In order to proceed with my narrative, I must pass on to the following
day. Feeling slightly indisposed from a fever on waking that
morning--nothing serious, but just enough to prevent me from painting
out-of-doors, as I had intended--I kept my bed later than usual, and
called to my landlady to bring me a basin of broth. As she entered my bedchamber with the steaming fluid, I noticed by the
animated expression of her face that she had news of unusual importance
to communicate to me. "Oh, Signor!" she exclaimed, as she hastened to place the broth on a
table beside me, "what do you think has happened in the village? A
miracle! a miracle! nothing short of a miracle, blessed be the Madonna. _Si Signor_," she added, in answer to a smile that she observed on my
countenance, "one of the most wonderful miracles that ever our blessed
Virgin has deigned to vouchsafe to us, her unworthy servants. Blessed be
her holy name for all eternity!" "Well," said I, calmly sipping my broth, "another miracle! let's hear
it." "Ah! Signor, you do not believe in miracles," said the hostess; "but how
will you deny _this_? Just hear. You may not have heard, perhaps, that
poor Peppe the goatherd died suddenly of a fever, and was laid out in
the church, where he remained all last night. Some robber, towards the
morning, broke into the church, and would have robbed the alms-box. He
had succeeded in unscrewing it from the wall and bursting it open--at
least, I presume so, for how else could he have got to the money?--and
was seated on the ground, counting his gains--a most incredible amount,
chiefly consisting of gold. I am sure I don't know where it all came
from, for only yesterday when I put in a _baiocco_[19] myself, the sound
it made showed me that it was all but empty. Well, as I was saying, he
was counting his gains by the light of the candle, placed at the head of
the corpse, when our blessed lady caused life to return to the defunct,
who, leaping up suddenly from his bier, seized the robber by the throat,
and called aloud for help. Our honest Peppe held the sacrilegious
miscreant as in a vice until the sacristan entered the church to light
the candles. You may imagine, Signor, the dismay of the sacristan at
seeing the corpse that had been laid out in the church all the previous
evening, now resuscitated, and holding in his grasp the wretch who had
attempted to defraud the church of the alms that pious souls had given
to support her. "The worthy sacristan had not recovered from his surprise when the
people began to pour in by twos and threes to hear mass, all of them
starting and falling back in horror at the spectacle before them. "'A miracle! a miracle!' cried the sacristan, at length. 'Behold the
Virgin has been merciful to us. Blessed be the name of the Madonna!' "At that instant the arch-priest himself entered, attired in his robes. "'What is this?' he cried, in astonishment, retreating several steps. 'Holy saints! was not this the corpse laid out in the church last
evening?' "Here the sacristan broke in. "'A miracle, Signor _Arciprete_, a miracle! a most undeniable miracle. I
caught this robber this morning attempting to rob the alms-box, when lo! it pleased the Madonna to give back life to the dead in order to save
her holy church from being violated by sacrilegious hands.' "The good Peppe, still holding fast the robber, informed the arch-priest
and the congregation that every word the sacristan had spoken was true;
that he had been dead, but had been miraculously called back to life
again by the grace of our blessed Lady in order to secure the thief. "'You lie! you lie! You know you lie!' gasped out the burglar, as he
tried to free himself from the iron grasp of the resuscitated corpse. 'Impostor! knave! swindler,' he called out, nearly suffocated by the
firm grip of Peppe. "But his words were lost in the sensation caused by the crowd, who
permitted no explanation on the part of the criminal. The guard having
now arrived, he was walked off to prison amid the execrations of the
crowd. The arch-priest, who, through all this scene had remained
stupefied for a time, as well he might, at length broke silence. "'There is some mystery that I am as yet unable to comprehend. I am
informed by the sacristan that he discovered the burglar in the act of
robbing the alms-box of the church, and the money on the ground that you
all see, he avers to have been taken out of the alms-box. Now, in order
to extract the money from the alms-box the thief must previously have
broken it open, yet I see no marks of violence on the box of any kind. "'Then there is another thing worthy of notice. The alms-box was emptied
only last week, in order to distribute its contents amongst the poor. How comes it now, then, there appears such a large quantity of money,
which, you see, consists chiefly of gold and silver, besides paper
money; and that diamond ring I see, whence is that? I think it will be
found that the heap of money on the ground will be too large a sum to
enter into the box. If it cannot enter, how could it have come out of
it?' "'All the greater miracle,' cried the sacristan, devoutly. "'True, true,' cried the people. 'A double miracle! Great is the power
of the Madonna.' "'Well, well, my people,' said the arch-priest, 'I own that I am puzzled
beyond measure; nevertheless, as it has pleased our gracious Lady to let
us find this goodly sum here in the middle of the church, it is clear
that she has but one intention--namely, that the sum should be
distributed for the glory of her name. Therefore, let the treasure be
replaced in the alms-box for the enlargement and decoration of the
church.' "This decision of their pastor was approved of by the pious flock, and
the sacristan hastened to fill the box with as much of the treasure as
it was capable of containing, while still a large portion remained over. This, together with the diamond ring, the arch-priest took possession
of, declaring that the whole sum should be used for the enlarging and
fitting up of his church." Having concluded her narrative, my worthy hostess perceived something
like a smile of incredulity on my countenance, which seemed rather to
irritate her. However, I comforted her by saying that I would
investigate the matter myself, and if, after a careful and strict
inquiry, I could not account for the whole matter by natural causes, I
would then become as much a believer in the miracle as she was herself. This seemed to pacify her, and she encouraged me in seeking every
possible means to disprove it. Accordingly, in an hour's time I was up
and dressed, and bending my steps towards the township. Part of this
curious tale I had already accounted for in my own mind. That Peppe had
not been dead, but had feigned to be so, that I knew. The supposed
robber I concluded must be Antonio.