“There is no mercy, you are damned for ever and ever. Amen. Now hear: excommunicabo te—”
“Stop—stop—have you the paper ready?”
“’Tis here, all ready, by which you revoke all former wills, and endow the holy church with your property. We will read it, for God forbid that it should be said that the holy church received an involuntary gift.”
“I will sign it,” replied the dying man; “but my sight fails me; be quick, absolve me.” And the paper was signed, with difficulty, as the priests supported the dying man. “And now—absolve me.”
“I do absolve thee,” replied the priest, who then went through the ceremony.
“Now this is a confounded rascally business,” said Jack to himself; who then dropped his cloak, jumped upon the window-sill, opened wide the window-curtains with both hands, and uttered a yelling kind of “ha! ha! ha! ha!”
The priests turned round, saw the demon, as they imagined—dropped the paper on the table, and threw themselves with their faces on the floor.
“Exorciso te,” stammered one.
“Ha! ha! ha! ha!” repeated Jack, entering the room, and taking up the paper, which he burned by the flame of the candle. Our hero looked at the old man on the bed; his jaw had fallen, his eyes were turned. He was dead. Jack then gave one more “ha! ha! ha! ha!” to keep the priests in their places, blew out the candles, made a spring out of the window, caught up his cloak, and disappeared as fast as his legs could carry him.
Jack ran until he was out of breath, and then he stopped, and sat down by the side of the road. It was broad moonlight, and Jack knew not where he was; “but Minorca has not many high-roads,” thought Jack, “and I shall find my way home. Now let me see—I have done some good this evening. I have prevented those rogues from disinheriting a family. I wonder who they are; they ought to be infinitely obliged to me. But if the priests find me out, what shall I do? I never dare come on shore again—they’d have me in the inquisition. I wonder where I am,” said Jack; “I will get on that hill, and see if I can take a departure.”