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'This is foolish,' he told hih!'

He dozed off fitfully, into so to attract his attention, and was only dimly aware of the voices of Lord and Lady Felmet on the other side of the door

'It's certainly a lot less draughty,' said the duchess grudgingly

The duke sat back in the armchair and smiled at his wife

'Well?' she demanded 'Where are the witches?'

'The chaht, beloved The witches seeuard came back empty-handed' Handedhe caht

'You must have him executed,' she said promptly 'To make an example to the others'

'A course of action,the last soldier to cut his own throat as an example to himself By the way,' he added mildly, 'there would appear to be somewhat fewer servants around the place You knoould not normally interfere--'

'Then don't,' she snapped 'Housekeeping is under my control I cannot abide slackness'

'I'm sure you know best, but--'

'What of these witches? Will you stand idly by and let trouble seed for thg future? Will you let these witches defy you? What of the crown?'

The duke shrugged 'No doubt it ended in the river,' he said

'And the child? He was given to the witches? Do they do human sacrifice?'

'It would appear not,' said the duke The duchess looked vaguely disappointed

'These witches,' said the duke 'Apparently, they seem to cast a spell on people'

'Well, obviously--'

'Not like a ic spell They seem to be respected They do e The mountain people seem to be afraid of theht be a little difficult to ainst them'

'I could come to believe,' said the duchess darkly, 'that they have cast a glamour over you as well'

In fact the duke was intrigued Poas always darkly fascinating, which hy he had married the duchess in the first place He stared fixedly at the fire

'In fact' said the duchess, who recognised the er I remember ere married; all that business with the knotted rope--'

She snapped her fingers in front of the duke's glazed eyes, He sat up

'Not at all!' he shouted

'Then ill you do?'

'Wait'

'Waif?'

'Wait, and consider Patience is a virtue' The duke sat back The s on a rock And then, just below one eye, he started to twitch Blood was oozing between the bandages on his hand

Once again the full moon rode the clouds

Granny Weatherwax oats, banked me fire put a cloth over the minor and pulled her broomstick out from behind the door She went out, locked the back door behind her, and hung the key on its nail in the privy

This was quite sufficient Only once, in the entire history of witchery in the Rae The witch concerned visited the most terrible punishment on him[4]

Granny sat on the broom and muttered a feords, but without ot off, fiddled with the binding, and had another go There was a suspicion of glitter from one end of the stick, which quickly died away

'Drat,' she said, under her breath

She looked around carefully, in case anyone atching In fact it was only a hunting badger who, hearing the thu feet, poked its head out fro down the path with the brooht, and she ed to vault cluracefully as a duck with one wing

Froainst all dwarfish mechanics

Most witches preferred to live in isolated cottages with the traditional curly chirown thatch Granny Weatherwax approved of this; it was no good being a witch unless you let people know

Nanny Ogg didn't care ht, and lived in a new, knick-knack crae in the middle of Lancre town itself and at the heart of her own private ehters-in-law came in to cook and clean on a sort of rota Every flat surface was stuffed with orna pile stacked, the roof shingled, the chimney swept; the drinks cupboard was always full, the pouch by her rocking chair always stuffed with tobacco Above the hearth was a huge pokerwork sign saying 'Mother' No tyrant in the whole history of the world had ever achieved a do also kept a cat, a huge one-eyed grey torn called Greebo who divided his ti the most enormous incestuous feline tribe He opened his eye like a yello into Hell when he heard Granny's broomstick land aardly on the back lawn With the instinct of his kind he recognised Granny as an inveterate cat-hater and oozed gently under a chair

Magrat was already seated primly by the fire

It is one of the few unbendable rules of e their own appearance for any length of tiradually return to their original shape But Magrat tried Everyit had always returned to its normal worried frizz To ameliorate the effect she had tried to plait violets and cowslips in it The result was not all she had hoped It gave the impression that abox had fallen on her head

'Good evening,' said Granny

'Well rat politely 'MerryMagrat winced

Granny sat down and started re the pins that nailed her tall hat to her bun Finally the sight of Magrat dawned on her

'Magrat!'

The young witch jue of her gown