"The Mother Superior, sharing the error of her nuns, had succeeded in opening her door; and, collecting her flock around her, she walked toward the spot whence the noise came, leaning majestically on her abbatical cross."
"Suddenly she perceived a band of masked demons, yelling, howling, and brandishing weapons of every description. But, before she could utter a cry, Don Torribio rushed toward her. 'No noise!' he said. 'We do not wish to do you any harm; we have come, on the contrary, to repair that which you have done.'"
"Dumb with terror at the sight of so many masked men, the women stood as if petrified."
"'What do you want of me?' the Mother Superior stammered, in a trembling voice."
"'You shall know,' the Chief answered; and, turning to one of his men, he said, 'the sulphur matches.'"
"A bandit silently gave him what he asked for."
"'Now listen to me attentively, Señora. Yesterday, a novice belonging to your convent, who some days back refused to take the veil, died suddenly.'"
"The abbess looked around her with a commanding air, and then addressed the man who was speaking to her."
"'I do not know what you mean,' she replied boldly."
"'Very good! I expected that answer. I will go on; this novice, scarcely sixteen years of age, was Doña Laura de Acevedo del Real del Monte; she belonged to one of the first families in the Republic. This morning, her obsequies were performed, with all the ceremony employed on such occasions, in the church of this convent; her body was then lowered, with great pomp, into the vaults reserved for the burial of the nuns.'"