Irritated by her indifference, several of the by-standers, who had questioned her as to the nature of her studies, began to mock and jeer her, and endeavoured, by plucking her robe, and casting little pebbles at her, to attract her attention.

Roused at length by these annoyances, she arose; and fixing her large black eyes menacingly upon them, was about to stalk away, when they surrounded and detained her.
"Speak to us, Bess," cried several voices.

"Prophesy--prophesy." "I _will_ speak to you," replied the poor woman, shaking her hand at them, "I _will_ prophesy to you.

And mark me, though ye believe not, my words shall not fall to the ground." "A miracle! a miracle!" shouted the by-standers.

"Bess Orton, who has been silent for twenty years, has found her tongue at last." "I have seen a vision, and dreamed a dream," continued the prophetess.
"As I lay in my cell last night, meditating upon the forlorn state of our religion, and of its professors, methought nineteen shadowy figures stood before me--ay, nineteen--for I counted them thrice--and when I questioned them as to their coming,--for my tongue at first clove to the roof of my mouth, and my lips refused their office,--one of them answered, in a voice which yet rings in my ears, 'We are the chosen deliverers of our fallen and persecuted church.