Читать книгу Gallybird онлайн

42 страница из 87

"No, but there's good room for your daughters, and we shall enjoy having so much young company. Come up to the house and let my wife tell you what we've been talking of."

They had already started to walk, Gervase's long legs setting a pace that gave his brother hard work to keep up with him and made John Douce fall behind.

"We shall all agree together well enough," continued Charles.

"And you will take my books?"

"I wouldn't take you without 'em, and you shall have the east room to study in—it's quiet and away from the rest. You'll be a happier man when you can sit among your books instead of having to go forth into stinking cottages to look at sores and boils or into a cold church to read prayers to witches."

"I read no prayers to witches."

"What! Has no one told you that Goody Munskull is a witch——"

"Nay, I'd never listen to such rank talk."

"But our neighbour Austen was telling me only last night at dinner that the goody's a witch and keeps a little cow no bigger than a cat."

"Foh! there speaks our learned magistrate, our English Squire, with a nose as good for a witch as for a fox."