It was pointed out to Potts by Jem Device, who declared it to be a witch-mark, and the spot where her familiar drained her blood.
"This is one of the 'good helps' to the discovery of a witch, pointed out by our sovereign lord the king," said the attorney, narrowly examining the spot.

"'The one,' saith our wise prince, 'is the finding of their mark, and the trying the insensibleness thereof.

The other is their fleeting on the water.' The water-ordeal will come presently, but the insensibility of the mark might be at once attested." "Yeigh, that con soon be tried," cried Jem, with a savage laugh.
And taking a pin from his sleeve, the ruffian plunged it deeply into the poor creature's flesh.

Nance winced, but she set her teeth hardly, and repressed the cry that must otherwise have been wrung from her.
"A clear witch!" cried Jem, drawing forth the pin; "not a drop o' blood flows, an hoo feels nowt!" "Feel nowt ?" rejoined Nance, between her ground teeth.

"May ye ha a pang os sharp i' your cancart eart, ye villain." After this barbarous test, the crowd, confirmed by it in their notions of Nan's guiltiness, hurried on, their numbers increasing as they proceeded along the main street of the village leading towards the river; all the villagers left at home rushing forth on hearing a witch was about to be swum, and when they came within a bow-shot of the stream, Sparshot called to Baggiley to lay hold of Nance, while he himself, accompanied by several of the crowd, ran over the bridge, the part he had to enact requiring him to be on the other side of the water.
Meantime, the main party turned down a little footpath protected by a gate on the left, which led between garden hedges to the grassy banks of the Calder, and in taking this course they passed by the cottage of Elizabeth Device.