"I suppose when she left Corinth; I have not spoken with her since."
"Is her present illness connected with her Christianity?"
"How can I possibly tell, my son? I have not seen her; mental agitation may have caused it, and her leaving her religion may have caused that; how can I tell?"
"But has magic been used upon her?"
"Not by Christians, decidedly; and I should think, not at all. Her brain is probably over-worked, and she has been suffering from over-excitement: these will frequently cause derangement."
"And you think religion has nothing to do with it?"
"I did not say that, my son; to profess one thing and believe another must occasion uneasiness, until the conscience is dead. I should say, from your account, that Chione is suffering from mental disturbance, brought on by her unfaithfulness to her own convictions. Once a Christian, she must still feel its influence; and unwilling to yield to its teachings, she writhes under its power."
"That is it, that is what her nurses say; she is under the power of the Christians—bewitched by them. Now, that spell must be undone."
"If it is in her own mind, caused by her own act, no one can undo it, as long as her will remains perverse."
"What does this mean?" said Magas.