ved to keep that
promise. Pere Lactance admitted the justice of the demand, but said as
there were many present who had never seen the superior in convulsions
such as afflicted the possessed, it would be only fair that she should be
exorcised for their satisfaction before binding her. Accordingly he
began to repeat the form of exorcism, and the superior was immediately
attacked by frightful convulsions, which in a few minutes produced
complete exhaustion, so that she fell on her face to the ground, and
turning on her left arm and side, remained motionless some instants,
after which she uttered a low cry, followed by a groan. The physicians
approached her, and Duncan seeing her take away her hand from her left
side, seized her arm, and found that the tips of her fingers were stained
with blood. They then examined her clothing and body, and found her
dress, bodice, and chemise cut through in three places, the cuts being
less than an inch long. There were also three scratches beneath the left
breast, so slight as to be scarcely more than skin deep, the middle one
being a barleycorn in length; still, from all three a sufficient quantity
of blood had oozed to stain the chemise above them.

This time the fraud was so glaring that even de Laubardemont exhibited
some signs of confusion because of the number and quality of the
spectators. He would not, however, allow the doctors to include in their
report their opinion as to the manner in which the wounds were inflicted;
but Grandier protested against this in a Statement of Facts, which he
drew up during the night, and which was distributed next day.

It was as follows:

"That if the superior had not groaned the physicians would not have
removed her clothes, and would have suffered her to be bound, without
having the least idea that the wounds were already made; that then the
exorcists would have commanded the devils to come forth, leaving the
traces they had promised; that the superior would then have gone through
the most extraordinary contortions of which she was capable, and have had
a long fit of, convulsions, at the end of which she would have been
delivered from the three demons, and the wounds would have been found in
her body; that her groans, which had betrayed her, had by God's will
thwarted the best-laid plans of men and devils. Why do you suppose," he
went on to ask, "that clean incised wounds, such as a sharp blade would
make, 'were chosen for a token, seein