But she answered ` No . ' Then he whispered back to her ; ` Nevertheless , I will tell you . It was the yellow cock that crowed . ' The witch , who had noticed the delay in Prunella 's answer , approached her door calling angrily : ` Answer at once , or I will kill you . ' So Prunella answered : ` It was the yellow cock that crowed . ' And the witch stamped her foot and gnashed her teeth . Soon after another cock crowed . ` Tell me now which one it is , ' called the witch . And , prompted by Bensiabel , Prunella answered : ` That is the black cock . ' A few minutes after the crowing was heard again , and the voice of the witch demanding ` Which one was that ? ' And again Prunella implored Bensiabel to help her . But this time he hesitated , for he hoped that Prunella might forget that he was a witch 's son , and promise to give him a kiss . And as he hesitated he heard an agonised cry from the girl : ` Bensiabel , Bensiabel , save me ! The witch is coming , she is close to me , I hear the gnashing of her teeth ! ' With a bound Bensiabel opened his door and flung himself against the witch . He pulled her back with such force that she stumbled , and falling headlong , dropped down dead at the foot of the stairs . CHAPTER I . A NEW DEPARTURE `` I 've thought of something amusing for the winter , '' I said as we drew into a half-circle around the glorious wood-fire in Uncle Alec 's kitchen . It had been a day of wild November wind , closing down into a wet , eerie twilight . Outside , the wind was shrilling at the windows and around the eaves , and the rain was playing on the roof .
The old willow at the gate was writhing in the storm and the orchard was a place of weird music , born of all the tears and fears XXXXX haunt the halls of night .
With after around as at by for on that to