Robert Frost

I was reading Robert Frost's ghost story poem "The Witch of Coös" today when the thought ocurred to me that the name of the witch's husband, Toffile, might be a pun on the German word for "devil": "Teufel." A quick Google search revealed that a few other readers, some even scholars, had wondered as well. After a couple minute's reflection, however, I couldn't see that the sense of "devil" for "Toffile" enhanced the meaning or advanced the narrative. I therefore dropped the notion from further consideration.