"Tell me about the muddle," said Old Nancy, swaying the Black Leaf in her hand gently toward the old woman, who seemed compelled to answer.
"In the first place one of us led her"--she jerked her head in the direction of Miss Lydia--"to the wrong lake by mistake, when she was blind--right into that gel's path instead of out of it, and when we found out what had bin done and went to fetch her away from Lake Desolate, we couldn't find her. So, in case she came back to the Lake (which she did) another of us, thinking to cover up the mistake, wrote a letter making believe it was from you, Old Nancy; and the gel would have believed the letter and obeyed it, and everything would have bin all right for us, only something put it into her head not to believe the letter, and so she led the blind woman home and found the Leaf growing in her garden. But even then she would never have got the Leaf if it hadn't bin for those matches of yours, Old Nancy; they do burn," and the old woman held out her right hand across the back of which was a deep red scar. "What put it into your head not to believe that letter?" she asked suddenly of Molly.
"I had seen Miss Lydia's photo at a friend's house, and I recognized her as soon as I saw her beside Lake Desolate--and so I trusted her," Molly answered.
"So that's how it was," nodded the old woman. "Of course we sent for the Pumpkin at once as soon as we found you were on your way to the house, but he did not arrive until you were inside, so we thought we'd catch you coming out."
"Are none of you repentant?" asked Old Nancy. "None of you sorry for all the unhappiness you have caused?"
"Repentant! I should think not," the old woman answered. "No, though we're powerless now--we're not repentant. We had the finest time of our lives; that's so, comrades, ain't it?"
The other spies assented without hesitation.
"Then," said Old Nancy, "it would be best to banish you all, together with your leader, the Grey Pumpkin, out of our world into the Impossible World, where you can do no harm. Is it your wish that I do this?" Old Nancy cried to the crowd.
"Yes, yes. Banish them! Banish them!" the answer came from hundreds of voices; and for a few minutes there was a deafening roar from the people; but as Old Nancy lifted her hand the noise died away and there was silence again.