Elizabeth George Speare / Элизабет Джордж Спир

The Witch of Blackbird Pond / Ведьма с пруда Чёрных Дроздов

Книга для чтения на английском языке в 10–11 классах общеобразовательных учебных заведений

Адаптация и словарь: А. В. Шитова

© Шитова А. В., адаптация, словарь, 2014

© ООО «Антология», 2014

Chapter One

On a morning in April, 1687, the brigantine Dolphin sailed into Saybrook harbor. Kit Tyler was standing on the deck, looking at the land for the first time in five weeks.

“There’s Connecticut Colony,” someone spoke in her ear. She looked up, surprised. The whole long voyage the captain’s son didn’t say a word to her. But she had often noticed him, his thin figure, tanned skin and sunburned hair. His name was Nathaniel Eaton or just Nat. “How do you like it?” he asked.

“Is that Wethersfield?” she asked Nat. America looked disappointing to Kit. The thin shoreline, gray harbor, ugly wooden houses – they were such a contrast to Barbados which was her home.

“No, this is the port of Saybrook, our home.”

She could see nothing interesting and was happy because this was not her destination.

“Have you ever been on a ship before?” Nat asked.

“I’ve sailed on little row boats in the islands all my life.”

He smiled, “That’s where you learned to keep your balance.” So he had noticed!

“Weren’t you scared of the wind and the waves?” Nat asked.

“I was! But now I think that it was the most exciting thing I’ve ever known.”

There was a sudden activity on the deck. “What is happening?” Kit asked. “Are we stopping here?”

“Some passengers will get off,” Nat explained. “We’re going to anchor here and take a boat to the shore. That means I have to go.” He went away, lightly and confidently.

Then Kit saw the captain’s wife Mistress Eaton among the passengers leaving the ship. They were the only two women aboard the Dolphin, and the older woman was friendly and kind. Now, seeing Kit, she walked up to her. “I am leaving the ship, Katherine. But don’t look so sad. This is not far to Wethersfield, and we’ll meet again.”

Kit looked at the shore again. Suddenly she had an idea. “Can I ride in the boat to the shore with you?” she asked. “There is America and I can’t wait to see it!”

“You are such a child, Kit,” smiled Mrs. Eaton. “Sometimes it’s hard to believe that you are sixteen.” She asked her husband about it. The captain looked at the girl’s shining eyes and then agreed.

On the shore Nat helped his mother to get out of the boat first and then gave a hand to Kit. When she set foot on America, she smelled the salty air and looked around. Three poorly-dressed women stood nearby. Kit smiled and wanted to talk to them, but then she stopped herself. There was something in the women’s stare: they looked critically at Kit’s tangled brown curls and sunburned face. She had no gloves, no cover for her head. Embarrassment was a new feeling for Kit. No one on Barbados had ever stared like that at Sir Francis Tyler’s granddaughter.

“Katherine, dear,” said Mrs. Eaton at that moment, “Are you sure your aunt will be waiting for you at Wethersfield? There’s Goodwife Cruff going aboard. I’ll tell her to keep you company.”

Then she walked away, and Nat followed her along the narrow dirty road. Kit stood alone, waiting. She already regretted this trip to the shore. There was no welcome for her at this Saybrook.

* * *

At last the captain called everyone back to the boat. There were four new passengers: a tall young man with long fair hair, then a sullen older man, his wife and their little girl with a wooden toy. They were halfway back to the ship when the child started crying. Her mother smacked her, but the child only started crying harder. “Ma! The dolly’s gone!” she cried. “The doll Grandpa made for me!”

Kit could see the little wooden doll drifting in the water right behind the boat.

“Shame on you!” the woman said angrily to the girl. “He worked so hard to make you a toy, and now you throw it away!”

“I was showing her the ship! Please get her back, Ma! Please!”

The toy was drifting farther and farther away from the boat. No one in the boat paid any attention. Kit could not keep silent. “Turn back, Captain,” she asked.

The captain did not even look at her. Kit had never been ignored before. Then, suddenly, she took off her shoes and jumped over the side of the boat. The water was terribly cold. Kit saw the wooden doll and quickly swam to it. She had the doll in her hand when she saw that Nathaniel too was in the water beside her. She laughed and swam back to the boat. The captain helped her and Nat to get in. Kit was smiling excitedly, and her cheeks were red, but then she saw the shock, horror and anger in the faces of the other passengers.

“You must be mad,” the woman said angrily.

Even Nathaniel was furious. “You don’t think about anybody else, do you?” he asked her.

“Why did you jump in anyway?” Kit asked.

“I wouldn’t have, if I had known that you could swim.”

“Swim?” she was surprised. “My grandfather taught me to swim before I could walk.”

The others stared at Kit silently. What was wrong with these people? Only the young man with fair hair smiled warmly, and the child, holding her wet doll, looked gratefully at her.

* * *

Two hours later Kit was sitting on the deck when the tall young man came up to her. “I am John Holbrook,” he said. “I’m going to Wethersfield.”

Kit had not forgotten his warm smile. “I am Katherine Tyler,” she answered. “I am on the way to Wethersfield too to live with my aunt, Mistress Wood.”

“Is Matthew Wood your uncle then? His name is well-known there.”

“Yes, but I have never seen either him or my aunt. I only know that she was my mother’s very beautiful sister back in England.”

The young man looked puzzled. “I have never met your aunt,” he said. “I came to talk to you because I think that it was a kind thing you did for the child.”

“It was a very foolish thing, I understand now,” she replied. “But I don’t understand why it made everyone so angry.”

He paused. “You surprised us, that’s all. We were sure you would drown. It was shocking to see you swimming.”

“But can’t you swim?”

“No, and no one else on this ship can, except Nat who was born on the water. Where in England do they teach you that?”

“Not England. I was born on Barbados.”

“Barbados? The wild island in the West Indies?”

“Yes, but it is as civilized as England, with towns and fine streets and shops. My grandfather had one of the first plantations there, with a grant from the King.”

“You are not a Puritan then?”

“Puritan? One of those who betrayed King James?”[1]

The young man opened his mouth to protest, but then looked at Kit and just asked, “Are you going to stay here in Connecticut? I think you will be a surprise to the good people of Wethersfield.”

Kit suddenly felt uncomfortable. Can he possibly know? Had he guessed? There was no one to tell him. She had kept her secret even from the captain’s wife. “Do you live in Wethersfield yourself?” she asked to change the subject.

The young man shook his head. “My home is in Saybrook, but I am going to Wethefsfield to study under the Reverend Bulkeley. In another year I hope to have my own church.”

A clergyman! She should have known it! Suddenly she was distracted by Nat Eaton. His friendly morning smile was gone and he spoke formally. “My father sent me to find you, Mistress Tyler. He thinks you should now eat with Goodwife Cruff and her family.”

“Ugh,” Kit exclaimed, “her sour face will spoil my food!”

Nat laughed. “And yours will spoil hers,” he answered. “She has told my father that you are a witch because no good woman could swim like that.”

“Nonsense!” Kit cried.

“Don’t you know about the water test?” Nat asked her. “A true witch will always float. The innocent ones just sink like a stone.” Nat was clearly joking, but she was surprised to see that John Holbrook’s face was now even darker than before. “That is not a funny thing,” he said. “Was the woman serious, Nat?”

“She was,” Nat answered. “But my father has calmed her down. He knows Barbados. He explained that the sea is always warm there, and that even good people sometimes swim in it. But, Mistress Katherine, now that you’re in Connecticut, I’d advise you to forget that you can swim.”

They all laughed, but inside Kit felt uneasy. Nat was joking, but he definitely warned her. There was something strange about this country of America; something that they all seemed to understand, but she did not.

Chapter Two

It took nine days for the Dolphin to make the voyage from Saybrook to Wethersfield. As if the ship was bewitched – from the moment they left Saybrook everything went wrong. The wind almost died away, and the ship was moving down the river very slowly. Kit was very frustrated. How could she stand another meal at the same table with Goodwife Cruff, her sullen husband and that miserable little child Prudence. Yet Kit couldn’t get the girl out of her mind. There was something in that small child. One afternoon Kit saw the little girl standing alone on the deck. Kit moved closer and they stood side by side watching beautiful birds and dark trees on the shore. The child looked at the scenery with wonder. But soon a call from her mother made her run away. Suddenly, Kit realized that she hadn’t seen the girl’s wooden doll.

Captain Eaton and Nat were avoiding Kit. John Holbrook was the only one on this ship who didn’t mind her company. Most of the time, he was reading his books, even forgetting about the meals. But the moment he noticed Kit, John would smile, shut his book and come to join her. Slowly Kit learned the details of his dull history.

“It was foolish of me, the farmer’s son, even to think about Harvard,” John told her. “It was too far to the school, and my father could never let me go for more than a month out of the year. But he wanted me to learn, and I wanted to go to college. Till this spring I was hoping I could save enough money. Well, the Lord didn’t provide the money, but now He has another plan for me. Reverend Bulkeley of Wethersfield has agreed to take me as a pupil. He is a famous scholar, in medicine as well as theology. There isn’t a more learned teacher, even at Harvard.”

This talk about money embarrassed Kit. Her grandfather seldom mentioned such things. For sixteen years she had never questioned the expensive and beautiful things she had. In the last few months she had had a terrifying experience of living without money, but she didn’t want to speak about it. Instead, she tried to tell John Holbrook of her own childhood. She saw that he didn’t like the way she had grown up on the island. The green palms, warm blue ocean, white sandy beaches meant nothing to him. Didn’t her parents give her work to do?

“I don’t remember my parents at all,” she told him. “My father was born on the island and was sent to England to school. He met my mother there and brought her back to Barbados with him. They had only three years together. They both drowned by accident on a pleasure trip to Antigua, and Grandfather and I were left alone.”

“Were there no women to care for you?”

“Oh, there were slaves of course. I had a black maid. But I never needed anyone but Grandfather.” Kit remembered her Grandfather: his fine cheekbones, his thin aristocratic nose, and his loving eyes.

“It must have been hard to lose him,” said John gently. “I am so glad you have an aunt here. I’m sure she will be very happy to see you.”

“She was my mother’s only sister,” said Kit. “Grandfather said that my mother missed her very much. Her name is Rachel, and Grandfather said that she was beautiful. My mother remembered that she was always laughing. But she fell in love with a Puritan and ran away to America. She wrote to my mother from Wethersfield, and she has written a letter to me every year of my life.”

John Holbrook looked at Kit. “That was many years ago,” he told her. “Don’t forget that your aunt has been away from England for a long time.”

Kit felt that it was another warning which she could not yet understand. Later that hot afternoon Nat walked over to her where she stood on the deck looking at the river.

“How I would love,” she said. “To get into that water and away from this filthy ship!”

Nat’s blue eyes darkened. “Filthy – the Dolphin?”

“Oh,” she laughed, “You know, that stable smell!”

“Maybe you think it would smell better with a hold full of human bodies in chains, half of them almost dead?”

Kit was shocked. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t you have slaves on Barbados?”

“Of course we have. We used to own more than a hundred to work the plantation.”

“How did you think they got there? Did you think they traveled from Africa in private cabins like yours?”

She had never thought about it. “But don’t you have slaves in America?”

“Yes, to our shame! But we, Eatons, we’re very proud that our ship has never had any slaves in its hold!” With these words Nat was gone again. What a temper! She insulted his precious ship. They almost made friends again, but now he will probably not speak to her for the rest of the trip. And why should she care? He is just a rude sailor!

But even John Holbrook didn’t approve of her now. She shocked him last night when she took his book, opened it at the marked page, and read a boring passage aloud. “Is this what you read all day long?”

John was staring at her. “You can read that?” he asked, amazed. “How did you learn to read?”

“I don’t even remember how I learned. Grandfather sometimes took me into his library where it was dark and cool, and read to me aloud from his books, and later I would sit beside him and read to myself while he studied.”

“What books?” John asked doubtfully.

“Oh, history, and poetry, and plays.”

“Plays! Your grandfather allowed a girl to read such things?”

“Yes. Wonderful plays by Shakespeare, for example. They were beautiful! Haven’t you read them?”

John’s cheeks reddened. “There are no such books in Saybrook. The right use of reading is to improve our sinful nature and to fill our minds with God’s holy words.”

Kit stared at him. She remembered her Grandfather, and she knew that he hadn’t read his books to improve his sinful nature. John Holbrook’s words made her feel uncomfortable again.

* * *

Early the next morning the Dolphin finally arrived at Wethersfield. The shore looked just like the forest they had seen for the past week. Her heart sank. So this was Wethersfield! Just a narrow sandy shoreline with a row of huge wooden warehouses, and beyond that – green fields and woods. No town, not a house. Only a few men and boys and two dogs had come to meet the boat. Kit watched Goodwife Cruff walk with her husband along the shore. Prudence, holding her mother’s hand, looked back.

“Bye, Prudence,” Kit shouted. “I hope to see you often!”

Goodwife Cruff stopped and looked at Kit. “Please leave my child alone! We do not welcome strangers in this town, especially the ones like you!” With these words she marched up the dirty road and disappeared in the fog. Even John Holbrook’s goodbyes were very formal, and he, too, walked away into the fog to meet his new teacher.

Then Kit saw Captain Eaton coming and knew that this was the moment to tell the truth.

“There must’ve been some mistake,” the captain said. “I am sure that your aunt and uncle will be here to meet you any time soon.”

Kit gathered her courage. “Captain Eaton,” she said quietly, “my uncle and aunt will not come to meet me. To be honest, they do not even know that I am here.”

The captain’s eyes widened with surprise. “Didn’t you tell me that they had sent for you to come?”

“I told you that they wanted me,” Kit corrected him. “Mistress Wood is my mother’s sister. Naturally, she would always want me to come.”

“But how could you be so sure that they were still in Connecticut?”

“My Aunt Rachel’s last letter came only six months ago.”

He frowned. “You know very well that I would never have taken you on board had I known this. Now I will have to waste my time trying to find where your uncle lives and taking you there.”

Kit’s cheeks turned red. What if Aunt Rachel – but there was no time for doubt now. She would hold her head high and meet her destiny.

Chapter Three

Kit, Nat, the captain and some sailors, carrying Kit’s trunks, walked along the dirty road. Her last hopes died: there was no fine town of Wethersfield – just a settlement more lonely than Saybrook. A man with a cow stopped to stare at them, and Captain Eaton asked him for directions. “High Street,” the man said, pointing to the right. “Matthew Wood’s place is the third house.”

High Street was just a narrow path. Kit saw that at least her uncle’s house looked respectable. The captain knocked hard on the massive door. The door opened and there was a thin, gray-haired woman. She looked like a servant, but the captain took off his hat and greeted her.

The woman looked at the girl, and her face suddenly turned white. “Margaret,” she whispered.

For a moment the two women stared at each other. Then Kit understood. “Aunt Rachel!” she cried. “It is Kit! I am Margaret’s daughter.”

“Kit? Katherine Tyler? I thought… Oh, my dear child, how wonderful!”

All at once there was warmth and happiness. Yes, this strange woman was really her Aunt Rachel!

Captain Eaton then started saying his goodbyes. “Well, I am glad that everything is well.”

“I’m sorry about all this trouble,” Kit said. “And I thank you, all of you.”

The captain had already started walking back along the road, but Nat still stood beside her. As their eyes met, something passed between them. “Remember,” he said softly. “Only the guilty ones swim.” And then he was gone too.

Through the doorway of Matthew Wood’s house Kit stepped into a great kitchen. “Matthew! Girls!” cried her aunt. “Something wonderful has happened! Here is Katherine Tyler, my sister Margaret’s girl, who has come all the way from Barbados!”

Three people stared at Kit from the dining table. Then a man stood up and came toward her. “You are welcome, Katherine,” he said gravely. There was no welcome in his dark eyes. From behind him a girl came. “This is your cousin Judith,” Kit’s aunt said. Judith’s face was so beautiful – clear white skin, blue eyes, black curly hair. “And your other cousin, Mercy.” The second girl came up more slowly, and at first Kit only saw her extraordinary clear gray eyes – the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Then, as Mercy stepped forward, Kit noticed that she walked with crutches. “How lovely,” said Mercy, “to see you after all these years, Katherine! Have you had breakfast yet?”

“I am afraid not. And please call me Kit.”

“Then take off your coat and come close to the fire, my dear,” said her aunt.

“Oh!” Judith exclaimed. “You traveled in a dress like that?” Here in this plain room Kit’s beautiful dress seemed too elegant. The three other women were all wearing some simple gray gowns.

Then Judith saw Kit’s gloves. “They are so beautiful,” she whispered.

“Do you like them? I’ll give you some just like these, if you like. I have several pairs in my trunk.”

Meanwhile, Rachel Wood set a mug, a spoon and a simple wooden plate for Kit. “Tell us, Katherine, how you came so far. Did your grandfather come with you?” she asked.

“My grandfather died four months ago,” Kit explained.

“Oh, you poor child! All alone there on that island! Who came with you, then?”

“I came alone.”

“Oh, poor child!” her aunt cried. “Well, you’re safe here. Have some corn bread, my dear. It was baked yesterday, and there is butter.”

Kit was thirsty and lifted the mug, but then put it down again. “Is that water?” she asked politely.

“Of course. Fresh from the spring.”

Water for breakfast! But the bread was delicious. While Kit was eating, Rachel Wood was looking at her young face. Her eyes filled with tears. “You look so like my sister.”

Matthew Wood had not sat down at the table with the others. What did this kind woman find in that grave silent man? Was he so handsome? Uncle Matthew had said nothing, but Kit understood that he had been watching her very carefully. Now he put on a leather jacket and prepared to leave. “I will be working in the south meadow till sundown,” he told his wife.

At the open door, however, he stopped and looked at Kit’s baggage. “What is all this?” he asked coldly.

“Oh,” said Kit. “Those are my trunks.”

“Yours? Seven trunks? What can be in them?”

“Well, my clothes and some things of Grandfather’s.”

“Seven trunks of clothes, all the way from Barbados, just for a visit?”

The room became suddenly cold and quiet. “I have not come for a visit, sir,” Kit managed to answer. “I have come to stay with you.”

Rachel gasped. Matthew Wood closed the door and came back to the table. “Then why did you not write to us first?” he asked.

“I was afraid that you might not ask me to come, and I had to come,” Kit said.

“We wouldn’t have said no,” said her uncle. “But a step like this should not be taken thoughtlessly.”

“Matthew,” protested Rachel timidly, “we are the only family she has. Let us talk about it later. Now Katherine is tired, and your work is waiting for you.”

Matthew Wood took a chair and sat down heavily. “The work will have to wait,” he said. “It is best that we clear this matter now. How did you get on the ship all alone?”

“There was a ship in the harbor and they said it was from Connecticut. I should have sent a letter, I know, but it might have been months before another ship came. So instead of writing I decided to come myself.”

“You mean that, just on an impulse, you left your home and sailed almost across the world?”

“No, it was not an impulse. I really had no home to leave.”

“And what about your grandfather’s estate? As I know he was a wealthy man.”

“He was wealthy, once. But then he was ill for a long time and couldn’t manage the plantation. He left everything to an overseer who sold the whole crop and then disappeared. So after Grandfather died, there were just debts everywhere. I paid all of them. The land had to be sold, and the house and the slaves, and all the furniture from England. There wasn’t anything left.”

“Humph!” said Uncle Matthew.

There was an awkward silence. Then her aunt put an arm on Kit’s shoulder. “Poor Katherine! It must have been terrible for you! You were absolutely right to come to us. Wasn’t she, Mathew?” said Aunt Rachel.

“Yes,” her husband agreed. “She was right, I suppose, since we are her only relatives.”

At the door he turned again. “Your grandfather was a King’s man, I believe?”

“He was a Royalist, sir. Here in America aren’t you the subjects of King James?”

Without answering, Matthew Wood left the room.

Chapter Four

As the door shut behind him, the atmosphere in the room became friendly again. Rachel began to wrap the bread in a clean napkin. “I must take this to Widow Brown,” she said, “She’s still too weak to cook for herself. I’ll be back very soon.”

“Soon!” exclaimed Judith when her mother was gone. “She’ll have to make the fire, cook porridge and tidy the whole cabin for that lady.”

“Judith,” Mercy said gently. “You know what the Bible tells us about caring for the poor and the widows. And anyway, we should start the work that is waiting right here.”

But Judith did not move. She was looking at Kit’s trunks. “Did you say that every trunk is full of beautiful dresses? When are you going to open them?” she asked.

“Well, I can open them now, if you like. You have the same things too, don’t you?” said Kit.

Mercy laughed. “We don’t! We can’t even imagine! But I don’t know if we should open them now,” she said doubtfully. “There is so much work that we need to do. Father says the Lord doesn’t like laziness. But then, the Lord doesn’t send us a new cousin every day. Perhaps He would forgive us for a little joy…”

Kit opened the first trunk. “Here are the gloves,” she said. “Please, you must take them.”

“What a beautiful dress with ribbons and bows!” cried Judith excitedly. “Our minister preached against such things, and Father won’t let us make one.”

“Try it on,” suggested Kit. Judith quickly put the silk dress on and looked at herself in a small mirror. Truly, in this dress Judith was gorgeous. “If only William could see me in this!” she sighed. “Just wait till I walk into Church in this on Sunday morning. They won’t hear a word of the sermon!”

Kit laughed. “Well, it is yours, Judith. You can take it. Now, which one will be best for Mercy?”

“Please, I do not need such things,” Mercy laughed. “I don’t even go to Church very often.”

But Judith saw a light blue woolen shawl. “This would be perfect for Mercy,” she cried.

Kit put the shawl on Mercy’s shoulders.

“Oh, Kit, how lovely! I never felt anything so soft!” Joy and protest struggled in Mercy’s face.

“Girls! What is going on here?” Rachel Wood had come back and stood now looking at her daughters. “Judith, you look gorgeous!”

“You, Aunt Rachel,” Kit said, “looked just like that yourself. I know because Grandfather told me how beautiful you were.”

The two girls stared at their mother. Kit took something else out of the trunk. “Put this bonnet on, Aunt Rachel,” she said. Rachel did and looked at herself in the mirror. Her two daughters stared at her in disbelief. “Oh, Mother! You look so beautiful! Wear that on Sunday!”

But Rachel’s face suddenly turned white. The door opened and there stood Matthew Wood. “What is this?” he demanded.

“The girls were helping Katherine to unpack,” Rachel explained. “Why are you back so soon, Matthew?”

“Look, Father!” Judith said. “Kit has given me this fine dress.”

“Can a man not come back when he wants to his own house? And you, give it back to her at once! Do as I say!” Matthew shouted. “No one in my family needs any of such things.”

“But they are gifts,” cried Kit, hurt.

“Be quiet, girl! It is time you understood one thing. This will be your home because you have no other, but you will live our ways and not spoil my daughters with your vanity. Now close your trunks and do the work you have to do. Rachel, take off that stupid thing! No member of my family will appear in public like this.”

Mercy had said no word, but quietly folded the blue shawl and put it on top of the trunk.

“Will you let Mercy keep the shawl?” Kit asked quietly.

Matthew looked at the shawl and into his older daughter’s eyes. “All right, Mercy may keep the shawl. I thank you for it.”

So there was one weakness in this hard man!

* * *

“Well,” said Rachel when her husband had left the house again, “it’s my fault. And the table has not even been cleared from breakfast.”

Kit looked at the table. “Don’t the servants do that?”

“We have no servants,” said her aunt quietly.

Kit was surprised and disappointed. “I can help with the work,” she said finally.

“In that dress?” Judith protested.

“It is the simplest I have,” answered Kit. “Give me something of yours then.”

Judith turned red, “Oh, wear that one. You can help Mercy with the carding. You won’t make yourself dirty at that.”

For four long hours Kit sat on a wooden bench and struggled with wool. Mercy showed her how to do it. Carding looked so easy, but the moment Kit took the wool into her hands she admired Mercy’s skill. “Do you have to do all that by yourself?”

“Oh, the others help sometimes. But of course, there are so many things I can’t do. It’s so nice to have you to help.”

How terrible it must be for her, working here day after day. Suddenly, seeing Mercy’s friendly smile, Kit decided to ask a very important question, “Do you think I did wrong, Mercy, to come here? Your father…”

“You did exactly right,” smiled Mercy. “Father doesn’t mean to be unkind. It has been very hard for him here in Connecticut.”

Since Kit’s grandfather died, there had been no one whom she could trust. Now she found the words to say what she had never dared to say. “I had to come, Mercy. There was another reason. There was a man on the island, a friend of grandfather’s. He used to come often to see my Grandfather, and then I found out that he wanted to marry me. He tried to make me think that Grandfather had wanted it, but I’m sure that it was not so. He wanted to pay for everything and save the house. Everyone expected me to marry him. They said what a wonderful match it was. He wasn’t a bad man; actually, he was very kind. But Mercy, he was fifty years old! You see why I couldn’t wait to write? You see why I can’t go back, don’t you?”

“Of course you can’t go back,” said Mercy. “Father will not send you back. You will just have to show him that you can be useful here.”

* * *

By the end of that first day Kit understood that work in that house never stopped, and much of it Kit didn’t even know how to do. By the evening her eyes hurt, and she had burns and blisters on her fingers.

After dinner the candles were lit and Matthew put the great Bible in front of him on the table. Matthew’s reading was monotonous. Kit could not keep her mind on the words. Her head felt heavy, and she almost fell asleep. The others did not notice. Finally, her uncle closed the book and bent his head for the long evening prayer.

That evening, when Kit was going up the stairs to the chilly bedroom, she overheard some unpleasant words. “Why does she have to sleep with me?” Judith complained. “If I have to share my bed, will she share my work? Or will she expect us all to serve her like her black slaves?”

“Shame on you, Judith,” her mother told her. “The child does her best, you know that.”

“I wish our cousin were a boy!” cried Judith.

Kit ran upstairs. When Judith came to bed, she was already under the covers, crying silently. For a long time after Judith blew out the candle Kit lay there awake. Suddenly, she heard something. It was a strange long sound. Indians?

Chapter Five

On Sunday morning the Church bells rang. Matthew Wood stood at the door of his house and examined the three women. Aunt Rachel and Judith were dressed in home-made gowns, but Kit’s flowered silk was obviously out of place. “Your looks will disgrace the Lord’s assembly,” Matthew shouted.

“But these are the only clothes I have,” protested Kit. “If they are not right, then I’ll stay here with Mercy.”

This was the second time this morning that her uncle was mad at her. An hour ago she had said that she wouldn’t go to church because she and her grandfather had only attended the Christmas Mass. Her uncle got so angry! There was no Church of England in Wethersfield, he had informed her, and, since she was now a member of his family, she should forget all her stupid ideas and attend the church meetings like a good woman.

Now Rachel put her hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Matthew,” she said, “everyone knows that the child has not had time to get new clothes. Besides, Katherine looks very pretty, and I’m proud of her. Please, let her go with us.”

As they left the house, Kit became excited. If they were going to church, then there must be a town somewhere. The sky was blue and the air was delicious. The family walked along the street past simple houses and came to a small square clearing. Kit looked about. “Is it far to the town?” she whispered to Judith. There was silence. “This is the town,” said Judith. The town? There was not a single stone building or shop there. The church, or as they called it the Meeting House, was just a square wooden structure which stood in the center of the clearing. Kit was shocked to see the objects that were there: a pillory, stocks and a whipping post.

Inside the small building on rows of benches sat the good people of Wethersfield, men on one side and women on the other. At the door Matthew Wood left his family and walked to the bench right in front of the pulpit. Rachel and the girls went to the family bench. As Kit walked behind her aunt, she noticed the silence and felt the astonishment of the townspeople. She knew that they were watching her, and her cheeks turned red.

The Puritan service was plain and boring. Kit was surprised when her uncle stepped forward to read the psalm, and the congregation repeated it after him line by line. Secretly, Kit looked at the other people in the church. Some were as fashionably dressed as Kit, but the majority was poorly dressed. One time Kit looked around and saw John Holbrook. He turned away. All of the people sat still and silent. It was impossible that they were listening to the sermon, Kit thought. She couldn’t concentrate on it for a second!

There were about twenty small boys sitting shoulder to shoulder near the door. Four of them couldn’t keep quiet and started giggling a little. A man with a long stick stepped from the corner and hit the misbehaving boys on the head. Kit couldn’t believe her eyes! Finally, in about two hours the sermon ended with a final prayer.

When they were standing outside the Meeting House, most of the people from the church did not come near Kit. At the distance she saw Goodwife Cruff, surrounded by women, all looking suspiciously in Kit’s direction. Kit waved to Prudence who was clearly glad to see her. Then she saw John Holbrook walking to her. “I was glad to see you at the Meeting,” he said. “I hope you enjoyed the sermon. We were lucky to hear Dr. Bulkeley. He seldom preaches now. It was a remarkable sermon. Every word of it was inspired.”

Kit didn’t know what to say and just stared at him. She was still looking for an answer when Judith, who was standing near, spoke. “Dr. Bulkeley’s sermons are always inspired,” she said, “especially when he preaches about the final judgment.”

John looked at Judith with surprise and respect. Under the white bonnet he noticed her serious face and her blue eyes. Now Dr. Gershom Bulkeley himself came up to them, too. He took Kit’s hand in his. “So this is the orphan from Barbados?” he said. “How grateful you must be, young lady, for the kindness of your aunt and uncle.”

Had Uncle Matthew informed the whole town that he had taken her in out of charity? If so, then she was obviously a surprise to them because she didn’t look poor.

“You must bring your new pupil with you when you come to dinner at our house on Thursday,” smiled Rachel Wood. “And now, Katherine dear, here are other neighbors you must meet. This is Mistress Ashby and her son, William.”

Mistress Ashby was a fashionably dressed woman, and her son William Ashby looked at Kit with admiration. She noticed that and gave him a big bright smile. Now poor William was speechless.

On the way back Judith quietly asked Kit about the handsome man she had talked to.

“Handsome? Do you mean John Holbrook? I met him on the boat. But most of the time he sat by himself and studied.”

“You seemed to know each other quite well. Do you fancy him?” asked Judith.

“Oh, no!” protested Kit. “What made you think of such a thing?”

“I just wondered,” Judith said. “But you certainly impressed William Ashby.”

That was true. “But only because I was someone new,” said Kit.

Chapter Six

“Such an excellent dinner, Mistress Wood. Especially your apple pie,” said Reverend Gershom Bulkeley, putting down his linen napkin. The preparation of this dinner had taken almost four days. Dr. Bulkeley had been pleased, but had anyone else? Matthew Wood had Eaton little and not spoken a word. Rachel looked tired, and even Mercy was unusually quiet. Only Judith had enjoyed herself. In the candlelight she looked beautiful, and Reverend Bulkeley smiled at her. But mostly he paid his attention to Kit as he had understood that her grandfather had been Sir Francis Tyler. “Was your grandfather a loyal subject of our good King James?”

“Well, of course, sir.”

“And you yourself? You are a loyal subject also?”

“How could I be not, sir?”

Matthew pushed back his chair. “Her loyalty is in no danger in this house! What are you trying to say, Gershom?” he asked angrily. “I am a selectman in this town. I am not disloyal!”

“I didn’t mean to offend you, Matthew,” said the older man. “I know that you are not disloyal – not yet.”

“Are you saying that because I don’t like this new King’s governor?”

“Governor Andros was appointed by King James. Massachusetts has accepted that.”

“Well, here in Connecticut we will never accept it!”

“You are wrong, Matthew!” cried Gershom Bulkeley. “If you do not live to see the evil results of it, your children or their children will. Such views can lead only to revolution and war!”

The two men sat staring at each other across the table. Tears filled Rachel’s eyes. Then Mercy spoke. “Reverend Bulkeley, would you read to us this evening?” she asked gently.

Dr. Bulkeley smiled. “I need some rest, but my young pupil here is a very good reader.”

Matthew Wood put the heavy Bible in front of John Holbrook, and Rachel moved the candlestick nearer. John had been silent all evening, and now he seemed pleased to be in the center of attention. Now he looked at the Bible in his hands and asked his teacher, “What would you like me to read, sir?”

“I would suggest Proverbs 24:21,” said the old minister.

John began to read: “My son, fear the Lord and the King…”

Matthew Wood was about to say something when his wife stopped him gently. When the reading was finished, Reverend Bulkeley began the evening prayer. At one time Kit opened her eyes and saw that Judith was studying John Holbrook. Then one phrase of Dr. Bulkeley’s prayer caught Kit’s attention. “And bless our sister in her weakness.” Was he talking about Mercy? After a few days in this house Kit had stopped noticing Mercy’s lameness. No one ever mentioned it. Mercy certainly wasn’t weak. She did a full day’s work and more. Also Kit saw that Mercy was the central figure of this family. She softened her father when he was in his bad moods, supported her gentle mother, preached her younger sister, and had helped Kit to join their family circle.

When the prayer ended, the thanks and the goodnights said, Rachel spoke to John Holbrook. “I hope you will come again,” she said kindly. “We would like you to feel welcome in our house.”

John looked back at Judith. “Thank you,” he answered. “I would be very happy to come again.”

As the door finally closed behind the guests, Matthew Wood turned angrily to his wife. “That is the last time,” he said, “that I will have Gershom Bulkeley under my roof!”

“Very well, Matthew,” answered Rachel. “But do not be too hard on him. Gershom is a good man.”

“No, he is not. He is a hypocrite! I’ll have no more texts read at me in my own house! But there is one more thing I forgot,” he added. “Today young William Ashby asked my permission to see my niece.”

There was silence in the room as everyone turned to look at Kit. “You mean to see Katherine?” asked Rachel.

“That is what I said.”

Kit’s cheeks turned red. Judith opened her mouth to say something, looked at her father and closed it again.

“I suppose we can agree,” said Rachel. “He is a good member of the Society.”

“His father is another King’s man,” said her husband. “He proposed the council to join with Massachusetts. But what can we expect, now that we have a Royalist under our own roof?”

* * *

“Well, I told you so!” Judith finally said later when the girls were in their room getting ready for bed. “I knew by the way he was looking at you after the Meeting.”

Kit was curios now. “Do you know him well?”

“Who doesn’t know about him?” said Judith. “His father has the best land on which he will build the house for Master William when he decides to get married. He was almost ready to do it, but then you came along.”

Suddenly Kit remembered. That first morning, when she was trying on the dress, Judith had said…

“Oh, dear,” Kit exclaimed, “I don’t want this William to come and see me. I’ve only met him once, and I don’t have a word to say to him. I’ll tell Uncle Matthew in the morning.”

“Don’t you say anything to Father!” Judith cried. “William never asked to see me. But, as a matter of fact, Kit, you can have William. I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to marry John Holbrook.”

Chapter Seven

What could she say next? Kit sat looking at her hands while William Ashby sat opposite her across the wide table. She knew that if she looked up she would find the young man’s eyes fixed on her. For the last half an hour they had sat like this. When a young man came to see a girl, what did they talk about? Kit had tried her best, but William seemed happy just to sit. Was it Kit’s duty to lead the conversation? From the kitchen across the hall Kit could hear the voices of the family. Tonight she wanted to be with them. She would welcome even the Bible reading at this moment. She sighed and tried again, “Is it always so cold in New England, even in May?”

“I think this spring is a little warmer than usual,” William answered.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Kit heard John Holbrook’s voice. Her aunt welcomed him in. “Why don’t you both come and join us?” she suggested to Kit and William.

William relaxed a little. John and he shook hands. Judith got excited and started laughing happily. Mercy’s eyes were shining with pleasure. Even Matthew managed to ask William politely, “Has your father sown his fields yet? I noticed that he’s cutting some trees.”

“Yes, sir,” replied William. “That is because I’m planning to build my house next autumn.”

Kit stared at him. William had not said so many words all the evening. Aunt Rachel encouraged him to continue. “My husband tells me that you have been appointed a Viewer of Fences,” she smiled. “That is a fine honor for such a young man.”

“Thank you,” replied William. “The Assembly has decided that there should be no unclaimed land in our county.”

“Of course,” said Matthew. “Why should we leave land for the King’s governor to give it to his favorites?”

William spoke to the older man respectfully. “Aren’t you afraid, sir,” he asked, “that we will anger the King by such actions? We cannot be against him. If we accept his governor now, we will get some rights and privileges. But if we anger the King, we may lose them all.”

Kit could not believe her ears. William Ashby was very smart and could speak very well. He even argued with her uncle! With this new respect she gave him a smile that made him speechless again. At that moment Matthew Wood pushed back his chair and stood up. “What do you, young man, know about rights and justice? But you’ll learn. You will remember my words: some day you’ll learn and be sorry!” He left the room and went upstairs without saying goodnight.

It was already eight o’clock and seemed like the longest evening Kit had ever had. William stood up. “Thank you for your hospitality, Mistress Wood,” he said politely. John followed William’s example. As the door shut behind them, Kit felt relieved. “Well, I’m so glad that that’s over,” she said. “He’ll never come again. He didn’t say a word to me all evening. And then Uncle Matthew started…”

“Oh, they all know about Father,” Judith replied. “But William said that he was building his house, didn’t he? What else could you want him to say? Don’t you know anything, Kit? William’s father gave him that land three years ago, on his sixteenth birthday, and William said that he would never start to build his house until he decided to get married.”

“That’s ridiculous, Judith! He couldn’t mean such thing so soon. Could he, Mercy?”

“I’m afraid he could,” Mercy smiled at her cousin’s confusion. “I agree that William was telling us that he has made a decision. Whether you like it or not, Kit, William is going to come again.”

“But I don’t want him to!” Kit almost panicked. “I don’t want him to come at all. We can’t even talk to each other!”

“It seems to me that you’re too choosy,” said Judith. “Don’t you know that William can build the best house in Wethersfield if he wants to?”

Rachel put her hand on Kit’s shoulder. “I also think that William is serious,” she said gently. “Don’t worry, dear. No one will make you marry him right now. William is a very fine young man. Of course you feel like strangers now. But I think it will change very soon.”

* * *

But will it? A second Saturday came, a third, a fourth, and William’s visits became regular. The young man seemed to enjoy those evenings. For him it was enough just to sit across the room from Kit and look at her. He was the most popular bachelor in Wethersfield, and a handsome one, too. Sometimes, when William’s eyes were on her face, Kit felt excited in a way that was strange and not unpleasant. Maybe Kit wouldn’t have thought about William so much, if there had been anything more interesting going on in Wethersfield. But every day was the same, and housework filled every hour from sunrise to dark. Kit hadn’t liked any of this work. She was Katherine Tyler! She had not been born to do the work of slaves! And William Ashby seemed to be the only person in Wethersfield who just admired her and didn’t expect her to work. That is why she started looking forward to Saturday evenings.

Chapter Eight

One morning after breakfast Judith and Katherine were sent to weed the onion field.

“What a wonderful day!” Judith said. “Aren’t you glad we don’t have to stay inside, Kit?”

Kit was quite cheerful too. It really was a wonderful day, with a blue sky and the soft green fields and woods. The girls passed the Meeting House and then went down the South Road to the Great Meadow. Judith explained to Kit that it was just grassy land at the side of the river. “No one lives there,” Judith told her, “because in the spring the river sometimes floods the fields. But the soil is rich, so every landowner has a lot for pasture or gardens.”

From the first moment Kit saw the Great Meadows, they captivated her. She had never imagined anything like this. As far as she could see there was a great sea of green. It was freedom and space and light. It was peace and quietness and comfort. “Someday,” she thought, “I am going to come back to this place, when there is time just to stand and look at it.” Far to the right Kit could see a small house at the side of a pond, and next to it there was a figure. “I thought you said that no one lived here,” she said to her cousin.

“Oh, that’s Widow Tupper,” Judith said with contempt. “Nobody but Hannah Tupper would live there by Blackbird Pond, right at the swamp, but she likes it.”

“But what if the river floods?”

“It did, four years ago, and her house was covered over. No one knows where she hid, but when the water went down, there she was again. She then continued living there with her cats as if nothing had happened. She’s been there as long as I can remember. People say she’s a witch.”

“Do you believe in witches, Judith?”

“Not really,” said Judith. “But she does look strange, and she never comes to Meeting.”

Kit looked at the distant gray figure again. It was easy to create any mystery about that lonely woman!

The long rows of onions looked endless. Judith began to pull out the weeds quickly. Kit looked at her cousin and then got down too. If she married William Ashby, would he make her weed his vegetables for him? No, she was quite sure that he never would. William would probably have servants.

* * *

Later that day when the two girls returned home, they found Mercy excited. “The most wonderful thing has happened, Kit! Dr. Bulkeley has recommended to the selectmen that you help me with the school this summer.”

“A school?” asked Kit. “Do you teach a school, Mercy?”

“Just for the younger children in the summer months. With your help I can take more pupils. We will teach to them letters and how to read and write their names. They can’t go to the grammar school till they can read. But many of their parents can’t teach them.”

“And where is this school?”

“Right here in the kitchen. You know how to read, don’t you? John Holbrook told Dr. Bulkeley you can read as well as he can.”

Kit was surprised. Had John repeated to Dr. Bulkeley that conversation on the Dolphin? Probably not. She had never mentioned books in this house, where the only book was the Holy Bible. “Yes, of course I can read,” she agreed.

“Well, they are going to send Mr. Kimberley, the schoolmaster, to test you. Then the school will begin next week. Father is pleased too, Kit. We’ll both be earning wages because every child pays four pence a week. Sometimes they pay with eggs or wool or such things.”

The more Kit thought about it, the more pleasant the school sounded to her. If she were earning wages, they would not make her do any housework. In the evening when they were sitting alone with Mercy, Kit asked her, “If I am earning wages, then maybe I will be useful, even if I’m not a boy.”

Mercy looked at her cousin. “What do you mean, Kit?”

“The first night I was here,” explained Kit, “Judith said that she would prefer to have a boy cousin.”

“Oh, Kit!” cried Mercy. “You heard that? She didn’t mean what you think. It’s just that father needs a boy so much to help. Mother has never told you much about our family, has she? You see, there was a boy, their first child, two years older than I was. We both caught some kind of fever. I got well, except for my leg, but he died.”

“I didn’t know,” replied Kit. “Poor Aunt Rachel!”

“And there was another boy, after Judith,” Mercy continued. “Father was so proud of him. But he lived only a week. Mother said it was the will of God. Well, of course that was a long time ago, but after that Father changed. And it has been so difficult to manage all this work without a son. That’s all she meant, Kit.”

Kit was silent. “From now on I should try to understand my uncle better,” she decided.

Chapter Nine

Mercy and Kit started teaching the school together. Mercy was patiently instructing beginners, while Kit was struggling with the elementary readers. The verses they tried to read were as boring and monotonous as church sermons. Kit’s Grandfather would never have let her read that! If only she could remember how her grandfather had taught her to read the words! He probably had made his own lessons, and now she decided to follow his example. Kit took a quill pen and wrote something. Then she gave it to read to young Timothy Cook. “Timothy Cook jumped over the brook,” he read with surprise. The other children giggled and then looked at their teacher with amazement.

Kit didn’t know that her methods were new and surprising. She only knew that the ten days since the school’s beginning had been the best she had had in Connecticut. She and the children had liked each other. The children brought her berries and flowers and wanted to sit next to her. There were eleven of them, eight small boys and three girls. It was difficult to keep those little kids interested for four long hours. Mercy used her patience, while Kit used some tricks. “You have all done very well this morning,” she would say at the end of their reading session. “Now I will tell you a story.”

At first, Mercy worried about this activity, but Kit could see nothing wrong in it. If only she had more stories to read to them! Now she had only the Bible, from which she chose the stories she liked best. Today she chose the story of the Good Samaritan. “One man,” she began, “went from Jerusalem to Jericho…” Suddenly, she had an idea. “You all know this story, don’t you?” she asked the children. They nodded. “Then let’s pretend that it is happening, right now, to us. You, Peter, will be the man traveling along the road. And three of you can be the robbers then. Martha and Eliza, you can be the priest and the Levite, who pass the man by. And Jonathan can be the Good Samaritan who helps him.”

The children were excited. They took their places and started acting, but soon the game became a little messy and loud. Both Kit and Mercy acted quickly, but not quickly enough.

Two tall figures were standing in the kitchen doorway. The sudden use of the stick brought silence and order into the room. Kit and Mercy saw their two visitors: Mr. Kimberley, the schoolmaster, and the Reverend John Woodbridge.

“What is this?” asked Mr. Kimberley angrily. “We’ve come to inspect your school, Mistress Wood, and what do we see?”

Mercy tried to explain, but Kit was first. “It is my fault, sir. I was reading a story to them from the Bible, and I thought that it might be more interesting to act it, like a play, you know.”

“To act it? The Bible?” Reverend Woodbridge stared at Mercy. “What were you thinking, Mercy, allowing such a thing?”

“I didn’t realize what we were doing, sir,” she whispered.

“I am shocked and disappointed,” Mr. Kimberley said. “The school is dismissed. Go home, boys and girls. Do not come back tomorrow. We will let you know if the school will continue.”

“Oh, please, Mr. Kimberley,” begged Kit. “You can’t dismiss the school because of what I did. Dismiss me, if you like.”

“We will have to decide if Mercy is responsible enough to continue teaching the school,” Mr. Kimberley said coldly. “But you are dismissed, young lady.”

When the men had gone, two tears ran slowly down Mercy’s cheeks. To see her tears was more than Kit could bear. In a panic she ran out the door and down the road, past the Meeting House, past the houses where her pupils lived. She didn’t care where she was going.

Kit stopped only when she reached the Great Meadow. There, without thinking she walked into a field and fell in the grass, crying. When she had finally stopped crying, she lay for a long time too tired to move or think. Maybe she even slept a little, but now she opened her eyes and looked up at the blue sky. The sun was shining, and the grass moved slightly in the wind. Suddenly, Kit knew that she was not alone there, and that someone was very close. She got up. Only a few feet away a woman was sitting and watching her, a very old woman with short white hair, colorless eyes and a wrinkled face. As Kit looked at her, the old woman spoke in a quiet voice, “You did well, child, to come to the Meadow. There is always a cure here when the heart is troubled. I know because I’ve found it myself. That is why I live here.”

Kit didn’t move, but stared in horror. She understood that this was the strange woman from Blackbird Pond – Hannah Tupper, the witch! Kit noticed a scar on the woman’s forehead. Was it the devil’s mark?

“People wonder why I want to live here, so close to the swamp,” the woman continued. “But I think you know why. I can see it in your face. The Meadows have spoken to you, too.”

The cold feeling began to pass away. “I didn’t plan to come here,” Kit explained. “I always wanted to come back, but this morning I just got here by accident.”

Hannah Tupper shook her head. “You must be hungry,” she said. “Come, and I’ll give you something to eat.”

“I must go back,” Kit said quickly. “My family must have been looking for me.”

The woman looked at her and smiled. “You still look upset. Whatever it is, you can deal with it better with a bit of food inside. Come with me; it’s not far at all.”

Kit paused. She was suddenly hungry, but more than that, she was curious. Whatever this strange little woman might be, she was definitely harmless and even pleasant. On impulse, Kit hurried after her toward the little hut. Although it was quite late, she didn’t want to return to her Uncle Matthew’s house.

Inside the little house there was a table, a chest, a bed and a spinning wheel at the window. A huge yellow cat opened one eye to look at Kit. On the table Hannah put a small corn cake with blueberries and a jug with yellow goat’s milk. She sat watching as Kit ate, taking nothing herself. Probably, Kit thought, too late, that was all she had! The girl looked about the room. “This is a pretty room,” she said.

Hannah nodded. “My Thomas built this house. He made it good, so it has stood all these years.”

“How long have you lived here?” Kit asked curiously.

“I don’t really know,” the woman answered slowly. “But I remember the day we came here. We had walked from Massachusetts, you see. Someone had told us there would be land for us in Connecticut. But in the town there was none. So we walked toward the river, and then we came to this meadow.”

There were a hundred questions Kit wanted to ask, but instead she looked up and noticed with surprise one thing on the shelf. “This coral!” she exclaimed. “How did it get here?”

A small secret smile lit up the wrinkled face. “I have a sailor friend,” Hannah said. “When he comes back from a voyage, he brings me a present.”

Kit almost laughed. A romance! She imagined him, this white-haired sailor friend, coming here with his small presents from some distant shores. “Maybe this came from my home,” Kit said. “I come from Barbados, you know.”

“From Barbados!” cried the woman. “You do look different somehow. What is it like?”

“It’s so beautiful with flowers every day of the year. You can always smell them in the air.”

“You have been homesick,” said Hannah softly.

“Yes,” agreed Kit. “I guess I have. But most of all, I miss my late grandfather so much.”

“That is the hardest,” nodded the woman. “What was your grandfather like, child?”

Tears filled Kit’s eyes. No one, since she had come to America, had ever really wanted to hear about her grandfather. She told the old woman about the happy days on the island, the plantation, the long walks together, the swimming, the library and the books. Then she described her voyage to Connecticut and all the confusion of the past weeks. “I hate it here,” Kit said. “I don’t belong. Mercy is wonderful, and Judith tries to be friendly, but I’m just a trouble to them all. Uncle Matthew hates me. Everything I do or say is wrong!”

“That’s why you’ve come to the meadow,” said Hannah. “What went so wrong this morning?”

The older woman listened to the school story, nodding her head. As Kit told her about the schoolmaster, Hannah started laughing. Suddenly, Kit was laughing with her, too. “What should I do now?” she asked when they calmed down. “How can I go back and face them?”

Hannah said nothing for a long time. Her eyes studied the girl beside her. “Come,” she finally said. “I have something to show you.”

Outside the house grew a single green stalk with one huge scarlet flower.

“It looks just like the flowers at home,” Kit said. “I didn’t know you had such flowers here.”

“It came all the way from Africa,” Hannah told her. “My friend brought the bulb to me, a little brown thing like an onion. I doubted it would grow here, but it was very determined and now look what has happened.”

Kit kept quiet. Was Hannah trying to preach to her? “I’m sorry but I really must go now,” Kit said. “You’ve given me an answer. I think I know what you mean.”

The woman shook her head. “The answer is in your heart,” she said softly. “You can always hear it if only you listen to it.”

Kit walked back with a lightness and freedom she hadn’t known since the day she came into Saybrook Harbor. Hannah Tupper was not a witch, but certainly she had a magic charm. In one short hour she had made all the worries of the girl disappear. Only one thing must be done before Kit could finally be at peace. Without speaking a word, Hannah had given her the strength to do it. She walked straight up the path to a big house and knocked bravely on the door of Mr. Kimberley.

Chapter Ten

Mercy couldn’t believe that Kit had talked to Mr. Kimberley himself! “But he was very fair,” said Kit. “He listened to me and finally agreed that I could have one more chance.”

“You surprise me, Kit,” Mercy said. “You must have surprised Mr. Kimberley, too. He doesn’t normally change his mind.”

“I surprised myself,” Kit laughed. “I think I was bewitched.”

“Bewitched?”

“Yes. I met the witch who lives in the meadow. It was she who gave me the courage.”

Mercy and her mother exchanged glances. “You mean you talked with her?”

“I went into her house and ate her food. But I was joking about being bewitched. She’s the nicest person I have ever met.”

“Kit,” Aunt Rachel said seriously. “I think you should not say anything to the others about meeting this woman. That is just gossip that she’s a witch. But no one in Wethersfield has anything to do with Hannah Tupper because she is a Quaker.[2] The Quakers are strange people. They don’t believe in some of the things we believe in.”

“Why, Aunt Rachel? What difference does that make? Has she ever done anything bad?”

Rachel looked down. “No, probably not, but there’s been talk. Quakers bring trouble wherever they go. They speak against our faith. In Boston, I’ve heard, they even hanged some Quakers. This Hannah Tupper and her husband were branded and forced to leave Massachusetts. They were thankful just to be let alone here in Wethersfield. Kit, I know your uncle would be very angry about this. Promise me that you won’t go there again.”

All Kit’s fine thoughts about trying to understand and to be patient have disappeared, and already she felt rebellious again. “I can’t promise that, Aunt Rachel,” she said unhappily. “Hannah was good to me, and she’s very lonely.”

“You are very young, child,” insisted Rachel. “You don’t understand how sometimes evil can seem innocent. It is dangerous for you to see that woman. You must believe me.”

On the way home through the meadow everything had seemed so simple, and here it was all complicated again. Only one thing Kit was sure of. She had found a secret place, a place of freedom, clear sunlight and peace. Nothing and no one would stop her from going back to that place again.

Should she tell William Ashby about Hannah? No, he would probably be horrified. William was still a stranger to her, although he came every Saturday evening and even on some evenings during the week. She would like to tell John Holbrook, she thought, but there was never a moment when she could speak to him alone. John often joined the family as they sat outside in the evening. He had never asked formal permission to come. There had never been any sign that John was seeing Judith, but sometimes he agreed to her proposal to go for a walk in the twilight. That was all Judith needed to show the whole family John’s intentions. Even her father could tell that Judith was in love, although she had never said anything. Kit thought that, compared to ambitious William, the young biblical scholar was unsuitable for Judith’s high hopes. Probably, Kit decided now, it wouldn’t be good to tell John about Hannah Tupper.

Soon Kit started waiting for another opportunity to visit the Meadows. With Mr. Kimberley’s permission she was teaching the school again. There were no more stories, no games, not even small poems. After school the girls weeded the gardens and helped to harvest the first crop. Finally, one hot afternoon, Kit and Judith finished their weeding of onion rows a little early. As they started walking back along the path, Kit looked across the fields to the house by Blackbird Pond and knew what she would do now. “I am going there to see Hannah Tupper,” she informed Judith.

“The witch? Are you crazy, Kit?” her cousin protested.

“She’s not a witch! She’s just a lonely old woman, and you would like her if you knew her,” Kit said. “Come with me now and see for yourself.”

“I would never step inside that house, and I don’t think you should either. Father would be furious,” refused Judith.

“Then go home without me. I won’t be long,” said Kit and started walking through the long grass, leaving her cousin standing in the path.

* * *

“Sit down, child,” Hannah welcomed Kit in, smiling as if she was expecting her. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, I think so. The schoolmaster let me teach again, but forbade any plays. Mr. Kimberley says that children are evil by nature and that they need a firm hand. But it’s not much fun to be so solemn all day.”

Hannah was sorting some flax now. Kit picked up the sleeping cat. The late afternoon sun shone through the open door. Peace flowed into Kit, and she felt warm and happy. “Did you grow the flax yourself?” she asked.

“Some of the families in town bring me their flax to spin,” Hannah explained. “I don’t charge them much – just enough to pay the land taxes and the fines for not going to Meeting.”

“Fines?” Kit was surprised. “Maybe you should go to Meeting instead?”

“They wouldn’t welcome me,” Hannah said, “even if I decided to go. In Massachusetts we, Quakers, had our own meetings.”

“Actually, I’d rather pay fines than go to Meeting. Can I become a Quaker too?”

But before the old woman could answer, a shadow fell across the sunlit floor.

A tall figure was standing in the doorway. Kit jumped up. There, at the door, unbelievably, was Nathaniel Eaton, the captain’s son, with a smile in his blue eyes. “I might have known,” he said, “that you two would find each other.”

Hannah’s face shone with pleasure. “I knew you would come today,” she said. “I saw the Dolphin pass the island this morning. Kit, my dear, this is the sailor friend I told you about.”

Nat bowed. “Mistress Tyler and I are already acquainted,” he said.

“Bless you, Nat,” Hannah said quietly. “Now sit down and tell us how your father is.”

“He is well and sends you his greetings.”

“I said to Thomas just yesterday, ’Tom, I’m going to save the last of these berries because the Dolphin will come soon.’ He’ll be pleased when I tell him you’ve been here.”

Kit’s suddenly realized that Hannah had spoken as if her husband, so long dead, were still here, in the little house. A cloud had passed across the old woman’s eyes. Kit looked at Nat, but he didn’t seem to have noticed anything unusual because he was examining Kit with interest. “Tell me,” he asked her, “how did they let you come to Hannah?”

Kit paused, and Hannah laughed, “It’s a strange thing, that the only two friends I have, I found in the same way – lying in the meadows, crying.”

The young people stared at each other. “You?” asked Kit, astonished. “Were you running away?”

Nat laughed. “I was only eight years old,” he explained. “It was when I quarreled with my father once. I’d never in my life seen anything like the meadows. I ran and ran, but then suddenly I was hungry, lost and scared. Hannah found me and brought me here. She even gave me a kitten to take back home.”

“Did Hannah give you her blueberry cake, too?”

“It’s Hannah’s magic cure for every problem,” Nat said. “A blueberry cake and a kitten.”

“And now you can both have supper with me,” said Hannah, delighted.

Kit looked at the sun. “Oh, dear!” she cried. “I didn’t realize it was time for supper.”

Hannah smiled at her. “God be with you then, child,” she said softly. She did not need to say more. They both knew that Kit would come back. Nat followed Kit to the door. “You didn’t say what you were running away from,” he asked her. “Has it been so bad here in Wethersfield?”

Kit didn’t want to complain. “Of course not,” she said. “My aunt and uncle have been very kind.”

Nat walked Kit to the road. “Whatever it was,” he suddenly said seriously, “I’m glad you ran to Hannah. She needs you. Keep her company, will you?”

Kit hurried home. What a surprise meeting it was! She had known nothing about Nat, and she would never know what to expect from him next.

Chapter Eleven

When one day Judith invited Kit to go with some girls to pick flowers and picnic along the shore of the river, Kit turned to Mercy and asked impulsively, “How can you bear it, always staying behind?”

Mercy answered her calmly, “Oh, I settled that a long time ago. I remember it very well. Father had taken me outside, and I sat watching the children playing. I thought of all the things I would never be able to do. And then I thought about the things that I could do.”

Teaching the children with love and skill was certainly something that Mercy could do. But Kit often wondered if it was worth it. Most of these children will never have any chances in this world. But there was something else on Kit’s mind: the third time that week a little bunch of flowers was left for her on the doorstep. Who could it be from? As she bent to pick them up this time, she noticed a small figure hiding behind a tree. Kit recognized Prudence Cruff.

“Prudence,” she called. “Are these your flowers?”

The child came slowly from behind the tree. She was much thinner than before. “They are for you,” the girl whispered.

“Thank you. They’re lovely. Why don’t you come to the school with the others?”

“Ma says that I’m too stupid,” said Prudence. “Of course I’d like to, but somebody will tell on me, and Ma will beat me. I’m not supposed to talk to you.”

Suddenly, Kit had an idea. “There is a place where you could meet me secretly!” she said. “Can you come to the Meadows?”

Prudence nodded. “Nobody cares where I go.”

“Then if you meet me there this afternoon, I’ll bring you a book and teach you to read it. You know the path that leads to Blackbird Pond?”

“The witch lives there!” cried Prudence.

“Don’t be silly! She’s a nice old woman. There’s a big willow tree, and I’ll wait for you there.”

* * *

This was the third time Kit and Prudence were sitting in the shade of the old tree. At first Prudence had been scared and speechless. But now she was learning the letters so fast that Kit was amazed. “It’s late, Prudence. We must go back. You can take the book, if you like,” Kit said, ending the lesson.

“Ma will never let me have it,” the little girl said.

“I know what we’ll do then,” Kit suggested. “We’ll leave the book here with Hannah. Then any time you want to use it, you can come and get it from her.”

The child was terrified. Kit tried again, “Come with me. I promise you, no one will hurt you.”

Together they walked up the path to the little hut. “I’ve brought another friend to visit you,” Kit announced, as Hannah came to the door.

Hannah’s eyes twinkled. “What a wonderful day!” she said to the girls. “Four new kittens, and now visitors! If you’re very careful, child, you can pick one up and hold it.”

With a black kitten in her hands, Prudence watched them find a place for her book.

“You are welcome any time, child. I’ll keep your book safe for you. Now, there is a piece of blueberry cake for such a smart pupil.”

Kit smiled to see the cake and the kitten working their magic on Prudence. But there was one more secret ingredient in this cure: love.

“Why do they call her a witch?” Prudence asked when she and Kit were walking back home.

“Because they don’t know her. People are afraid of things they don’t understand.”

“I see,” Prudence said finally. “I think Hannah is lonely. Of course, she can talk to the cat, but sometimes she must want somebody to answer her.”

For a moment Kit was doubtful. What was she doing, teaching Prudence behind Goodwife Cruff’s back? As always, she had acted on impulse, never thinking about the consequences. Now it was too late. Yet Prudence had looked so happy. She needed a friend. Wasn’t that worth a little risk?

* * *

Kit walked home to spend another dull evening with William. He could talk only about his house these days. Every evening he reported which trees had been cut. Sometimes Kit wanted to cover her ears. She was tired of the house already, even before it was built. Judith, however, took much interest in such details, as if she was comparing it with the house she dreamed for herself.

When the young people all sat together, John Holbrook would bring something to read to them. He loved to read aloud, and they were happy to listen. For all of them the days were filled only with hard work, and the books that John read to them had opened a window to the world. Listening to his voice, Kit thought that John had already become a part of the family. They all liked him now. Yet Uncle Matthew still thought he was weak. For John everything in his life, even the girl he marries, would always be second to his work. Does Judith understand that? Or does she think she can change him?

Suddenly, Kit made a discovery. Mercy sat, as usual, in the shadow beside the fireplace. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the face of the young man reading from his book. For an instant Kit could look into Mercy’s heart: she was clearly in love with John Holbrook! Kit quickly looked around at the others. Judith sat dreaming with a little secret smile on her face. No one else had noticed. Kit thought that she must have imagined it and wished she hadn’t seen it. Yet she knew she would never forget it as long as she lived. The flame burning in Mercy’s eyes was so pure, so selfless, that Kit felt very sad. Mercy and John Holbrook! How right and how impossible! What must it be to care for someone like that?

Chapter Twelve

School ended in mid-August, and a hundred new jobs waited to be done. Often Kit, Judith and Rachel worked side by side with Matthew in the fields until sunset, and there was not the time to visit Prudence and Hannah.

One sunny day Kit finally had a whole free afternoon. She was walking out the door when her aunt called her, “Where are you going, Kit?”

Kit looked down, not answering.

“Wait,” her aunt said then. “I don’t approve it at all. But I can’t help it either.” She went into the kitchen and brought a small package. It was a piece of apple pie. So Aunt Rachel had known! Kit hugged her aunt and went out. She had hoped to find Prudence at the Blackbird Pond, but instead, as she came around the corner of the cottage, she saw Nat Eaton. “Oh,” she exclaimed, confused, “I didn’t know the Dolphin was here again.”

Hannah stood in the doorway. “More company!” she said happily. “Come inside, you two.”

“Not yet,” Nat said. “The next job is to fix that old thatched roof.”

“Can I help?” Kit asked.

Nat’s eyebrow lifted. “Maybe you could,” he replied. “You can gather the grass while I cut.”

Together they went into the swamp to gather long grass. Then back at the cottage Kit surprised Nat by climbing the ladder on to the rooftop after him where they managed to fix the roof very quickly. When the job was done, they just sat on the roof and rested, looking at the sunny meadows and the river. This was the way Kit used to feel in Barbados. Light as air! For a long time neither of them spoke. “The river is so blue today,” she said finally. “Just like in Barbados.”

“Homesick?” asked Nat.

“Not here,” she answered. “Not when I’m in the meadow, or with Hannah.”

He turned to look at her. “How has it been, Kit?” he asked seriously. “I mean really. Are you sorry you came?”

She paused. “Sometimes I am. They’re good to me, but it’s very different here. I don’t seem to fit in, Nat. It’s these Puritans,” Kit said. “I’ll never understand them. Why do they want life to be so solemn?”

Nat stretched back. “If you ask me, it’s all that schooling and Latin. It takes the fun out of life, day after day. Books, now, that’s different. There’s nothing like a book to keep you company on a long voyage.”

“What sort of books?” Kit asked, surprised.

“I like the old logbooks best, and descriptions of voyages, but once there were some plays from England that were good reading.”

“There’s another thing I wanted to ask you about, Nat,” Kit said. “All this talk against England and the King – I don’t understand it. Why are they so disloyal to King James?”

“I suppose you couldn’t understand because you weren’t brought up here,” said Nat, looking suddenly serious. “There are two sides to loyalty, Kit. If the King respects our rights and keeps his word, then he will have our loyalty. But if he cancels the laws he has made, then we will be disloyal, too.”

“But that is treason!” cried Kit.

“What is treason, Kit? A man is loyal to the place he loves. We can’t always wait for orders from His Majesty in England. Besides, how can a king on a throne in England know what is best for the people in Wethersfield? A man is loyal to the soil he stands on.”

That would please Uncle Matthew, Kit thought. Nat was a New Englander, too, had she forgotten?

“Have you finished fixing the roof yet? It’s time for supper,” Kit heard Hannah call them.

“Supper?” Kit had not even noticed how late it was.

Nat helped her to climb down the ladder. “You will come often to see her, won’t you?” he asked her.

“Of course,” Kit replied. “I worry about her, sometimes, especially when she talks about her late husband as if he were still alive.”

“Oh, that! Don’t worry about it!” Nat laughed. “Hannah’s fine. I guess she is much older than we think, and she’s lived through a lot. She and her husband were in jail in Massachusetts. Then they were branded and sent out of the state.”

* * *

“My company always has to hurry off,” Hannah said to them. “Nat, and you, and now Prudence.”

“Who is Prudence?” asked Nat.

Kit told him about the reading lessons on the way back home. She didn’t, however, expect Nat to walk her this time all the way to her uncle’s house. Her family was sitting outside, so the supper must’ve been over. As Kit and Nat came near, William rose to his feet and stood watching them.

“Kit, where have you been?” Judith spoke up. “William has been waiting for so long.”

Kit looked from one person to the other and decided to tell them the truth. “I’ve been helping to fix Hannah Tupper’s roof,” she said. “I’m sorry that I didn’t realize how late it was. Aunt Rachel, this is Nathaniel Eaton, Captain Eaton’s son, from the Dolphin. He was fixing the roof, and I was assisting him.”

Nat and William looked at each other for a long time. Nat turned to Matthew Wood. “It was my fault, sir,” he said, with dignity. “I shouldn’t have accepted Kit’s help.” He looked back at William. Then Nat said goodbye and walked away.

“Why did you have to fix a roof for the Quaker woman?” shouted her uncle when Nat was gone.

“She lives all alone,” replied Kit. “And she needs help, Uncle Matthew.”

“She is a heretic, and she doesn’t attend Meeting! If she wants help, let her repent her sin. You will never go to that place again, Katherine! I forbid it!”

Depressed, Kit followed the family into the house. “Don’t worry, Kit,” Mercy whispered. “Hannah will be fine if she has that young sailor to help her. I liked his looks.”

Chapter Thirteen

Judith was walking with Kit along the street to gather the last of the corn in the meadow. “I just feel,” she said, “that something wonderful is going to happen at the corn party tonight because this time I’m going to make sure that something happens.”

“Do you mean John Holbrook?”

“Of course! You know that he is too shy to say anything. He hasn’t got a house like William, or any money to support me yet. That’s why he doesn’t speak. But I know how he feels, and I know how I feel, so…”

Kit was thoughtful. She knew that William was only waiting for the right time to speak, too. She had already decided what her answer would be. As William’s wife she could do what she wanted. There would be no more hard work. Besides, William admired her. Then why was she worried?

* * *

On the way home Kit visited the little house by Blackbird Pond but only for a few minutes. Hannah told her that Prudence had come to her once, but couldn’t wait for a lesson. When Kit was walking back home, to her surprise, she saw a familiar black hat in the distance. It was John Holbrook! “Judith went back home, but I stopped to see Hannah Tupper,” Kit told him.

“The Widow Tupper? Does your family know about it, Kit? She is a Quaker. I’m not against the Quakers, but this woman has a bad reputation. They say she practices witchcraft.”

“That’s just gossip!” Kit cried. “John, this is silly! Hannah is a good friend of mine.”

“Probably, but you know, Kit, there are some people in town who still remember how you jumped into the river. And now you’re friends with a witch… And witchcraft isn’t silly, Kit.”

“I know,” Kit agreed, “but if only you knew Hannah…” They walked together, and Kit tried to make John Holbrook understand the lonely woman in the meadow.

Finally, they came to the point where John would turn and go his way. “Well,” he said, “it’s been five months since we came here on the Dolphin. It has turned out well for you, Kit: a fine big house and a good young man like William. I hope you will be very happy.”

Kit turned red and looked down. She did not want to talk about William. “And you, John?” she asked instead. “Are you going to the corn party tonight?”

“Well,” he answered. “We’ll see. I don’t know. Will Mercy be there?”

“Mercy? No, I don’t think so. It’s too far away.”

“Then I think I’ll spend the evening at your house instead. I seldom have a chance to talk to her.”

Slowly Kit began to understand what he had just said. “Why should you want to talk to Mercy?”

His smiled, “Why do you think I come so often? It has always been Mercy, from the very beginning. Didn’t you guess that? Do you think I have a chance, Kit?”

“Oh, John!” Kit cried. “A chance? I’m so happy for you two!”

“But I have nothing to give her, nothing at all.”

“You’ll have your own church some day. Only there are so many things that Mercy can’t do…”

“Then I will do them for her,” he said quietly. “I don’t want a wife to serve me. For Mercy I could never do enough.”

“Then tell her, tonight, John,” she said, remembering Mercy’s shining eyes.

“Well,” he answered again. “We’ll see.”

Walking home Kit could hardly keep from dancing. She wanted to shout and sing. Mercy and John Holbrook! How right! How unbelievably right! Suddenly, she stopped. How could she have forgotten about Judith? What has she been planning for tonight? Well, if John doesn’t go to the corn party – then nothing can happen. And what if he’s there with Mercy? Maybe Kit should warn Judith? Oh, dear, Judith is going to feel terrible! But Kit knew that John wasn’t really suitable for Judith.

That evening Judith looked lovely in her new blue dress. Kit was becoming impatient: they all had to leave quickly and leave Mercy sitting alone near the fireplace before John arrived.

But they were too late, as at that moment John Holbrook walked in through the door. Judith smiled at him.

“I’m so glad you’ve come,” she said. “Now we can all walk together.”

“I’m not going to the corn party,” John shook his head. “I think I’ll stay here with Mercy instead. There is something I want to speak to your father about.”

After his words Judith turned red. “Tonight? Really?” she whispered in joy and disbelief. “Oh, Father!” she cried. “You know what he wants to ask! Say yes, now, so we can go to the party together!”

Matthew Wood was shocked. “My daughter, what sort of talk is this?”

“Oh, Father, you must have guessed. John doesn’t need to tell you.”

Matthew Wood’s face softened, and when he turned to John he was smiling, “If you have agreed between you, then I can only give you my blessing. Perhaps you can teach this girl some manners.”

John stood silent, his face pale. He was so ashamed that he couldn’t say a word.

“Tell them! You’ve got to say something, John, right now!” Kit begged him silently.

John opened his mouth to say something to correct the mistake. Then, he looked at Judith. She seemed so happy that John stopped himself. Everyone in the room started congratulating him. Even Mercy came up slowly. “I am so glad for you both,” she said warmly. Only Kit could say nothing. Maybe she dreamed it all, she thought, watching Mercy. But she knew she had not dreamed the love in Mercy’s eyes that summer evening.

When the four of them went out together into the twilight, Judith took John’s arm. “You’ll never know,” she whispered. “You saved me, John. I had a plan…”

Kit was walking behind them, thinking. Now what? He can’t do this! But she knew that he could. John understood Mercy very well. He knew that never in her life could she take anything that Judith might want. If John hurt Judith now, Mercy would never forgive either him or herself.

Kit’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by William who stopped her on the way. “Wait a moment, Kit,” he said. “Let them go ahead. I want to talk to you.” His quiet voice and the look in his eyes warned her of what was coming. Oh, no! Not after all that has happened! She wanted to run away and hide. William’s question was not unexpected at all. Kit had thought that her answer was ready, but now she realized that it wasn’t. “Not tonight, please,” Kit whispered in panic.

“I didn’t plan to speak tonight,” William explained. “But just look at those two – they are so happy! Let me speak to your uncle.”

“Please, William,” Kit whispered. “Don’t speak to him yet.”

William looked at her, puzzled. “Why not? Don’t you want to marry me, Kit?”

She paused. “I hadn’t thought of getting married so soon.”

William was silent for a moment. “I won’t hurry you, Kit,” he said calmly. “The house won’t be finished before spring, anyway. I’ll wait for your answer.” Obviously, he was sure of her positive answer. As they walked on to the party, he held her hand.

Chapter Fourteen

In October the sun still filled the world with mild warmth, and a miracle for which Kit wasn’t prepared happened. The maple trees turned red, and the oaks along the road became yellow and bronze. Everywhere Kit walked there were beautiful new colors. No one had ever told her about autumn in New England. Every morning now she woke with excitement and a feeling that in October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible!

On one of such days Kit noticed her uncle standing not far from the house, looking thoughtfully toward the river. He did not notice her. He simply stood there, staring at the golden fields. Kit saw how her uncle bent down and took a handful of soil with reverence. At that moment he looked lonely and defiant.

Judith’s voice interrupted Kit’s thoughts. “Hurry up, Kit,” she called. “They say there’s a ship coming up the river! If we go now, we can watch it come in!”

“What ship?” Kit asked.

“Does that matter? It’s fun to see any ship come in, and there won’t be many more this autumn.”

But the moment the two girls reached the river, Kit recognized the Dolphin. How beautiful that ship was! How Kit would love to sail on the Dolphin again! She remembered the endless shining water and the salty wind that tangled her hair. She would give anything just to stand on the deck of the Dolphin, sailing into the open sea and toward Barbados!

Some time soon Kit saw Nat Eaton on the deck. He saw her too and just raised one hand to greet her. That wasn’t strange because Kit knew how busy Nat usually was, so she decided to wait.

“Come on, Kit, let’s go home,” said Judith after a while. “There’s nothing more to see.”

Kit was about to turn away and go home, but then she heard Nat’s voice: “Mistress Tyler! Wait a moment!” Nat came toward her with a big package under his arm. “Good day to you, Mistress Wood,” he greeted Judith. Then he turned to Kit again. “Would you be kind to deliver this package for me?” The words were too formal and his tone was strangely indifferent. “This is some wool I got for Hannah,” he explained, giving her the package.

Kit took it reluctantly. “She’ll be waiting for you to come yourself.”

“I know, but my father wants us to leave now to catch the wind. Hannah might need this. If only you can spend some time away from your fashionable friends…”

Puzzled, Kit’s wanted to say something, but before she did, Nat went on and now there was mockery in his voice. “An interesting cargo we had on this trip. One item especially. Sixteen fine windows ordered from England by one William Ashby. They say he’s building a house for his bride. A posh young lady from Barbados, I hear, who wants only the best things. You should have mentioned it, Kit,” he added quietly.

“There’s nothing definite to mention yet,” Kit began.

“That order looks definite enough. May I congratulate you?” said Nat. Then, with a quick bow to Judith, he was gone.

“What? What was he talking about?” asked Judith. “Really, Kit, you know the strangest people. How did you even meet this sailor?”

“I told you he was the captain’s son,” Kit answered, trying to hide her angry tears.

“Well, anyway, I didn’t like his manners,” added Judith.

* * *

Another trouble awaited them at home. Aunt Rachel was standing in the doorway looking anxiously at the road. “There is no peace for the poor man,” she said sadly. “Matthew has gone to a meeting just now. They say someone came from Hartford with news this morning, and there’s a gathering in the town. I think it is something to do with that Governor Andros of Massachusetts, who wants to take the charter away. Oh dear, Matthew will be so upset!”

“Then let’s make him a good dinner,” suggested Judith. “Don’t worry, Mother. The men will take care of the government.”

Matthew Wood did not come home for the good meal they had made. Late in the afternoon he walked slowly into the kitchen looking ill.

“What is it, Matthew?” Rachel asked. “Has something terrible happened?”

“Only what we have expected,” he answered gravely. “Governor Treat and the council have been avoiding it for almost a year. Now Sir Andros has sent a message that he is coming from Boston. He will arrive in Hartford on Monday to take over as royal governor in Connecticut. Make a fire in the company room, Rachel. Some people will want to come and talk here tonight.”

One more bit of news reached them before the night. Captain Eaton had missed the wind, and the Dolphin stayed just off Wright’s Island. Kit was meanly glad. She hoped they would have a good long wait, maybe even till winter. Kit decided not to deliver Nat’s package herself till the Dolphin was on its way toward Saybrook.

Chapter Fifteen

“It’s the death of our freedom! It’s the end of all we’ve worked for!” shouted the men in the company room. Kit wasn’t really thinking about the future of the Connecticut colony, but she was curious about one thing. Some time ago William had come, greeted the women, and then knocked on the company room door. Surprisingly, he had been let in, and since then he stayed behind that closed door. “What is William doing in there?” Kit asked. “Why would Uncle Matthew let him in?”

“Didn’t you know?” Judith replied. “William now shares Father’s ideas.”

“How did you know that?” Kit stared at her. “I never heard him say anything about it.”

“Maybe you just weren’t listening.”

It was true, sometimes, when William and Judith were talking about the house, it was difficult for Kit to pay attention. But she knew she would have remembered anything as important as this. Was William ashamed to tell her that he had turned against the King? Or did he think she was too stupid to understand?

“Governor Andros says that signed papers mean nothing to him! We will have to beg new grants for land that we’ve bought and already paid for!” the voices shouted in the company room. Now they could also hear Matthew’s voice, cold and steady. “Whatever happens,” he was saying, “we do not want any shooting here in Connecticut.”

“Why not?” asked another voice. “Should we give up our freedom like Rhode Island?”

“It would only mean pointless bloodshed,” Matthew said clearly.

Finally, about an hour later, a silent group of men came out of the company room. When the visitors had gone, Matthew sat down heavily into a chair. Rachel tried to comfort him. “I know it is a disappointment,” she said. “But will it really change our lives so much? We all will still be together in this house and not lose our rights.”

Her husband shook his head sadly, “That’s not it. Everything we have built here in Connecticut will be destroyed. Our council and our courts will have no real power. If only we could somehow keep the charter itself. This man has no right to take it from us.”

When the girls were upstairs in bed, Kit finally shared her thoughts. “Do they know,” she whispered, “how powerful the Royal Fleet is? They will be defeated in no time.”

“I don’t think there’ll be any fighting,” said Judith. “It’s just that men like Father don’t like dictators. But Dr. Bulkeley says that the charter was never as free as they have made it. He thinks the men of Connecticut have taken advantage of the King’s generosity. Anyway, I agree with Mother. I don’t think it will change our lives much. Men always make a fuss about such things.”

“I’d love to see this Governor Andros,” said Kit. “They say he used to be a captain in Barbados.”

“Maybe we will see him,” replied Judith, blowing out the candle.

* * *

The next afternoon many curious Wethersfield citizens came to the bank of the river, waiting to see Governor Andros. Kit and Judith witnessed the arrival of an escort from Hartford, led by Captain Talcott, one of the Wethersfield men who had sometimes joined the meetings in her uncle’s company room. Captain Talcott felt the anger and disapproval of the crowd. “There will be no demonstration,” he announced. “The governor comes here under orders from His Majesty.”

At that moment the first horsemen appeared on the opposite shore. “There he is!” excited voices cried. The party from Boston got on the ferryboats and crossed the wide river to the shore at Wethersfield. There were more than seventy men, all tall and handsome. Governor Andros sat elegantly on his horse. He was a gentleman, an officer of the King, a knight! Who were these farmers to question his royal right? The Hartford escort greeted the Boston delegation. The people of Wethersfield kept a respectful silence. They all knew that this powerful man was on his way to meet with their council and would hold their very lives in his hand.

It was a sad and silent evening in Matthew Wood’s household. Kit and the girls were in bed for some time when someone knocked loudly on the door. Matthew went to open it, and to Kit’s astonishment she heard William’s voice. “It’s safe, sir!” he said. “The charter’s safe, where he can never find it!”

“Thank God!” cried Matthew. “You were at the meeting, William?”

“Yes, sir. Since four o’clock.”

“And the charter?”

“It was there, all the time, in the middle of the table. Sir Edmond made a long speech. It got stuffy in the room, and, finally, someone opened a window. The wind blew out the candles. In this momentary darkness the charter disappeared. They looked everywhere for it, all over the room, and never found it.”

“Was the governor angry?”

“He didn’t show it. He knew the paper wasn’t going to be found. But he chose to ignore it.”

“Yes,” said Matthew gravely. “He had the power in his hands without it.”

“Governor Treat read a statement, and they all signed it. The Colony of Connecticut is annexed to Massachusetts. Governor Treat will be appointed Colonel of Militia.”

“And Gershom Bulkeley?”

“He will be appointed a Justice of the Peace.”

“Hmm,” said Matthew. “The charter – do you know what happened to it?”

William paused. “No sir,” he answered. “The room was dark.”

“Then how do you know it is safe?”

“It is safe, sir,” William repeated confidently. Kit understood that William knew perfectly well where that charter was.

“There are hard times ahead for Connecticut,” said Matthew, who understood it too, “but some day, when the hard times have passed, we will bring our charter out of hiding and begin again, and we will show the world what it means to be free men. Thank you for coming, William.”

Lying in her bed in the dark, Kit knew she had witnessed serious insubordination to the King. Yet in her heart she was glad for her uncle’s small victory. Now she understood for the first time why her aunt had crossed the ocean with that fierce man. In his struggle for freedom Matthew Wood was magnificent. Kit had to admit it – she was proud of him.

Chapter Sixteen

“There will be no Thanksgiving this week,” announced Matthew gravely when he came home the next day. “Here in Connecticut we cannot have our own holidays anymore. Besides, a terrible thing happened last night. There was a band of sailors from a trading ship. I am sorry to tell you, Katherine, that your friend William Ashby was their only victim. The band put devilish pumpkin lanterns with candles inside them in the window frames of his house that are waiting for the new panes. Luckily, the three band leaders have been captured. I hope they will be severely punished.”

Thursday Lecture day, the day of public punishment, was only two days away. Somehow, Kit already knew whom she would see there. By Thursday noon Kit couldn’t keep her mind on her work. An hour before meeting time, she quietly got out of the house and went to the Meeting House alone. She saw them all at once: there in the stocks were the three Dolphin men, and none of them showed any sign of repentance. Nat and the other sailors were cheerfully exchanging insults with some younger boys standing nearby. Kit came forward so that Nat could see her, but he pretended not to have recognized her. Suddenly, she felt tears running down her face.

“Kit,” Nat finally whispered, “get away from this place! Quick!”

But Kit only stepped closer. “This is horrible, Nat!” she cried out. “I can’t stand to see you like this! Is there anything I can do? Are you hungry?”

“I’m quite comfortable, thank you,” he told her. “You can stop pretending now. Anyway, it was worth it. You should have seen Sir William’s face that evening.”

He was impossible! She turned and walked away. At the door of the Meeting House she stopped to read a notice which said that three sailors would stay in the stocks from one hour before the Lecture till one hour after. They would also pay a fine and would never be allowed to come to Wethersfield again. Kit’s courage evaporated. She simply couldn’t go into that Meeting House and sit there, listening to the Lecture together with her family. She had to talk to someone, and there was only one person who could understand her. Anyway, it’s a good chance to bring Hannah the wool, Kit decided. She briefly stopped by the house to pick the package. The family had already left for the Lecture, and even Mercy didn’t see Kit.

At the Blackbird Pond Kit gave Hannah the wool and told her the whole story. “And now Nat is banned from Wethersfield! He won’t be able to leave the ship or to come to see you anymore!” cried Kit.

“Well, that is a shame,” Hannah agreed with a little sly smile. Kit had to smile, too: why hadn’t she remembered that since eight years old Nat had always somehow found his way to Blackbird Pond? Hannah knew that nothing could keep Nat from coming again. As always, here in this house, all things looked much simpler.

“This William Ashby,” Hannah said thoughtfully. “Is the young man courting you, Kit?”

“Well… Yes, I guess.” Why hadn’t she ever told Hannah about William?

Hannah’s kind eyes studied the girl’s face. “Do you plan to marry him?” she asked gently. “Do you love him?”

“I don’t know. How can I tell, Hannah? He is good, and he likes me. Besides, if I don’t marry him, how shall I ever escape from my uncle’s house?”

“Bless you, child!” said Hannah softly. “But just remember that there will be no escape at all if there is no love.”

There was a knock at the door and in came Prudence. She had brought some news about the three sailors. “Nat won’t be able to come to see you,” she told Hannah. “They took them to the Dolphin. But Nat waved goodbye to me.”

Soon they began their reading lesson. Kit had chosen the Psalms to start with, and slowly Prudence was reading out the lines. Then Kit took out a copybook, a small bottle of ink, and a quill pen. “Now I will teach you to write, Prudence. Watch me.” She opened the copybook and wrote the child’s name on the first line. “Now let’s see if you can copy that.” The girl did and was astonished by her own work. Kit and Hannah exchanged a warm smile, but for the first time Kit felt real fear. “Hannah,” she said softly, “I am afraid to go on like this. What would happen if they found us out?”

Before Hannah answered, Prudence looked up. “Don’t say I can’t come, Kit!” she said. “I don’t care what they do to me. I can stand anything, if only you let me come!”

“Of course you can come,” said Kit, hugging the child. “We’ll find an answer, somehow.”

It was getting dark, and Kit and Prudence had to go home. If only they could live a simple life here, in this cottage, together with the older woman and her cats. Later Kit would remember this idyllic picture many times. Was there some premonition? Did she somehow know that this was the last afternoon the three of them would ever spend together in the small cottage?

* * *

At home Aunt Rachel greeted Kit gravely. “You’re very late, Kit. It was wrong of you to stay away from Lecture. Your uncle was very angry. By the way, John Holbrook is here to say goodbye to you and Mercy.”

“Goodbye? What has happened, Aunt Rachel? Where is John going?” asked Kit, shocked.

“John has enlisted in the militia. They are sent to help some towns in Massachusetts with the Indian attacks, and John volunteered to go with them. They need a doctor, and John has learned a lot of medicine this year.”

“But why now?”

“I think it was his way of breaking with Dr. Bulkeley who favors Governor Andros and the new government,” explained Rachel. “John just couldn’t stand it any longer.”

“That’s not fair!” cried Judith. “I think it’s just his stubbornness!”

Mercy spoke too now, “I think you should be proud of him.”

“Well, I’m not,” answered Judith. “Now John won’t get his own church, and he can never get married or build a house!” Tears were running down her cheeks.

“He will come back,” Rachel comforted her. “It will be only a few weeks.”

Mercy spoke thoughtfully again. “Try to understand, Judith,” she said slowly. “Sometimes it isn’t that a man doesn’t care. Sometimes he has to prove something to himself. I don’t think John wanted to go away. I think, somehow, that he had to.”

Chapter Seventeen

Five days after John Holbrook’s departure Judith fell ill. Her mother put her to bed, thinking it was just the broken heart fever. However, in two more days the alarm spread all over Wethersfield. Sixteen children and young people had a mysterious fever, and nothing seemed to help them. On the fourth day Kit also felt chilly and dizzy. Her fever was short, however. Barbados fruit and sunshine made her young body strong. Now poor Mercy was seriously ill and coughing violently, too, staying in something between sleeping and waking. Fear settled in Matthew Wood’s household. On the fourth morning of Mercy’s illness Matthew didn’t go to work, but just sat at the table, reading the Bible. The young doctor, called for the third time, stood helplessly at Mercy’s bed. Then Rachel spoke to her husband, “Matthew, do you think that Dr. Bulkeley might know something to help her? He is so skilled.”

“I said that man would never come into my house,” Mathew answered her angrily.

At noon there was a sudden knock at the door. “Let me in. I’ve something to say,” announced the voice and in came the Reverend Bulkeley. “Matthew,” he said, “you’re so stubborn. But this is no time for politics. Your Mercy has always been like my own daughter. Let me see her, Matthew. Let me do what I can, with God’s help, to save her.”

Matthew silently agreed. Dr. Bulkeley’s presence brought new hope to their house. “I have a theory,” he told them. “I’ve read something. Cook me some onions.”

When the onions were cooked, Dr. Bulkeley put them on a napkin and onto Mercy’s chest. As soon as the onions cooled, he replaced them with a new portion, which Kit had been helping Rachel to make for many hours. Late in the afternoon the exhausted doctor left to help other patients.

Then without warning a new fear came. In the evening there was another knock on the door. Matthew Wood opened it, and there stood a little crowd of local people. “There’s illness everywhere!” shouted the angry voices. “Three young people are already dead! We’ll all die! Let’s stop it! Come with us! It’s the witchcraft! We’re going for the witch!”

“Who’s the witch?” asked Matthew.

“The Quaker woman who lives by Blackbird Pond! She’s been a curse on this town for years with her witchcraft! She’s with the devil!”

“This is nonsense,” said Matthew Wood. “No old woman or witchcraft could bring a plague like this. I won’t help you with any witch-hunt.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” a woman’s voice cried suddenly. “You have a witch in your own household! Ask your niece where she spends her time!”

Suddenly Matthew Wood turned red with anger. “Be gone from my house!” he shouted. “My niece is a good God-fearing girl! How dare you all?” There was a silence. Then the crowd turned and walked away to knock on other people’s doors.

When the angry crowd was gone, Kit asked, “What will they do to her? She’s just a poor helpless old woman! Will they harm her?”

“This is Connecticut,” answered Matthew gravely. “They will go by the law. I suppose they will have a trial. If she can prove herself innocent, she will be safe.”

“But what will they do with her tonight?”

“How do I know? This is none of your business, girl,” answered Uncle Matthew angrily.

“Go and get some rest, Kit,” suggested Rachel.

Kit looked from one to the other. They were not going to do anything. Upstairs, in her own room, she stood thinking. She would have to get to Hannah. No matter what happened, she could not stay here and leave Hannah to face that crowd alone. If only she could get there in time to warn her! Kit took her coat and crept down the stairs, then through the back door into the garden, and then she started running along the road. In the Meeting House Square the crowd was gathering: there were about twenty men and a few women, carrying torches. Kit ran on, unnoticed.

The misty meadows were peaceful and still. In the dark Kit found the path easily. Ahead she saw the Blackbird Pond and a slight glow in Hannah’s window. The door was not locked. Inside, Hannah was sitting in her chair, asleep. Kit touched the woman’s shoulder gently. “Hannah,” she said. “This is Kit. Wake up! We need to go, quickly.”

“What is it?” Hannah asked. “Is it a flood?”

“Don’t ask, Hannah. Just get dressed. Now!” There was not a moment to spare. As they stepped into the darkness, in the distance they heard voices of the coming crowd and saw their torches. The two women quickly walked down the path to the river. “Kit! Why are those people coming?” Hannah kept asking. “Oh, I know that sound. I’ve heard it before. They’re coming for the Quakers!”

Finally, on the shore they hid behind some bushes and watched. The crowd had reached the cottage now and started vandalizing it. “Find the witch! Fire the house!” the angry people were shouting. Soon a red glow lit up the meadows.

“My house!” cried Hannah faintly. “The house that Thomas built! My cat!” Tears were running down her cheeks. Kit put her arms around the crying woman, and together they watched till the red glow died away and the angry crowd left. For a long time they didn’t dare to move. It was cold and damp by the river. What should they do now? Where could they go? Hannah was exhausted. Kit thought that she could take Hannah home with her, where at least there would be warm clothes and hot food. But her uncle was a selectman. He will have to hand Hannah over to the law. And would she prove herself innocent? Old Hannah couldn’t even answer the questions straight, talking about her Thomas all the time. But there was no other solution. Whatever might happen, Hannah needed some care now. Finally, Kit made up her mind: they would walk through the meadows and back to her uncle’s house.

Then, unbelievably, out of the mist came the miracle. A mast, then sails… The Dolphin, steadily moving down the river toward Wright’s island! The most beautiful sight in the world! Kit jumped to her feet. “Hannah! Look!” Kit could hardly speak, so she started waving her arms. Thick fog covered the river, and she was afraid that the men on the ship wouldn’t see her signal. On impulse Kit took off her shoes, walked into the water and started swimming toward the ship. This time she was noticed. There were cries above her, “Man overboard! No, a woman!” Then the lifeboat was lowered into the water. Nat and another sailor were inside, and she had never before been so happy to see anyone.

“I knew it,” cried Nat. “Kit! What kind of a game is this?”

“Hannah…she’s in terrible trouble, Nat. They burned her house. Please…can you take her on the Dolphin? She is here, on the shore.”

The two men pulled Kit inside the boat. All at once she was crying hard like a baby. Nat put his hand on her shoulder. “Tell the captain we’re going to the shore,” Nat shouted to the sailors on the deck. “It’s all right, Kit. We’ll take you both on and get you some dry clothes. Just hold on a few minutes more till we get Hannah.”

On the shore Hannah was sitting in the company of her yellow cat which miraculously managed to escape the crowd and the fire. The old woman accepted the offer and climbed into the boat. “Where are we going, Nat?” she asked.

“To Saybrook, to visit my grandmother. You’ll be good company for her, Hannah. Come on, Kit, we’re leaving.”

“I’m not going, Nat. All I wanted was to make sure Hannah’s safe,” Kit protested.

Nat frowned. “I think you’d better come with us, Kit,” he said quietly. “This is our last trip before winter. We’ll find a place for you in Saybrook and bring you back next spring.”

Kit shook her head, “I can’t, Nat. I have to stay here.”

“Oh, of course,” Nat said slowly. “I forgot. You’re getting married.”

“Actually, it’s Mercy,” Kit corrected him. “She’s terribly ill. I couldn’t go. I just couldn’t, not now.”

Nat looked intently at her and took one step nearer. His blue eyes were very close. “Kit,” he started saying, but was interrupted by the voices from the ship. “Hey, there! Are you coming?”

Nat jumped into the boat. Kit stood watching as they pulled away from the shore. Nat turned to look at her. He raised an arm silently, and Kit raised her arm to wave back. Then she turned and walked back towards home. She couldn’t watch them reach the Dolphin because she was afraid she would jump into the water again and beg them not to leave her behind.

On the way home Kit met no one. She reached the house without any danger. Kit crept into the house through the back door and entered the kitchen. “Is that you, Kit?” Aunt Rachel greeted her. “We decided to let you sleep. Dr. Bulkeley has been here all night. He says Mary’s fever is going down!” In her joy, Aunt Rachel did not even notice Kit’s wet dress and hair.

Chapter Eighteen

Back at home, Kit suddenly felt both very tired and relieved. How beautiful and safe their house looked! The regular breathing from Mercy’s bed sounded almost normal. Dr. Bulkeley had said that Judith might even get up this morning. Uncle Matthew was preparing to go back to his work. Kit couldn’t let him go without speaking to him. “Uncle Matthew,” she said softly. “I heard what you said last night to those people, and I want to thank you for it. I’ve been nothing but a trouble to you from the beginning, and I don’t deserve your kindness.”

Her uncle studied her from under his bushy eyebrows. “It’s true I did not welcome you into my house,” he said at last. “But this last week you worked so hard, Katherine. I was wrong about you. Our own daughter couldn’t have done more.”

Suddenly Kit wished with all her heart that she would stand here before her uncle with a clear conscience. She promised herself to tell him all some day when Hannah’s safe.

Later that noon Matthew came back for a meal with his family. Even Mercy asked for a drink of water. The mood was high, and that’s why this time they were not alarmed by the knock on the door. Matthew went to open it, and they heard a man’s voice, “We have business with you, Matthew, that can’t wait. Better call your wife, too, and that girl from Barbados.”

Rachel and Kit walked into the company room. There were four visitors: a deacon from the church, the constable of the town, Goodman Cruff and his wife. They were not excited this morning. They looked serious and grave.

“I know you don’t believe in witchcraft,” the constable began, “but you may change your mind. Last night we couldn’t find that old Quaker woman. She ran away somehow, and we seem to know how. We’ve searched the whole town this morning, but here’s not a trace of her. Don’t see how she could have gone that far.”

Suddenly, Kit felt sick and dizzy. Now Goodwife Cruff’s husband cleared his throat. “I didn’t rightly see it myself,” he apologized. “But there’s someone who saw her big yellow cat running out of the house with a great fat mouse in its mouth, and it never let it go. That mouse was Hannah Tupper!”

“She’s gone straight back to Satan!” cried Goodwife Cruff now looking at Kit, “but she’s left another one to do her work! They found something when they searched her place. Look at the letters on it, Matthew!”

The constable took something out of his pocket. It was the little book Kit presented to Prudence.

Matthew took the thing in his hands and turned it over. “Ask her where it came from?” hissed Goodwife Cruff. Matthew looked at his niece’s white face. “Can this be yours, Katherine?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Kit whispered.

“Did you know you had lost it? Was it stolen from you?”

“No sir. I knew it was there. I took it there myself – it was a present. Hannah was my friend! I’m sorry, Uncle Matthew, I wanted to tell you, as soon as I could. I used to go to see her, on the way home from the meadow. Sometimes, I took things to her.”

“Why? I don’t understand this, Katherine. I forbade you to go to that woman’s house!”

“I know. But Hannah needed me, and I needed her. She wasn’t a witch, Uncle Matthew!”

Matthew looked at the constable. “I am sorry,” he said, “that I have not controlled my own household. But the girl is young and ignorant. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Matthew,” the constable said. “I’m sorry, but we have to lock this girl up. She is charged with witchcraft!”

“That is ridiculous!” cried Matthew. “How long do you intend to keep her?”

“Until the trial. Tomorrow Captain Talcott will question her first. Then there’ll be a jury trial in Hartford.”

“What if I give you my word that until tomorrow I’ll keep her locked in her room upstairs?” tried Matthew.

“What good is his word?” demanded Goodwife Cruff. “Has he known where she was these past months?” Kit felt numbed by the hatred in the woman’s eyes and thought that Goodwife Cruff wanted to see her in jail.

“Don’t worry,” the constable answered. “The girl will be safe with me.”

Kit stood numb. Rachel started crying when she handed Kit her coat. Then they walked together all the way to the constable’s house, and saw how Kit was locked safely in the shed. The shed was empty with just a pile of straw in one corner. There was no window either. Inside Kit leaned against the door. Tears were running down her cheeks. In the late afternoon the constable kindly brought her supper and a thick blanket. “We never had a girl in here before,” he said.

“And what about the others who had been kept here? What happened to them?” asked Kit.

“Well, one was banished from the colony. The other one was hanged. But I don’t think they’ll be so hard on you. You’re so young. Probably they’ll just brand you, or cut off an ear.”

After his words Kit couldn’t eat. She began to shake, and the blanket didn’t warm her. Was there anyone who could help her? John Holbrook, maybe. But he was far away in Massachusetts. Nat Eaton? He was halfway down the river. William? Of course! William could help her! Why hadn’t she thought of him before? William had a position in this town. The thought calmed her. She imagined him coming to save her. Dear reliable William! Perhaps he would come tonight. Kit sat down on the floor and waited for William. But it was Rachel who finally came instead. Long after dark Kit heard her whisper outside the shed wall. “Kit? Can you hear me? Are you all right?”

“Yes! Oh, Aunt Rachel, I’m so sorry! They’ll never forgive me. What do they do to witches?”

“Nothing, child,” whispered Rachel. “They won’t do anything to you. We’ll think of something. The questioning will be in the morning. If there’s something you haven’t told, you must tell them everything.”

Encouraged by her aunt’s visit, Kit now felt less panicky. She sat down and thought about her chances. Nobody in the town would have much sympathy for her. Goodwife Cruff had hated Kit since that first day on the Dolphin. What if they discovered that Prudence too had visited Hannah? What had poor Hannah ever done to harm these people? But Kit had promised the poor child that it’d all be all right. How could she have been so stupid?

Chapter Nineteen

The next morning the constable took Kit to the Town House. The building was full of people. At a table at the end of the room sat Captain Talcott and a group of town selectmen. Her uncle sat in his place among them, frowning. At the opposite end of the table sat the two ministers, Reverend John Woodbridge and Dr. Gershom Bulkeley, both known for their sermons against witchcraft. Kit’s heart sank. There was no one, no one in the whole room, except her uncle, who would defend her. William had not come.

Soon Captain Talcott began his speech: “We have come here to question Mistress Katherine Tyler, of Barbados, who is accused by witnesses of the practice of witchcraft. Mistress Tyler, come forward.” Kit got up and stood facing the magistrate across the table.

“Listen to the charge against you.” A clerk read ridiculous statements which, to Kit’s horror, ended with the words “for which by the law of God and the law of the Colony you deserve to die”. Then the clerk continued: “Mistress Tyler, you are accused by Goodman Cruff with the following. Firstly, you were a friend and companion of the Widow Hannah Tupper of Blackbird Pond, an alleged witch who has disappeared in a suspicious manner. Secondly, you are guilty of devilish actions, which have caused illness and death in this town.”

The clerk sat down. Captain Talcott looked at the girl before him. “Mistress Tyler,” he said, “you have heard the complaints against you. Is it true that you were a friend and companion of the Widow Tupper and that you have entered her house and visited her?”

“Yes, sir,” Kit managed to say.

“Is it true that you and the Widow Tupper practiced enchantments to cause mischief to other people?”

“No, sir! I don’t know what you mean by enchantments.”

At this moment Matthew Wood jumped suddenly to his feet. “I protest!” he shouted.

“Matthew Wood, were these visits to the Widow Tupper taken with your approval?” asked Captain Talcott.

“No, I had no knowledge of them,” Matthew admitted. “And I forbade her to go. But the girl has been disobedient and thoughtless at times. That’s because of her upbringing. But I swear before all that the girl is no witch.”

Now Goodwife Cruff rose to her feet. “Sir, I’ve something to say,” she announced. “I’ve got here what was found in the widow’s house that night.” With these words she took an object from her pocket. It was not the book, as Kit had expected. It was the little copybook.

“Look at that!” Goodwife Cruff demanded. “What do you say about that? My Prudence’s name is written over and over. It’s a spell!”

The magistrate took the copybook. “Does this book belong to you, Mistress Tyler? Did you write this name?”

“Yes, sir,” Kit managed to say again. She could hardly stand. “I wrote the name.”

Matthew Wood covered his eyes with his hand. He looked old and ill.

“Why did you write a child’s name like that? This is a serious matter. You must explain to us why you chose this child’s name.”

Kit was silent. All men and women in the hall jumped to their feet, screaming, “She won’t answer! She’s guilty! She’s a witch! Hang her! Put her to the water test!”

Meanwhile, Gershom Bulkeley quietly took the copybook and studied it carefully. Then he whispered something to the magistrate. Captain Talcott announced, “Silence now! This case will be taken to court in Hartford!”

“Wait a minute, Captain!” called a voice. “There’s a man here who says he has an important witness for the case.”

Kit turned slowly to face a newcomer. At the door of the room stood Nat Eaton. Beside him, holding his hand stood Prudence Cruff. Nat! Kit immediately felt joy and relief.

“Where is the witness?” the magistrate asked. Nat put his hands on the child’s shoulders and gently pushed her forward. “Come here, child,” the magistrate said. Prudence walked straight to the magistrate’s table. There was something strange about her. She was not afraid!

“We will ask you some questions, Prudence,” said the magistrate quietly. “Do you know this young woman?”

“Yes sir,” whispered Prudence. “She is my teacher. She taught me to read.”

“Where did she teach you?”

“At Hannah’s house in the meadow.”

Goodwife Cruff screamed loudly from across the room.

“Do you mean Mistress Tyler took you to Hannah Tupper’s house?”

“The first time she took me there. After that I went by myself.”

It is all over, thought Kit. Gershom Bulkeley still held the little copybook. He passed the book to Captain Talcott. “Have you ever seen this book before?” the magistrate asked the child.

“Yes, sir. Kit gave it to me. I wrote my name in it.”

“That’s a lie!” cried Goodwife Cruff. “The child is bewitched!”

Captain Talcott turned to Kit. “Is it true that the child wrote her own name in this book?”

“It’s true,” Kit answered quietly. “I wrote it for her once and then she copied it.”

The magistrate turned to the child again. “Could you write your name now, do you think?”

“I think so, sir.”

He dipped the quill pen in the ink and gave it to the child. Prudence set the pen on the copybook and started writing. For a moment the room was silent. The magistrate looked at the writing and gave the copybook to Gershom Bulkeley. “Very nice writing, I should say,” Dr. Bulkeley commented, “for a child with no learning.”

“Now Prudence,” the magistrate continued. “You say that Mistress Tyler taught you to read? What sort of reading? What can you read, child?”

“I can read the Bible.”

Dr. Bulkeley picked up the Great Bible from the table and turned the pages thoughtfully. “Read that for us, child, beginning right there.”

Kit held her breath. Then across the silence came the child’s whisper: “Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding…”

Kit felt so proud that she forgot her fear. For the first time she dared to look back at Nat Eaton where he stood near the door. Their eyes met, and suddenly a warm feeling of strength flowed into her.

Everyone in the room was staring at the two Cruff parents who stood with their mouths open in shock and disbelief. Goodwife Cruff’s face darkened. She saw now that she had been tricked. But before she could get at her child, her husband spoke. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “That was really good reading. I’d like to see any boy in this town do better!”

“It’s a trick!” cried his wife. “That child could never read a word in her life! She’s bewitched!”

“Hold your tongue, woman,” shouted her husband back. “I’m tired of hearing about Prudence being bewitched. All these years you’ve been telling me our child was stupid. But look how smart she is! All my life I’ve wished I could read. Now I got someone to read the Good Book to me every evening, and that’s no work of the devil!”

The magistrate had not interrupted this speech. “As I understand, Goodman Cruff, you withdraw your charges against this young woman?”

“Yes,” he answered loudly. “Yes. I withdraw the charges.”

“Adam Cruff!” his wife screamed. “Have you lost your mind? The girl has bewitched you too!”

At the back of the room someone laughed. Was it Nat?

“There is no evidence of witchcraft,” the magistrate announced. “I pronounce that Mistress Katherine Tyler is free and innocent.”

But suddenly Goodwife Cruff found a new target. “That man!” she yelled. “Isn’t he the sailor who was banished from the town for setting fire to houses?” There was a new uproar. The constable looked to the magistrate for orders. “Arrest him,” Captain Talcott said.

“Oh no!” Kit cried in alarm. “You can’t arrest him! He only came back to help me.”

But they were too late. Nat had already left the room unnoticed. “They won’t find him,” a little voice whispered in Kit’s ear. “He told me to say goodbye to you if he had to run away.”

“Prudence!” Kit cried. “How did it all happen?”

“He came and found me this morning. He said he was worried about you, so he came back and heard about the meeting. He said I was the only one who could save you, and he promised he would stay right here and help as long as we needed him.”

“Oh, I’m so grateful to both of you!” Kit was crying again. “I’m so proud of you, Prudence! Will you be all right, do you think?”

“She’ll be all right,” Goodman Cruff said. “Next summer she’ll go to your school, like I always wanted.”

Matthew Wood walked up to Kit. “Let us end all this,” he said. “With your permission, Captain, I shall take Katherine home.”

Chapter Twenty

On the day of the first snowfall Mercy got out of bed. “I love the first snow better than anything else in the world,” she said, her eyes thoughtful and sad. “It’s so beautiful, and it makes the house seem so warm and safe. I can’t imagine that you, Kit, have never seen snow before!”

Kit watched the falling white snowflakes and felt confused. For a moment she shared Mercy’s excitement. But then she decided that she liked palm trees, green leaves, flowers and a bright warm sun much more. Would she ever see them again?

That evening, for the first time since Kit’s arrest, William came to see her. He had stayed away, he explained, because of the illness in the house. He politely asked about Mercy’s health. Kit pretended that she was preoccupied with some chores, so it was Judith who kept the conversation going. “I hope John gets back soon,” she said finally.

“They say in the town that there’s been no word from them since they stopped at Hadley. There’re Indians there, you know.”

Judith stared at William, shocked. Mercy closed her eyes. “I’m surprised you are spreading rumors, William,” Aunt Rachel scolded him.

When it was late and William stood up to go home, Kit was sent to lock the door after him.

“I’ve missed you, Kit!” said William when they were alone in the hallway. “You don’t seem very happy to see me.”

Kit said nothing. How could she say that there had been a time when she had desperately needed him? But there was something more on William’s mind. “Everyone in the town knows that you meant well, and now you can make a fresh start,” he continued.

Kit looked down. “What do you mean by a fresh start?” she asked quietly.

“The Widow Tupper is gone, and it won’t be necessary to see much of the Cruff child. I’m not speaking against charity,” he continued. “We need to care for the poor. But you overdo it.”

“But it wasn’t charity!” Kit exclaimed. “Hannah and Prudence are my friends!”

“Oh, Kit,” said William. “I didn’t want to quarrel with you tonight. But from my point of view, no man would like an unpredictable wife.”

“Then it’s no use, William,” Kit said. She had had a long time to think that night on the riverbank and the night in the constable’s shed. She had never made any decision, but suddenly now it was all clear to her. “You and I would always misunderstand each other. We would always want to change each other. I’m sorry, but I could never care about the things that seem so important to you as you could never care about the things important to me.”

“The house isn’t important to you?” William asked slowly.

“It is,” she admitted. “But not if it means that I can’t choose my own friends.”

William did not seem surprised, only very sad. “Perhaps you’re right, Kit,” he agreed. “I’ve hoped all this year that you would change and learn to fit in here. But now I think I won’t be coming again.”

Kit simply nodded. Then William opened the door and was gone.

Now they seldom had any visitors. During dull winter evenings Kit felt absolutely lonely and wished she would go back to Barbados.

Then terrible news arrived. Two Wethersfield militia men returned from Massachusetts and told a story that on the way back they were attacked by Indians. Four men had been killed and a couple others were injured. These two men managed to escape, but the rest of the party had been taken captive. One of the captives was the young fellow who had been studying with the doctor, John Holbrook. Poor Judith cried for days, and curiously it was William who came to comfort and support her. But of course no one except Kit knew about the grief of Mercy. Kit was thinking about telling her that John loved her, but then she decided against it. Someday the time would come when Mercy could know.

The Christmas season passed, unnoticed, because there was no holiday in this Puritan town, no feast, no gifts. The days went by like any other, filled with work. January passed by, and then February. Kit often thought about Hannah. How was she now? Kit hoped that it was warm and cozy at Nat’s grandmother’s house. She also thought about the Dolphin. Nat had offered to take her with him. What if she had accepted his offer? If she had never come back, would anyone here in this house really have missed her? By now she would be in Barbados. At this very moment she might be already… But she should stop daydreaming. The house was sold, and she was here in New England, and perhaps Nat’s offer had never been serious at all.

But one night she woke from a vivid dream. She dreamed that she and Nat had stood side by side on the deck of the Dolphin, watching the waves. They came into a harbor, and she could already see beautiful palm trees and flowers on the shore. She woke up in the darkness and admitted at last that she wanted to go back. She wanted to go home where green things are growing and never see this snow again! Her tears were streaming down her cheeks, and now she’s made a decision.

After that night, all through the days, Kit started thinking about her plan and the way to tell her family that her mind was made up. Kit hoped that the family would be a little relieved because she had brought so much trouble to them. Well, at least Judith will be happy to have Kit out of the way. Kit had watched William’s face at the Meeting, and she knew that he was only politely taking his time before beginning to court Judith. And Judith knew this very well, too. Indeed, Judith belonged in the new house built by William. Somehow all three of them, she and William and Judith, had really known that all along.

In March the daylight hours, finally, grew longer. One late afternoon, when the family was preparing for supper, there was a knock on the door. “See who it is, Kit,” said Rachel. Kit went into the hallway and opened the door. A thin, ragged figure stood on the doorway. Without a word the man went straight into the kitchen. Judith suddenly dropped a wooden bowl. Rachel came forward, alarmed. The man did not even notice them. His eyes were fixed on Mercy where she sat by the fireplace, and her own eyes stared back, enormous in her white face. Then John Holbrook, because it was him, walked across the room and knelt down in front of Mercy’s chair.

Chapter Twenty-One

In April two marriage intentions were announced in the Meeting House. John Holbrook and Mercy Wood. William Ashby and Judith Wood. The Wood household was busy from morning till night as there was so much to do to prepare for the double wedding that was set for early May.

William’s house was nearly finished. Now he ordered a very expensive set of furniture. Judith knew where every piece would go in the new house, and how to care for each lovely thing. She and William spent their evenings in happy planning, and their happiness was good to see.

Mercy and John had already decided that at least for the first year they would share the Woods’ big house. John had resumed his studies with Dr. Bulkeley. The young man never spoke of his captivity, but it undoubtedly made him stronger. By June he would be ready to accept a small parish to the south of Wethersfield.

During all these preparations Kit quietly made her own plans. Her leaving would be a shock to them, she knew. But there was no real place for her here. The ice on the river gradually thinned and disappeared, and boats began their daily journeys. One afternoon Kit went to the attic to look through her seven trunks. The fine dresses must serve a purpose now. Would they bring enough money to pay her passage on a ship? Surely in Hartford, or even here in Wethersfield, she would find some buyers. But then she stopped and remembered her first day in this house and how lovely Judith looked in the green dress. Kit took it out and put it aside. Then she thoughtfully chose another blue one. These two would be her wedding presents to the girls.

Now all Kit’s thoughts were about Barbados. She would not go back as Sir Francis Tyler’s granddaughter. She would go as a single woman who must work for her living. She could probably work as a governess in one of the wealthy families. She liked teaching children, and there might be a library where she could enjoy reading books. Whatever happens, there will be the blue sky, warmth, fragrance and beauty that she longed for.

One day in April Kit walked alone the road from where she could see the Meadows and, suddenly, she felt strangely homesick. Hannah’s little cottage had been very dear to her. Maybe she did not want to leave this place after all? What if she never walked in the Meadows again? What if she never sat in the kitchen with Mercy or saw Judith in the new house? What if she never saw Nat Eaton again?

Suddenly Kit was crying. She tried to remember her dream again and how it had felt to stand on the deck of the Dolphin in the harbor of Barbados. Why hadn’t she seen the true meaning of the dream? The happiness of that moment had come not from the sight of the harbor at all, but from the one she loved who stood beside her! If only she could go with Nat, she realized now, it wouldn’t matter where they went, to Barbados or just up and down this river. The Dolphin would be home enough. It was not escape that she had dreamed about, it was love. And love was Nat. It must have been Nat from the very beginning! Nat is New England, too, just like the Meadows, John Holbrook or Uncle Matthew. Was it too late? He asked her to go, but did he mean it? Was it only because she was in trouble? And then he came back again to help her…

From that moment Kit stopped planning at all and only waited. She met every ship that came up the river. How beautiful these proud little sailing ships were! Yet every new ship brought only disappointment. Why did the Dolphin not come?

On the first day of May, Kit saw a nice little ketch, fresh-painted, with clean white canvas. It must have been new. A sailor in a blue coat bent to check something, and, as he straightened up, even before he turned, Kit recognized him immediately and started running. “Nat!” she shouted on the way. He turned and saw her, and then he was running, too. When they stopped facing each other, he caught her hands, “Kit? It is Kit, isn’t it? Not Mistress Ashby?”

“Oh no, Nat! No! How is Hannah?”

“Fine. She and Grandma have been a nice company for each other.”

“And the Dolphin? Did something happen to her?”

“Nothing serious. She’s being repaired at the shipyard. What do you think of this new ketch?”

“She’s lovely. She’s beautiful, even more beautiful than the Dolphin! But Nat, do you mean she’s yours?”

“Just a few more payments and by the end of the summer she’ll be mine. Have you noticed her name?”

Kit turned to see the painted letters. “The Witch! How did you dare? Does Hannah know?”

“Oh, she’s not named after Hannah. I hadn’t gone far down the river that day before I knew I’d left the real witch behind.”

Kit’s cheeks turned red, and she asked quietly, “Will you take me on board?”

“No, not yet! I want to see your uncle first. Kit, will he think it is good enough? There’ll be a house someday, in Saybrook, or here in Wethersfield if you like. I’ve thought of nothing else all winter. In November we’ll sail south, to the Indies. And in the summer…”

“In the summer Hannah and I will have a garden!”

“As you wish. Must we stay here any longer? Aren’t you going to invite me home with you?”

“Captain Eaton, I’d be happy to invite you,” Kit laughed with happiness. She took the arm he offered, but yet she looked back again. “I want to see the ketch. Please, Nat, before we go! I just can’t wait to see it!”

“No,” Nat said again, turning toward the road. “Now you’ll have to wait a little more. When I take you on board the Witch, it’s going to be for ever.”

Vocabulary

Abbreviations

adj – adjective (прилагательное)

adv – adverb (наречие)

n – noun (существительное)

v – verb (глагол)

Сокращения

амер. – американизм

бот. – ботанический термин

зоол. – зоологический термин

ист. – исторический термин

мор. – морской термин

A

accept v соглашаться, принимать

accuse (of) v обвинять

acquainted adj знакомый

admire 1) v восхищаться, любоваться; 2) n ~ation восхищение

admit v признать

advantage n преимущество, выгода, польза; take – of воспользоваться

advise v советовать

alarm 1) n тревога, волнение; 2) ~ed adj встревоженный, взволнованный

alleged adj предполагаемый, мнимый

allow v разрешать, позволять

aloud adv вслух

amaze 1) v поражать, удивлять; 2) n ~ment изумление, удивление

ambitious adj честолюбивый

anchor n якорь

anger 1) n гнев, злость; 2) v сердить

angrily adv сердито, злобно

annex v присоединять, включать в состав

announce v объявлять, сообщать

anxiously adv тревожно, взволнованно

apologize v извиняться

appoint 1) v назначать; 2) ~ed adj назначенный

approve 1) v одобрять; 2) ~al n одобрение

arrest 1) n арест; 2) v арестовывать, задерживать

arrive 1) v прибывать, приезжать; 2) ~al n приезд, прибытие

ashamed adj пристыженный

aside adv в сторону

assembly n собрание

assist v помогать

astonish 1) v поражать, удивлять; 2) ~ed adj поражённый, изумлённый; 3) ~ment n удивление, изумление

atmosphere n обстановка, атмосфера

attend v посещать

attention n внимание

attic n чердак

avoid v избегать

awkward adj неловкий, неудобный

B

bachelor n холостяк

banish v изгонять, прогонять

bear v (bore, borne) терпеть, выносить

beg v умолять, просить

bell n колокол

bench n скамья

bend v (bent, bent) нагибаться, сгибаться

bewitched adj околдованный

biblical adj библейский

blackbird n (зоол.) чёрный дрозд

blame v винить, обвинять

blanket n одеяло

bless v благословлять

blister n волдырь

bloodshed n кровопролитие

blueberry n черника

bonnet n шляпка, капор

bow 1) n бант; 2) n поклон; 3) v кланяться

bowl n миска

brand v выжигать клеймо, клеймить

bravely adv храбро, отважно

breathing n дыхание

bride n невеста

briefly adv коротко, кратко

brigantine n (мор.) бригантина, двухмачтовое судно

bronze adj бронзовый

brook n ручей

bulb n (бот.) луковица

bunch n букет

burn 1) v (burnt, burnt) жечь, гореть; 2) n ожог

buyer n покупатель

C

cabin 1) n (мор.) каюта; 2) n хижина

cancel v отменять

candle n свеча; ~light n свет от свечи; ~stick n подсвечник

canvas n (мор.) парус

captive 1) n пленник; 2) ~ate v пленять, очаровывать; 3) ~ity n плен

capture v захватывать в плен

carding n чесание шерсти

carefully adv осторожно, аккуратно

cargo n груз

case n дело, случай

cause 1) n причина; 2) v причинять

certainly adv несомненно, безусловно

chain n цепь

charge 1) v (with) обвинять; 2) n обвинение

charity n благотворительность

charm n обаяние, шарм

charter n хартия, грамота; разрешение

cheek n щека

cheerful 1) adj радостный; 2) ~ly adv радостно

chest 1) n сундук; 2) n грудная клетка

chilly adj прохладный

choosy adj разборчивый, привередливый

chore n рутинная работа по дому

circle n круг

citizen n гражданин

clearing n лужайка, поляна

clergyman n священник

clerk n писарь

cloud n облако

colorless adj бесцветный

comfort v утешать

comment v высказывать мнение

companion n товарищ, спутник

compare v сравнивать

complain 1) v жаловаться; 2) ~t n жалоба

complicated adj сложный, запутанный

concentrate v сосредоточиваться

confidently adv уверенно

confuse 1) v смущать, путать; 2) ~ed adj озадаченный, сбитый с толку; 3) ~ion n смущение, замешательство

congratulate v поздравлять

conscience n совесть

consequence n последствие

constable n констебль, страж порядка

contempt n презрение

continue v продолжать

conversation n разговор

copybook n пропись, тетрадь

corn n (бот.) кукуруза

correct v исправлять, поправлять

cough v кашлять

council n совет (орган власти)

couple n пара

courage n смелость, храбрость

court 1) v ухаживать, добиваться; 2) n суд

cover 1) n покрывало, покрытие; 2) v укрывать, накрывать

creep v (crept, crept) красться

crop n урожай

crowd n толпа

crutch n костыль

cure n лекарство, средство

curious 1) adj любопытный; 2) ~ly adv любопытно, странно, с любопытством

curl 1) n локон, завиток; 2) ~y adj кудрявый

curse n проклятие

D

damp adj сырой, влажный

dare v осмелиться, посметь

daydream v грезить, фантазировать

deacon n дьякон, священнослужитель

debt n долг

decide v решать, принимать решение

decision n решение

deck n (мор.) палуба корабля

defeat v побеждать, наносить поражение

defend v защищать

defiant adj дерзкий

delicious adj восхитительный, приятный

deliver v доставлять

demand v требовать

departure n отъезд, отбытие

description n описание

deserve v заслуживать

desperately adv отчаянно

destination n конечный пункт маршрута

destiny n судьба

destroy v разрушать, уничтожать

devil 1) n дьявол; 2) ~ish adj дьявольский

difference n различие, разница

dip v окунать, макать

disappear v исчезать

disappoint 1) v разочаровывать; 2) ~ed adj разочарованный; 3) ~ment n разочарование

disapproval n неодобрение

disbelief n неверие, недоверие

disgrace v позор, унижение

dismiss v распускать, увольнять

disobedient adj непослушный

distant adj отдалённый

distract v отвлекать

dizzy adj испытывающий головокружение

doubt 1) n сомнение; 2) v сомневаться; 3) ~ful adj сомнительный; 4) ~ly adv с сомнением

drown v тонуть

dull adj скучный, пасмурный

E

earn v зарабатывать

embarrass v смущать; ~ment n смущение, стыд

enchantment n колдовство, магия

encourage v ободрять, поддерживать

endless adj бесконечный

enormous adj огромный

enter v входить

escape 1) n спасение, бегство; 2) v спасаться бегством

escort n конвой, охрана

evaporate v испаряться, исчезать

evil 1) n зло; 2) adj злой

excellent adj отличный, превосходный

excitedly adv взволнованно

exclaim v восклицать

exhausted adj измученный, обессиленный

expect v ожидать

experience n опыт

eyebrow n бровь

F

faith n вера

fancy v любить, нравиться

fault n вина

fear 1) n страх; 2) v бояться

feast n празднование

fence n забор, изгородь

ferryboat n (мор.) паром

fever n лихорадка

fierce adj жестокий, свирепый

filthy adj грязный

fine n штраф

fireplace n камин

firm adj жёсткий, решительный, твёрдый

flame n пламя

flax n (бот.) лён

float v всплывать, держаться на поверхности

flood 1) n наводнение, паводок; 2) v затапливать

flow v течь

fog n туман

follow v следовать

forbid v (forbade, forbidden) запрещать

force v заставлять

forgive v (forgave, forgiven) прощать

fragrance n аромат

frame n рама

freedom n свобода

frown v хмуриться

frustrated adj расстроенный

furious adj взбешённый, яростный

G

gasp v открывать рот от удивления

gather 1) v собирать; 2) ~ing n собрание

generosity n щедрость

gently adj осторожно, мягко

giggle v хихикать

glance n взгляд

gloves n pl перчатки

glow n зарево, свет

goat n коза

God-fearing adj богобоязненный

goodman n (ист.) глава семьи

goodwife n (ист.) жена главы семьи

gorgeous adj прекрасный

gossip n сплетня, слухи

governess n гувернантка

government n правительство

governor n губернатор

gown n женское платье

gradually adv постепенно

grant n дар; разрешение; грант

grassy adj покрытый травой

grateful adj благодарный

grave 1) adj мрачный; 2) ~ly adv мрачно

greet 1) v приветствовать; 2) ~ing n приветствие

grief n печаль, скорбь

guilty adj виноватый, виновный

H

hallway n коридор, прихожая

handful n горсть

handsome adj красивый

harbor n гавань

harm 1) v причинять вред; 2) ~less adj безвредный

harvest n сбор урожая

hatred n ненависть

helpless adj беспомощный

heretic n еретик, инакомыслящий

hiss v шипеть

hold n (мор.) трюм

holy adj святой

homesick adj тоскующий по дому

honest adj честный

horrified adj ужаснувшийся

horseman n всадник

hospitality n гостеприимство

household n семья, дом

hug v обнимать

hut n хижина

hypocrite n лицемер

I

ignore 1) v пренебрегать; 2) ~ant adj несведущий, незнающий

illness n болезнь

imagine v воображать, представлять

immediately adv немедленно

impatient adj нетерпеливый

impossible adj невозможный

impress v впечатлять

improve v улучшать, улучшаться

impulse 1) n порыв, побуждение; 2) ~ively adv необдуманно

indifferent adj безразличный

injured adj раненый

ink n чернила

innocent adj невиновный

inspect v проверять, инспектировать

inspired adj вдохновлённый

instruct v наставлять, учить

insubordination n неподчинение

insult 1) n оскорбление, обида; 2) v оскорблять

intend v намереваться

intention n намерение

intently adj внимательно, пристально

interrupt v прерывать

J

jail n тюрьма

join v вступать, присоединяться

journey n поездка, путешествие

joy n радость

judgment n суд, приговор

jug n кувшин

jury n суд присяжных

justice n справедливость, правосудие

K

ketch n (мор.) кеч, небольшое двухмачтовое судно

kindness n доброта

kitten n котёнок

kneel v (knelt, knelt) преклонять колени

knight n кавалер одного из высших английских орденов

knock 1) n стук; 2) (on, at) v стучать

L

ladder n приставная лестница

lameness n хромота

lantern n фонарь

late adj покойный

law n закон

laziness n лень

lean v прислоняться

lifeboat n (мор.) спасательная шлюпка

lightness n лёгкость

line n строка, реплика

lonely adj одинокий

long (for) v стремиться, хотеть

lost adj растерянный, потерянный

lot n участок, надел

loyal 1) adj преданный, верный; 2) ~ty n преданность; 3) dis~ adj предательский

M

magistrate n мировой судья

magnificent adj величественный

maid n горничная, служанка

manner n поведение, манера

maple adj (бот.) клён

mass n церковная служба, месса

massive adj большой, крупный

mast n (мор.) мачта корабля

match n пара

matter 1) n вопрос, дело; 2) v иметь значение

meadow n луг

meaning n смысл, суть

meanly adj низко, подло

mention v упоминать

messy adj беспорядочный

militia n (ист.) народное ополчение

minister n священник

miracle n чудо

miraculously adv чудесным образом

misbehave v плохо вести себя

mischief n беда, зло

miserable adj несчастный

misty adj туманный

misunderstand v (misunderstood, misunderstood) неправильно понять

mockery n насмешка

momentary adj мгновенный

monotonous adj скучный, однообразный

mug n кружка

mysterious adj загадочный

N

napkin n салфетка

necessary adj необходимый

newcomer n новоприбывший

niece n племянница

nod v кивать головой

nonsense n чушь, вздор

notice 1) v замечать; 2) n объявление

numb adj онемелый, оцепенелый

O

oak n (бот.) дуб

obviously adv очевидно, явно

offend v оскорблять

offer 1) n предложение; 2) v предлагать

onion n лук

opportunity n возможность

order 1) n приказ; 2) v приказывать

orphan n сирота

overboard adv (мор.) за бортом

overdo v (overdid, overdone) перестараться

overhear v (overheard, overheard) подслушать

overseer n инспектор, смотритель

P

package n свёрток

pane n оконная рама

panic 1) n паника; 2) v паниковать; ~ky adj в панике

parish n церковный приход

pasture n пастбище

patience n терпение

patient 1) adj терпеливый; 2) ~ly adv терпеливо

pause v медлить

payment n платёж, взнос

pence n pl пенни, пенсы (монеты)

permission n разрешение

pile n куча

pillory n (ист.) позорный столб

plague n мор, эпидемия

plain adj простой

pleased adj довольный

pointless adj бессмысленный

politely adv вежливо

pond n пруд

porridge n каша

portion n порция

posh adj аристократический, шикарный

powerful adj сильный, влиятельный

prayer n молитва

preach v поучать, проповедовать

precious adj драгоценный

premonition n предчувствие

preoccupied adj занятый

preparation n приготовление

presence n присутствие

pretend v делать вид, притворяться

priest n священник

privilege n привилегия

promise v обещать

proud adj гордый

prove v доказывать

Proverbs n библейская Книга притчей Соломоновых

psalm n псалом

pulpit n кафедра проповедника в церкви

pumpkin n тыква

punish 1) v наказывать; 2) ~ment n наказание

purpose n цель

puzzled adj озадаченный, сбитый с толку

Q

quarrel v ссориться, спорить

question v ставить под вопрос; допрашивать

quietness n тишина, покой

quill pen n перо для письма

R

ragged adj оборванный

rebellious adj бунтарский

recognize v узнавать

reliable adj надёжный

relief n облегчение

remarkable adj замечательный

repair v чинить

repeat v повторять

repent 1) v раскаиваться; 2) ~ance n раскаяние

replace v заменять

reply v отвечать

respect 1) v уважать; 2) ~able adj почтенный; 3) ~ful adj уважительный; 4) ~fully adv уважительно

responsible adj ответственный

resume v возобновлять

reverence n почтение

Reverend adj преподобный (титул священника)

ribbon n лента

ridiculous adj нелепый, смешной

riverbank n берег реки

robber n грабитель, разбойник

row 1) v грести; 2) n ряд

royal adj королевский

rude adj грубый

rumor n слух, сплетня

S

safely v безопасно

sail 1) v плавать под парусом; 2) ~or n моряк; 3) ~s n pl паруса

salty adj солёный

sandy adj песчаный

Satan n сатана, дьявол

scar n шрам

scared adj испуганный

scarlet adj алый

scenery n природа, пейзаж

scholar n учёный

scold v ругать

scream v кричать, вопить

selectman n (амер.) член городского управления

sermon n проповедь

serve 1) v служить; 2) ~ant n слуга

settle 1) v уладить; поселиться; 2) ~ment n поселение

severely adv жестоко

shade n тень, полумрак

shadow n тень

shame n стыд

share v делить, делиться

shawl n шаль

shed n сарай

shipyard n верфь

shooting n стрельба

shore 1) n побережье; 2) ~line n береговая линия

sigh v вздыхать

sign 1) n знак; 2) v подписывать

silk n шёлк

silly adj глупый

sin 1) n грех; 2) ~ful adj грешный

sink v (sank, sunk) тонуть, затонуть

skill 1) n умение, навык; 2) ~ed adj умелый

slave n раб

slightly adv слегка

sly adj хитрый

snowfall n снегопад

snowflake n снежинка

soil n почва, земля

solemn adj торжественный, мрачный

solution n решение

sow v (sowed, sown) сеять

spare v уделять

speechless adj безмолвный

spell n чары, колдовство

spin v (spun, spun) прясть; ~ing wheel прялка

spoil v (spoilt, spoilt) портить

spread v распространять

spring n родник

stable n конюшня, хлев

statement n заявление, утверждение

stick n палка

stocks n pl (ист.) колодки

stolen adj украденный

straighten v выпрямляться

straw n солома

stream n поток, ручей

strength n сила

struggle 1) n борьба; 2) v бороться

stubborn 1) adj упрямый; 2) ~ness n упрямство

stuffy adj душный

subject (of) n подданный

suggest v предлагать

suitable 1) adj подходящий; 2) un~ adj неподходящий

sullen adj угрюмый, мрачный

sunburned adj выгоревший на солнце, загорелый

sundown n заход солнца

sunset n закат, заход солнца

suppose v полагать, думать

surprisingly adv удивительно

surround v окружать

suspicious 1) adj подозрительный; 2) ~ly adv подозрительно

swamp n болото, низина

swear v (swore, sworn) клясться

sympathy n сочувствие, симпатия

T

tangle v спутывать

tanned adj загорелый

target n объект, цель, мишень

temper n характер

terrify v пугать, ужасать

Thanksgiving Day День благодарения

thatched adj крытый соломой

thirsty adj испытывающий жажду

thoughtfully adv задумчиво, вдумчиво

thoughtlessly adv бездумно

throat n горло

tongue n язык

torch n факел

trading adj торговый

treason n измена, предательство

trial n испытание, суд

trick 1) n трюк, уловка; 2) v обманывать

trouble 1) n беда, неприятность; 2) v беспокоить; 3) ~ed adj беспокойный

true 1) adj верный, правильный; 2) ~ly adv воистину

trunk n дорожный сундук

truth n истина, правда

twilight n сумерки

U

ugly adj уродливый

unbelievably adv невероятно

unclaimed adj невостребованный

uncomfortable adj неудобный

understanding n понимание

undoubtedly adv несомненно

uneasy adj неловкий, неудобный

unexpected adj неожиданный

unhappily adv печально

unnoticed adj незамеченный

unpleasant adj неприятный

unpredictable adj непредсказуемый

upbringing n воспитание

upset adj расстроенный

useful adj полезный

V

vandalize v разрушать, крушить

vanity n тщеславие

victim n жертва

viewer n досмотрщик

violently adv сильно

vivid adj яркий

voice n голос

voyage n морское путешествие

W

wages n pl заработная плата

warehouse n склад

warmth n тепло

warn v предостерегать

wave 1) n волна; 2) v махать (рукой)

weakness n слабость

wedding n свадьба

weed v полоть, пропалывать

wet adj мокрый

whip v сечь, хлестать

whisper 1) n шёпот; 2) v шептать

widen v расширять

widow n вдова

willow n (бот.) ива

wisdom n мудрость

witch n ведьма; ~craft колдовство

withdraw v изымать, забирать

witness 1) n свидетель; 2) v быть свидетелем

wonder v размышлять, удивляться

woolen adj шерстяной

wrap v заворачивать

Примечания

1

Пуританство – крайняя форма протестантизма в англиканской церкви, возникшая в 60-х гг. XVI в. Пуритане (от лат. purus, т. е. чистый) стремились очистить церковь от остатков католицизма и вернуться к Библии в чистом виде. Они находились в оппозиции к королеве Елизавете и её приемникам Стюартам, в том числе к королю Якову (англ. King James), отказавшемуся от проведения реформ. Гонимые властями и завлечённые обещаниями наделов земли, пуритане стали первыми поселенцами в Новом Свете, в частности в Массачусетском заливе, где они основали колонию и создали свою независимую церковь. К сожалению, пуритане привезли с собой из Старого Света мрачный европейский религиозный фольклор – мифы и легенды о колдунах и ведьмах, нашедший в Новой Англии благодатную почву.

2

Квакеры – «Религиозное общество Друзей», христианское движение, возникшее в Англии в середине XVII в.

Content

Elizabeth George Speare / Элизабет Джордж Спир
The Witch of Blackbird Pond / Ведьма с пруда Чёрных Дроздов
Книга для чтения на английском языке в 10–11 классах общеобразовательных учебных заведений
Адаптация и словарь: А. В. Шитова

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Vocabulary

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Примечания