The Bad Old Woman in Black

                                           byLordDunsany




 The bad old woman in black ran down the street of the
ox-butchers.
  Windows at once were opened high up in those crazy
gables; heads were thrust out: it was she. Then there arose
thecounsel of anxious voices, calling sideways from window
towindow or across to opposite houses. Why was she there
withher sequins and bugles and old black gown? Why had she
lefther dreaded house? On what fell errand she hasted?
 They watched her lean, lithe figure, and the wind in that
oldblack dress, and soon she was gone from the cobbled
streetand under the town's high gateway. She turned at
onceto her right and was hid from the view of the houses.
Then they all ran down to their doors, and small groups
formedon the pavement; there they took counsel together,
theeldest speaking first. Of what they had seen they said
nothing, for there was no doubt it was she; it was of the
futurethey spoke, and the future only.
  In what notorious thing would her errand end? Whatgains
hadtempted her out from her fearful home? What brilliant
butsinful scheme had her genius planned? Above all, what
futureevil did this portend? Thus at first it was only
questions. And then the old grey-beards spoke, each one to
alittle group; they had seen her out before, had known her
whenshe was younger, and had noted the evil things that had
followedher goings: the small groups listened well to their
lowand earnest voices. No one asked questions now or
guessedat her infamous errand, but listened only to the
wiseold men who knew the things that had been, and who told
theyounger men of the dooms that had come before.
 Nobody knew how many times she had left her dreaded
house; but the oldest recounted all the times that they
knew, and the way she had gone each time, and the doom that
hadfollowed her going; and two could remember the
earthquakethat there was in the street of the shearers.
 So were there many tales of the times that were, told on
thepavement near the old green doors by the edge of the
cobbledstreet, and the experience that the aged men had
boughtwith their white hairs might be had cheap by the
young. But from all their experience only this was clear,
thatnever twice in their lives had she done the same
infamousthing, and that the same calamity twice had never
followedher goings. Therefore it seemed that means were
doubtfuland few for finding out what thing was about to
befall; and an ominous feeling of gloom came down on the
streetof the ox-butchers. And in the gloom grew fears of
thevery worst. This comfort they only had when they put
theirfear into words -- that the doom that followed her
goingshad never yet been anticipated. One feared that with
magicshe meant to move the moon; and he would have dammed
thehigh tide on theneighbouring coast, knowing that as the
moonattracted the sea the sea must attract the moon, and
hopingby his device to humble her spells. Another would
havefetched iron bars and clamped them across the street,
rememberingthe earthquake there was in the street of the
shearers. Another would havehonoured his household gods,
thelittle cat-faced idols seated above his hearth, gods to
whommagic was no unusual thing, and, having paid their fees
andhonouredthem well, would have put the whole case before
them. His scheme foundfavour with many, and yet at last
wasrejected, for others ran indoors and brought out their
godstoo, to behonoured , till there was a herd of gods all
seatedthere on the pavement; yet would they havehonoured
themand put their case before them but that a fat man ran
uplast of all, carefully holding under a reverent arm his
owntwo hound-faced gods, though he knew well -- as, indeed,
allmen must -- that they were notoriously at war with the
littlecat-faced idols. And although the animosities
naturalto faith had all been lulled by the crisis, yet a
lookof anger had come into the cat-like faces that no one
dareddisregard, and all perceived that if they stayed a
momentlonger there would be flaming around them the
jealousyof the gods; so each man hastily took his idols
home, leaving the fat man insisting that his hound-faced
godsshould behonoured .
  Then there were schemes again and voicesraised in
debate, and many new dangers feared and new plans made.
  But in the end they made nodefence against danger, for
theyknew not what it would be, but wrote upon parchment as
awarning, and in order that all might know: "*The bad old
womanin black ran down the street of the ox-butchers.*"