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During this speech the abbot had time to recollect himself: he was satisfied with reading the penitent spy a lecture upon the dangers of curiosity, and the meanness of the action in which she had been just discovered. Flora declared herself fully persuaded that she had done wrong; she promised never to be guilty of the same fault again, and was retiring very humble and contrite to Antonia's chamber, when the closet-door was suddenly thrown open, and in rushed Jacintha pale and out of breath.
"Oh! Father! Father!" she cried in a voice almost choked with terror, "What shall I do! What shall I do! Here is a fine piece of work! Nothing but misfortunes! Nothing but dead people, and dying people! Oh! I shall go distracted! I shall go distracted!"
"Speak! Speak!" cried Flora and the monk at the same time; "what has happened? what is the matter?
"Oh! I shall have another corse in my house! Some witch has certainly cast a spellupon
