Only then did Purity realize what she had been doing. Cooper was right—she had never let anyone see how easily she understood their feelings. She had held it back, remaining humble.

“By this time tomorrow I expect this girl will be in jail, and in a month she’ll be hanged. The trouble is, when they put her to the question of other witches she’s consorted with, whom do you imagine that she’ll name? A friend? A beloved teacher? She seems to be a decent person, so it won’t be an enemy. No, it’ll be strangers. A papist. A journeyman blacksmith. A barrister who seems to be living in the woods. An American riverman.”

“I’d never accuse you,” she said.

“Oh, well, since you say so,” said Cooper.

Suddenly she was aware of Mike Fink standing directly behind her. She could hear his breathing. Long, slow breaths. He wasn’t even worried. But she knew that he was capable of killing.

Smith sighed. “Well, Very, you’re a quick thinker and you’re right. We can’t just go on with our journey as if it were safe.”

“Yes, you can,” she said. “I don’t normally act like this. I was careless. In the surprise of meeting you here.”

“No,” said Cooper, “it wasn’t meeting us. You were out here walking alone. Oblivious. Blind and deaf. You didn’t hear Al and Arthur splashing like babies in the water. You didn’t hear Mike howling miserable river ballads in his high-pitched hound-dog voice.”

“I wasn’t singing,” said Mike.

“I never said you were,” said Cooper. “Miss—what’s your name again?”

“She never said,” Fink answered.

“Purity,” she said. “My parents named me.”

“Miss Purity, why after all these years of living in humility are you suddenly so careless about showing your knack?”

“I told you, I wasn’t, or I’m not usually, and it’s not a knack anyway, it’s a talent, I’m simply observant, I—”

“Today,” said Cooper. “This hour. Do you think I’m a fool? I grew up in one of the most witch-ridden parts of England. Not because more people had knacks but because more people were watching for them. You don’t last an hour if you’re careless. It’s a good thing you ran into us and not someone you knew. This place is thick with ministers, and you were going to show your knack no matter whom you met.”

Purity was confused. Was he right? Was that why she had fled the college, because she knew that her knack could no longer be hidden?

But why couldn’t it be hidden now? What was driving her to reveal it?

“I believe you may be right,” she said. “I thank you for waking me up to what I was doing. You have nothing to fear now. I’m going to be careful now.”

“Good enough for me,” said Smith.

“No, it isn’t,” said Cooper. “Al, I yield to you on most things, but not on something that’s going to get us caught up in some witch trial.”

Smith laughed. “I’ve done my time setting around waiting for lawyers. There ain’t no jail can hold me or any of my friends.”