a virgin's innocent hands. I allow my long hair to fall loosely. I place
the extraordinary crown on my head, the circle maximus on my shoulders,
and, seizing the sceptre with one hand, the wonderful knife with the
other, I go down into the yard. There I spread my circle on the ground,
uttering the most barbarous words, and after going round it three times I
jump into the middle.

Squatting down there, I remain a few minutes motionless, then I rise, and
I fix my eyes upon a heavy, dark cloud coming from the west, whilst from
the same quarter the thunder is rumbling loudly. What a sublime genius I
should have appeared in the eyes of my two fools, if, having a short time
before taken notice of the sky in that part of the horizon, I had
announced to them that my operation would be attended by that phenomenon.

The cloud spreads with fearful rapidity, and soon the sky seems covered
with a funeral pall, on which the most vivid flashes of lightning keep
blazing every moment.

Such a storm was a very natural occurrence, and I had no reason to be
astonished at it, but somehow, fear was beginning to creep into me, and I
wished myself in my room. My fright soon increased at the sight of the
lightning, and on hearing the claps of thunder which succeeded each other
with fearful rapidity and seemed to roar over my very head. I then
realized what extraordinary effect fear can have on the mind, for I
fancied that, if I was not annihilated by the fires of heaven which were
flashing all around me, it was only because they could not enter my magic
ring. Thus was I admiring my own deceitful work! That foolish reason
prevented me from leaving the circle in spite of the fear which caused me
to shudder. If it had not been for that belief, the result of a cowardly
fright, I would not have remained one minute where I was, and my hurried