Page:Writings of Oscar Wilde - Volume 03.djvu/109

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THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL. 87

Witch laugh, and caught her by the waist, and whirled her madly round and round. Suddenly a dog bayed in the wood, and the dancers stopped, and going up two by two, knelt down, and kissed the man's hands. As they did so, a little smile touched his proud lips, as a bird's wing touches the water and makes it laugh. But there was disdain in it. He kept looking at the young Fisherman. "Come! let us worship," whispered the Witch, and she led him up, and a great desire to do as she besought him seized on him, and he followed her. But when he came close, and without knowing why he did it, he made on his breast the sign of the Cross, and called upon the holy name. No sooner had he done so than the witches screamed like hawks and flew pallid face that had been away, and the watching him The man went twitched with a spasm of pain. over to a little wood, and whistled. A jennet with silver trappings came running to meet him. As he leapt upon the saddle he turned round, and looked at the young Fisherman sadly. And the Witch with the red hair tried to fly

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