"
The story was begun again and again.
"Veronica's counterpart an angel, with luminous tints in his flesh;
Angela's a child drowned in Noah's flood! But--" The Prioress checked
her words. Had all the novices taken leave of their senses? Had they
gone mad?... It looked like it. Anyhow, this kind of thing must be
put a stop to and at once. She must get the whole truth out of this
stupid girl at her feet, who blubbered out her story, obviously
trying to escape punishment by incriminating others.
"So you were praying that an angel might visit you; but what came was
quite different?"
"Mother, Mother!" howled Cecilia; "it was a dwarf, but I didn't want
him in my bed. I've been punished enough.... Anything more horrible--"
"In your bed!... anything so horrible? What do you mean?"
"Am I to tell you? Must I?"
"Certainly."
"After all, it was only a dream."
"Go on."
"First I was awakened by a smell coming down the chimney."
"But there are no chimneys."
"I'm telling what I thought. There was a smell, which sometimes
seemed to collect in one corner of the room, sometimes in another. At
last it seemed to come from under the bed and... he crawled out."
"Who crawled out!"
"The dwarf--a creature with a huge head and rolling eyes and a great
tongue.
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