Dulcibel: A Tale of Old Salem

by Henry Peterson

  CHAPTER XV.

  The Arrest of Dulcibel and Antipas.

  The arrest of Dulcibel had been entirely unexpected to herself and theBuckleys. Dulcibel indeed had wondered, when walking through the villagein the morning, that several persons she knew had seemed to avoidmeeting her. But she was too full of happiness in her recent betrothalto take umbrage or alarm at such an unimportant circumstance. A fewmonths now, and Salem, she hoped, would see her no more forever. Sheknew, for Master Raymond had told her, that there were plenty of placesin the world where life was reasonably gay and sunny and hopeful; notlike this dull valley of the shadow of death in which she was nowliving. Raymond's plan was to get married; sell her property, whichmight take a few months, more or less; and then sail for England, tointroduce his charming wife to a large circle of relatives.

  Dulcibel had been reading a book that Raymond had brought to her--avolume of Shakespeare's plays--a prohibited book among the Puritanfathers, and which would have been made the text for one of MasterParris's most denunciatory sermons if he had known that it was in thevillage. Having finished "Macbeth" she laid the book down upon the tableand began playing with her canary, holding it to her cheek, putting itsbill to her lips, and otherwise fondling it. While she was thus engaged,she began to have the uncomfortable feeling which sensitive personsoften have when some one is watching them; and turning involuntarily tothe window which looked out on a garden at the side of the house, shesaw in the dim light that dark faces, with curious eyes, seemed nearlyto fill up the lower half of the casement. In great surprise, and with asudden tremor, she rose quickly from the seat; and, as she did so, theweird faces and glistening eyes disappeared, and two constables,attended by a crowd of the villagers, entered the room. One of thesewalked at once to her side, and seizing her by the arm said, "I arrestyou, Dulcibel Burton, by the authority of Magistrate Hathorne. Comealong with me."

  "What does all this mean, friend Herrick?" said Goodman Buckley, cominginto the room.

  "It means," said the constable, "that this young woman is no better thanthe other witches, who have been joining hand with Satan against thepeace and dignity of this province." Then, turning to Dame Buckley, "Gether a shawl and bonnet, goodwife; if you do not wish her to go outunprotected in the night's cold."

  "A witch--what nonsense!" said Dame Buckley.

  "Nonsense, is it?" said the other constable. "What is this?" taking upthe book from the table. "A book of plays! profane and wicked stageplays, in Salem village! You had better hold your peace, goodwife; oryou may go to prison yourself for harboring such licentious devices ofSatan in your house."

  Goodwife Buckley started and grew pale. A book of wicked stage-playsunder her roof! She could make no reply, but went off without speakingto pack up a bundle of the accused maiden's clothing.

  "See here!" continued the constable, opening the book, "All aboutwitches, as I thought! He-cat and three other witches!

  'Round about the cauldron go: In the poisoned entrails throw.'

  It is horrible!"

  "Put the accursed book in the fire, Master Taunton," said Herrick.

  There was a small fire burning on the hearth, for the evening was alittle cool, and the other constable threw the book amidst the livecoals; but was surprised to see that it did not flame up rapidly.

  "That is witchcraft, if there ever was witchcraft!" said Jethro Sands,who was at the front of the crowd. "See, it will not burn. The Devillooks out for his own."

  "Yes, we shall have to stay here all night, if we wait for that book toburn up," said Master Herrick. "Now if it had been a Bible, or aPsalm-book, it would have been consumed by this time."

  "My father told me," said one of the crowd, "that they were once sixweeks trying to burn up some witch's book in Holland, and then had totear each leaf separately before they could burn it."

  "Where is the yellow bird--her familiar--that she was sending on somewitch's errand when we were watching at the window?" said another of thecrowd.

  "Oh, it's not likely you will find the yellow bird," replied Herrick."It is halfway down to hell by this time."

  "No, there it is!" cried Jethro Sands, pointing to a ledge over thedoor, where the canary-bird had flown in its fright.

  "Kill it! kill the familiar! Kill the devil's imp!" came in variousvoices, the angry tones being not without an inflection of fear.

  Several pulled out their rapiers. Jethro was the quickest. He made adesperate lunge at the little creature, and impaled it on the point ofhis weapon.

  Dulcibel shook off the hold of the constable and sprang forward. "Oh, mypretty Cherry," she cried, taking the dead bird from the point of therapier. "You wretch! to harm an innocent little creature like that!" andshe smoothed the feathers of the bird and kissed its little head.

  "Take it from her! kill the witch!" cried some rude women in the outercircles of the crowd.

  "Yes, mistress, this is more than good Christian people can be expectedto endure," said constable Herrick, sternly, snatching the bird from herand tossing it into the fire. "Let us see if the imp will burn anyquicker than the book."

  "Ah, she forgot to charm it," said the other constable, as the littlefeathers blazed up in a blue flame.

  "Yes, but note the color," said Jethro. "No Christian bird ever blazedin that color."

  "Neither they ever did!" echoed another, and they looked into eachother's faces and shook their heads solemnly.

  At this moment Antipas Newton was led to the door of the room, in thecustody of another officer. The old man seemed to be taking the wholeproceeding very quietly and patiently, as the Quakers always did. Butthe moment he saw Dulcibel weeping, with Herrick's grasp upon her arm,his whole demeanor changed.

  "What devil's mischief is this?" cried the demented man; and springinglike an enraged lion upon Master Herrick, he dashed him against theopposite wall, tore his constable's staff from his hands and laying thestaff around him wildly and ferociously cleared the room of everybodysave Dulcibel and himself in less time than I have taken to tell it.

  Jethro stepped forward with his drawn rapier to cover the retreat of theconstables; but shouting, "the sword of the Lord and of Gideon!" thederanged man, with the stout oaken staff, dashed the rapier fromJethro's hand, and administered to him a sounding whack over the head,which made the blood come. Then he picked up the rapier and throwing thestaff behind him, laughed wildly as he saw the crowd, constable andall, tumbling out of the door of the next room into the front garden ofthe house as if Satan himself in very deed, were after them.

  "I will teach them how they abuse my pretty little Dulcibel," said thenow thoroughly demented man, laughing grimly. "Come on, ye imps ofSatan, and I will toast you at the end of my fork," he cried,flourishing Jethro's rapier, whose red point, crimson with the blood ofthe canary-bird, seemed to act upon the mind of the old man as a sparkof fire upon tow.

  "Antipas," said Dulcibel, coming forward and gazing sadly into the eyesof her faithful follower, "is it not written, 'Put up thy sword; for hethat takes the sword shall perish by the sword'? Give me the weapon!"

  The old man gazed into her face, at first wonderingly; then, with theinstinct of old reverence and obedience, he handed the rapier to her,crossed his muscular arms over his broad breast, bowed his grisly head,and stood submissively before her.

  "You can return now safely," Dulcibel called out to the constables. Theycame in, at first a little warily. "He is insane; but the spell is overnow for the present. But treat him tenderly, I pray you. When he is inone of these fits, he has the strength of ten men."

  The constables could not help being impressed favorably by the maiden'sconduct; and they treated her with a certain respect and tendernesswhich they had not previously shown, until they had delivered her, andthe afterwards entirely humble and peaceful Antipas, to the keeper ofSalem prison.

  But the crowd said to one another as they sought their houses: "What apowerful witch she must be, to calm down that maniac with one word."While others replied, "But he
is possessed with a devil; and she does itbecause her power is of the devil."

  They did not remember that this was the very course of reasoning used ona somewhat similar occasion against the Savior himself in Galilee!