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The richest of the stories in this vein is ''The Sisterhood of Night,'' in which Millhauser adopts one of his familiar narrative voices -- the affable small-town archivist explaining some local peculiarity to an inquisitive stranger.
It seems that adolescent girls are going out at night in bands, seeking ''dark and secret places.'' Witchcraft is suspected, and also various unspeakable sexual perversions. ''What shall we do with our daughters?'' is the refrain of the adults. ''Tell us! we cry, our voices shrill with love. Tell us everything! Then we will forgive you.'' When the secret is revealed, we at first suspect that a joke is being made about teen-age girls and their ways. On reflection, we discover more complex meanings, to do with privacy, sanctuary and the unknowability of other minds. It is a lovely, haunting story, whose apparent simplicity masks its true depth.
Salem Witch Trials/Hunt:
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