onday morning, the thirteenth of August, Ti Marto recalled I had just begun hoeing my land when I was called home. As I entered the house I saw a group of strangers standing there, but that no longer surprised me. What did surprise me was finding my wife in the kitchen looking so worried. She didn't say a word, only motioned me to go to the front room. ' Why the hurry ? I said good and loud. But she keep waving me away. Still drying my hands, I went into the room, and who was there the Magistrate ! ' So you are here ! I said. ' Yes, of course, I want to see the miracle, too. My heart warned me that something was wrong. ' Well let's go he said, ' I'll take the children with me in my carriage. As Thomas said, 'seeing is believing' He was uneasy and glanced about nervously. ' Haven't the children come home yet ? Time is passing. You had better call them ! They don't have to be called. They know when they are supposed to bring back the sheep and get ready. The children arrived almost at once and the Magistrate began urging them to go in his carriage. The children kept insisting it was not necessary............In the carriage, Lucia spoke first, though timidly, " This is not the way to the Cova da Iria. The Magistrate tried to make the children believe that he was taking them first to see the Pastor of the church at Oure'm to consult with him. As they rode away, the people along the road realized that he was stealing the children and stoned him. Immediately, he covered them with a robe. When he reached his house, gloating over his success, he grabbed the children out the carriage pushed them inside and locked them in a room. " You won't leave this room until you tell me the secret, he warned them. They did not answer him a word. " If they kill us, Jacinta consoled the other two when they were alone, " it doesn't matter. We'll go straight to Heaven. Instead of an executioner with ax in hand the wife of the Magistrate came and proved herself very kind to the three little children... She took them from the room, gave them a good lunch and let them play with her children. She also gave them some picture books to look at.
It is important to note, however, that the interrogation of the children served one purpose that was providential. Since everything became a matter of official record, the Magistrate unwittingly made the existence of a secret revelation undeniable.