e
Nuns crossed themselves, and hastened to repeat their prayers against
evil Spirits. Lorenzo listened attentively. He even thought that He
could distinguish sounds, as of one speaking in complaint; But distance
rendered them inarticulate. The noise seemed to come from the midst of
the small Vault in which He and the Nuns then were, and which a
multitude of passages branching out in various directions, formed into
a sort of Star. Lorenzo's curiosity which was ever awake, made him
anxious to solve this mystery. He desired that silence might be kept.
The Nuns obeyed him. All was hushed, till the general stillness was
again disturbed by the groaning, which was repeated several times
successively. He perceived it to be most audible, when upon following
the sound He was conducted close to the shrine of St. Clare:

'The noise comes from hence,' said He; 'Whose is this Statue?'

Helena, to whom He addressed the question, paused for a moment.
Suddenly She clapped her hands together.

'Aye!' cried She, 'it must be so. I have discovered the meaning of
these groans.'

The Nuns crowded round her, and besought her eagerly to explain
herself. She gravely replied that for time immemorial the Statue had
been famous for performing miracles: From this She inferred that the
Saint was concerned at the conflagration of a Convent which She
protected, and expressed her grief by audible lamentations. Not having
equal faith in the miraculous Saint, Lorenzo did not think this
solution of the mystery quite so satisfactory, as the Nuns, who
subscribed to it without hesitation. In one point, 'tis true, that He
agreed with Helena.

He suspected that the groans proceeded from the Statue: The more He
listened, the more was He confirmed in this idea. He drew nearer to
the Image, designing to inspect it more closely: But perceiving his
intention, the Nuns besought him for God's sake to desist, since if He
touched the Statue, his death was inevitable.

'And in what consists the danger?' said He.

'Mother of God! In what?' replied Helena, ever eager to relate a
miraculous adventure; 'If you had only heard the hundredth part of
those marvellous Stories about this Statue which the Domina used to
recount! She assured us often and often, that if we only dared to lay
a finger upon it, we might expect the most fatal consequences. Among
other things She told us that a Robber having entered these Vaults by
night, He observed yonder Ruby,