trying her 'ardest toremember wot she'd done with that broom. She couldn't find it anywhere,and at last she came back and sat staring at Joe for so long that 'e was'arf frightened out of his life. And by-and-by she gave a 'orrible smileand sat rubbing the side of 'er nose with 'er finger.

  "If I help you," she ses at last, "will you promise to keep it a deadsecret and do exactly as I tell you? If you don't, dead pigs'll benothing to the misfortunes that you will 'ave."

  "I will," ses Joe Barlcomb, very pale.

  "The spell," ses Mrs. Prince, holding up her 'ands and shutting 'er eyes,"was put upon you by a man. It is one out of six men as is jealous ofyou because you're so clever, but which one it is I can't tell withoutyour assistance. Have you got any money?"

  "A little," ses Joe, anxious-like-- "a very little. Wot with the yellowjaundice and other things, I----"

  "Fust thing to do," ses Mrs. Prince, still with her eyes shut, "you go upto the Cauliflower to-night; the six men'll all be there, and you mustbuy six ha'pennies off of them; one each."

  "Buy six ha'pennies?" ses Joe, staring at her.

  "Don't repeat wot I say," ses Mrs. Prince; "it's unlucky. You buy sixha'pennies for a shilling each, without saying wot it's for. You'll beable to buy 'em all right if you're civil."

  "It seems to me it don't need much civility for that," ses Joe, pulling along face.

  "When you've got the ha'pennies," ses Mrs. Prince, "bring 'em to me andI'll tell you wot to do with 'em. Don't lose no time, because I can seethat something worse is going to 'appen if it ain't prevented."

  "Is it anything to do with my wife's mother getting worse?" ses JoeBarlcomb, who was a careful man and didn't want to waste six shillings.

  "No, something to you," ses Mrs. Prince.

  Joe Barlcomb went cold all over, and then he put down a couple of eggshe'd brought round for 'er and went off 'ome agin, and Mrs. Prince stoodin the doorway with a cat on each shoulder and watched 'im till 'e wasout of sight.

  That night Joe Barlcomb came up to this 'ere Cauliflower public-house,same as he'd been told, and by-and-by, arter he 'ad 'ad a pint, he lookedround, and taking a shilling out of 'is pocket put it on the tabl
e, andhe