“You will not?”

“No, a thousand times no, madam.”

At these words my visitor rose hastily, muttered a few incoherent words, appeared suffering from terrible emotion, and then drawing near me with flaming eyes and passionate gestures, repeated: 

“Ah, you will not!  Very good; I now know what I have to do.”

Stupefied by such an outbreak, I looked at her fixedly, and began to suspect the cause of her extraordinary conduct.

“There are two modes of acting,” she said, with terrible volubility, “toward people who devote themselves to magic arts—­ entreaty and menaces.  You would not yield to the first of these means, hence, I must employ the second.  Stay,” she added, “perhaps this will induce you to speak.”

And, lifting up her cloak, she laid her hand on the hilt of a dagger passed through her girdle.  At the same time she suddenly threw back her veil, and displayed features in which all the signs of rage and madness could be traced.  No longer having a doubt as to the person I had to deal with, my first movement was to rise and stand on my guard; but this first feeling overcome, I repented the thought of a struggle with the unhappy woman, and determined on employing a method almost always successful with those deprived of reason.  I pretended to accede to her wishes.

“If it be so, madam, I yield to your request.  Tell me what you require.”

“I have told you, sir; I wish for vengeance, and there is only one method to—­”

Here there was a fresh interruption, and the young lady, calmed by my apparent submission, as well as embarrassed by the request she had to make of me, became again timid and confused.

“Well, madam?”

“Well, sir, I know not how to tell you—­how to explain to you—­but I fancy there are certain means—­certain spells—­which render it impossible—­impossible for a man to be—­unfaithful.”

“I now understand what you wish, madam.  It is a certain magic practice employed in the middle ages.  Nothing is easier, and I will satisfy you.”

Decided on playing the farce to the end, I took down the largest book I could find in my library, turned over the leaves, stopped at a page which I pretended to scan with profound attention, and then addressing the lady, who followed all my movements anxiously,

“Madam,” I said confidentially, “the spell I am going to perform renders it necessary for me to know the name of the person; have the kindness, then, to tell it me.”

“Julian!” she said, in a faint voice.

With all the gravity of a real sorcerer, I solemnly thrust a pin through a lighted candle, and pronounced some cabalistic words.  After which, blowing out the candle, and turning to the poor creature, I said: 

“Madam, it is done; your wish is accomplished.”