“Still, to sustain her in such trials, the Sacrament was left to her.  Satan, knowing this, determined to deprive her of this sustenance, and appeared in the form of these creatures even in the host when she received it.  Finally, to conquer her, he took the form of a huge toad, and established himself in her bosom.  At first Christina fainted with fright, but then God intervened; by His order she wrapped her hand in her sleeve, slipped it between her body and the belly of the reptile, tore away the toad, and flung it on the stones.

“It was dashed to pieces, with a noise, said the saint, like an old shoe.

“These persecutions continued till Advent in 1268; and from that time the plague of filth began.

“Peter of Dacia relates that one evening Christina’s father came to fetch him from his convent in Cologne, and begged him to go with him to his daughter, tormented by the devil.  He and another Dominican, Brother Wipert, set out, and on arriving at Stumbela they found in the haunted hut the Priest of the district, the Reverend Father Godefried, Prior of the Benedictines of Brunwilre, and Cellarer of that convent.  As they stood warming themselves they discoursed of the pestilential incursions of the devil, when suddenly the performance was repeated.  They were all bespattered with filth, Christina being caked with it, to use the Friar’s expression; and ‘strange to say,’ adds Peter of Dacia, ’this matter, which was but warm, burned Christina, raising blisters on her skin.’

“This continued for three days.  At length, one evening, Friar Wipert, quite exasperated, began to recite the prayers for exorcism; but a terrific uproar shook the room, the candles went out, and he was hit in the eye by something so hard that he exclaimed, ’Woe is me!  I am blind of an eye!’

“He was led, feeling his way, into an adjoining room, where the garments they changed were dried, and where water was constantly heated for their ablutions; he was cleansed, and his eye washed.  It had suffered no serious injury, and he returned to the other room to say Matins with the two Benedictines and Peter of Dacia.  But before chanting the service he went up to the patient’s bed and clasped his hands in amazement.

“She was covered with filth indeed, but all was changed.  The smell, which had been supernaturally foul, was changed to angelic fragrance; Christina’s saintly resignation had routed the tempter of souls; and they all joined in praising God.  What do you say to that narrative?”

“It is astounding, certainly; but is this the only instance of such infernal filth?”

“No; in the next century analogous circumstances haunted Elizabeth de Reute, and likewise the Blessed Betha.  Here again Satan allowed himself such filthy sport.  It may also be noted that in modern times acts of the same kind were observed in the house of the Cure d’Ars.”

“But in all this I see nothing to illustrate the symbolism of perfumes,” remarked Durtal.  “At any rate, the subject would seem to be narrow or ill-defined, and the number of odours that can be named is small.