shall know in time,' replied He; 'But first I must secure the
Mother St. Ursula.'

'The Mother St. Ursula?' repeated the Domina faintly.

At this moment casting her eyes round, She saw near her Lorenzo and the
Duke, who had followed Don Ramirez.

'Ah! great God!' She cried, clasping her hands together with a frantic
air; 'I am betrayed!'

'Betrayed?' replied St. Ursula, who now arrived conducted by some of
the Archers, and followed by the Nun her Companion in the procession:
'Not betrayed, but discovered. In me recognise your Accuser: You know
not how well I am instructed in your guilt!--Segnor!' She continued,
turning to Don Ramirez; 'I commit myself to your custody. I charge the
Prioress of St. Clare with murder, and stake my life for the justice of
my accusation.'

A general cry of surprize was uttered by the whole Audience, and an
explanation was demanded loudly. The trembling Nuns, terrified at the
noise and universal confusion, had dispersed, and fled different ways.
Some regained the Convent; Others sought refuge in the dwellings of
their Relations; and Many, only sensible of their present danger, and
anxious to escape from the tumult, ran through the Streets, and
wandered, they knew not whither. The lovely Virginia was one of the
first to fly: And in order that She might be better seen and heard,
the People desired that St. Ursula should harangue them from the vacant
Throne. The Nun complied; She ascended the glittering Machine, and
then addressed the surrounding multitude as follows.

'However strange and unseemly may appear my conduct, when considered to
be adopted by a Female and a Nun, necessity will justify it most fully.
A secret, an horrible secret weighs heavy upon my soul: No rest can be
mine till I have revealed it to the world, and satisfied that innocent
blood which calls from the Grave for vengeance. Much have I dared to
gain this opportunity of lightening my conscience. Had I failed in my
attempt to reveal the crime, had the Domina but suspected that the
mystery was none to me, my ruin was inevitable. Angels who watch
unceasingly over those who deserve their favour, have enabled me to
escape detection: I am now at liberty to relate a Tale, whose
circumstances will freeze every honest soul with horror. Mine is the
task to rend the veil from Hypocrisy, and show misguided Parents to
what dangers the Woman is exposed, who falls under the sway of a
monastic Tyrant.

'Among the Vota