The Funeral Procession

While walking with Carmilla, Laura and her companion encountered a funeral procession for a young peasant girl who had died after claiming to see a ghost. Laura rose to pay her respects, but Carmilla reacted with anger and disgust, covering her ears and denouncing the funeral hymns as discordant. She then experienced a violent, convulsive fit, which she attributed to the 'strangling' effect of the hymns. This was the first time Laura witnessed Carmilla's apparent illness and her callousness toward the local peasants.