A Break With Charity: A Story About the Salem Witch Trials by Ann Rinaldi Page A

him!"
    "I honor my father, Susanna. But I tremble to see him denouncing our friends and neighbors. We'll not have a friend left when this business is done. I told him so, and we argued fiercely. I am afraid a rift is coming between us that will never heal."
    "I can't do anything about the rift between you and your father, Johnathan," I said. "But you'll have me for a friend. Always."
    He blushed and reached out to touch my hand. Had I spoken rashly? Was he strong enough to go against his father and not be swayed in his opinions? Could he be trusted?
    I did not know. 1 only knew that he needed my friendship at that moment, and I gave it.
    Just then the front door opened roughly and, in the midst of much clatter, Mama and Mary came into the hall. I saw immediately that Mama was distraught. Mary was trying to soothe her.
    "That poor woman," Mama was saying. "What was I supposed to do? Let her sit there alone?"
    "You did the right thing, Mama," Mary was saying.
    "I sealed my own fate, Mary. Did you hear them? I am now a friend of witches! Oh—" She turned, startled. "Oh, I didn't know we had company."
    I ran to her. "Mama, what's happened? Why are you home early from Meeting?"
    "Some Meeting." She handed her cloak and shawl to Deborah. "I will have tea, Deborah. Good and strong. Where is my husband?"
    "In the library, ma'am. Shall I fetch him?" Deborah asked.
    "No, give the man his peace. How are you, Johnathan?"
    "I'm well, ma'am. Is there some trouble? Can I be of help?"
    Mama sank into a chair by the fire. I could see she was wary of Johnathan's presence, mindful of speaking out in front of him. She shook her head no.
    "Mama." I knelt before her. "Johnathan and his father have had a terrible fight over the witchcraft business. Johnathan has come to our way of thinking. You may speak in front of him."
    Mama raised her eyes. "What convinced you to have a change of heart, young man?"
    "I was in court the day they examined Rebecca Nurse. My father and I have been arguing ever since. I think he is ready to disown me as a son," Johnathan said miserably.
    "Well, you may come here for comfort, then, since I miss my own son." Mama accepted tea from Deborah and waited until she left the room. Then she spoke.
    "I never thought I would see such a day in Salem. Sarah Cloyce came to Meeting. You know she is sister to Rebecca Nurse. This is Sacrament Sunday. Sarah was in sore need of solace, since her sister has been named a witch. And what did our congregation do? They shunned her!"
    "Oh, Mama, how terrible," I said.
    "They moved away from her and left her alone in her pew. I could not bear it, so I bade Mary stay in our pew and went to sit beside her. I held her hand. She was trembling. And what text did Reverend Parris read?"
    Johnathan and I waited. Mama raised her blue eyes. They had tears in them. "He read, 'Have I not chosen you twelve and one of you is the Devil?' Well, Sarah begged me to take her out of there. So we left."
    "I left, too," Mary said proudly.
    "As the door was closing," Mama continued, "I heard Reverend Parris say, 'Christ knows how many devils there are in His church and who they are.' Well, I shall never go back to Salem Meeting again, I can tell you."
    "Nor I," Mary announced.
    " 'Friend of witches,' they hissed at me when I left," Mama recounted. "Oh, I shall never forget it."
    "Forget what? What's the commotion?" Father stood in the doorway of the company room. Only then did Mama lose her composure.
    "Oh, Phillip." And she ran to him crying. "I am a friend of witches."
    He held her in his arms while she blurted out her story again.
    "You are the only true Christian amongst them," he pronounced. "Mary, I am prouder of you this day than I have ever been."

    The next day a warrant was issued for the arrest of Sarah Cloyce. The afflicted girls had promptly gone into their fits again, first thing on Monday morning at Ingersoll's Ordinary, accusing Sarah of running out of Meeting on the Lord's Day. Certainly that made