"Mother, you might have let her stay, for my sake."
"I allowed her to see you before she left, and that was the most I
could do, under the circumstances."
"The most you could do under the circumstances? I don't understand.
Mother, you might have asked her to wait. She acted on impulse."
"No, Teresa, she came to me some weeks ago to tell me of her
scruples."
"Scruples! Her love of me, you mean?"
"I see she has told you. Yes."
The Prioress was about to ask her about her vows; but the present was
not the moment to do so, and she allowed Evelyn to go back to the
sacristy.
XXIX
"Veronica, she has gone away for good--gone away to France. All I
could do--Now I am alone here, with nobody."
"But, Teresa, I don't understand. What are you speaking about?"
Evelyn told her of Sister Miry John's departure. "You cared for her a
great deal, one could see that."
"Well, she was the one whom I have seen most of since I have been
here... except you, Veronica." A look appeared in the girl's face
which suggested, very vaguely, of course, but still suggested, that
Veronica was jealous of the nun who had gone. Evelyn looked into the
girl's face, trying to read the dream in it, until she forgot
Veronica, and remembered the nun who had gone; and when she awoke
from her dream she saw Veronica still standing before her with a
half-cleaned candlestick in her hand.
Pages:
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370