ted on
the awful wickedness of which the Spaniard was capable. A cold sweat
burst out all over my body.

"What would you have done with this blood?"

"I should have plastered you with it."

"What do you mean by 'plastered'? I don't understand you."

"I will shew you."

As I trembled with fear the old woman opened a casket, a cubit long,
containing a waxen statue of a man lying on his back. My name was written
on it, and though it was badly moulded, my features were recognizable.
The image bore my cross of the Order of the Golden Spur, and the
generative organs were made of an enormous size. At this I burst into a
fit of hysterical laughter, and had to sit down in an arm-chair till it
was over.

As soon as I had got back my breath the sorceress said,

"You laugh, do you? Woe to you if I had bathed you in the bath of blood
mingled according to my art, and more woe still if, after I had bathed
you, I had thrown your image on a burning coal:"

"Is this all?"

"Yes."

"All the apparatus is to become mine for twelve sequins; here they are.
And now, quick! light me a fire that I may melt this monster, and as for
the blood I think I will throw it out of the window."

This was no sooner said than done.

The old woman had been afraid that I should take the bottle and the image
home with me, and use them to her ruin; and she was delighted to see me
melt the image. She told me that I was an angel of goodness, and begged
me not to tell anyone of what had passed between us. I swore I would keep
my own counsel, even with the countess.

I was astonished when she calmly offered to make the countess madly in
love with me for another twelve sequins, but I politely refused and
advised her to abandon her fearful trade if she did not want to be burnt
alive.

I found Clairmont at his post, and I sent him home. In spite of all I had
gone through, I was not sorry to have acquired the information, and to
have followed the advice of the good Capuchin who really believed me to
be in deadly peril. He had doubtless heard of it in the confessional from
the woman who had carried the blood to the witch. Auricular confession
often works miracles of this kind.

I was determined never to let the countess suspect that I had discovered
her criminal project, and I resolved to behave towards her so as to
appease her anger, and to make her forget the cruel insult to which I had
subjected her. It was lucky for me that she believed in sorcery