cutioner
paused before he proceeded to the extraordinary question. Instead of the
trestle two feet and a half high on which she lay, they passed under her
body a trestle of three and a half feet, which gave the body a greater
arch, and as this was done without lengthening the ropes, her limbs were
still further stretched, and the bonds, tightly straining at wrists and
ankles, penetrated the flesh and made the blood run. The question began
once more, interrupted by the demands of the registrar and the answers of
the sufferer. Her cries seemed not even to be heard.

"On the large trestle, during the stretching, she said several times, 'O
God, you tear me to, pieces! Lord, pardon me! Lord, have mercy upon
me!'

"Asked if she had nothing more to tell regarding her accomplices, she
said they might kill her, but she would not tell a lie that would destroy
her soul.

"The water was given, she moved about a little, but would not speak.

"Admonished that she should tell the composition of the poisons and their
antidotes, she said that she did not know what was in them; the only
thing she could recall was toads; that Sainte-Croix never revealed his
secret to her; that she did not believe he made them himself, but had
them prepared by Glazer; she seemed to remember that some of them
contained nothing but rarefied arsenic; that as to an antidote, she knew
of no other than milk; and Sainte-Croix had told her that if one had
taken milk in the morning, and on the first onset of the poison took
another glassful, one would have nothing to fear.

"Admonished to say if she could add anything further, she said she had
now told everything; and if they killed her, they could not extract
anything more.

"More water was given; she writhed a little, and said she was dead, but
nothing more.

"More water was given; she writhed more violently, but would say no more.

"Yet again water was given; writhing and twisting, she said, with a deep
groan, 'O my God, I am killed!' but would speak no more."

Then they tortured her no further: she was let down, untied, and placed
before the fire in the usual manner. While there, close to the fire,
lying on the mattress, she was visited by the good doctor, who, feeling
he could not bear to witness the spectacle just described, had asked her
leave to retire, that he might say a mass for her, that God might grant
her patience and courage. It is plain that the good priest had not
prayed in vain.