"I suppose you would have me exile myself," I replied, "leave forever my
home, my grandmother, everything that is dear to me, and all for the
sake of the peace and quiet of your sisterhood. Let me assure you I do
not care enough for your sisterhood to do that."

The Mother Superior smiled ironically, but not ill-naturedly. "I am very
much afraid," she remarked, "that in this matter you care for no one but
yourself. There is nothing so selfish as a man in love."

"He needs to be," I answered. "But tell me, is Sylvia here?"

"Sylvia again," said she, half laughing. "Yes, she has returned to the
House of Martha, and you can see for yourself that, if you continue in
your present state of mind, it will be impossible for her ever to go
outside of the house."

"I shall not hurt her," I answered.

"Yes, you will hurt her," quickly replied Mother Anastasia. "You will
hurt her very much, if you meet her, and show by your words, looks, or
actions that your former attitude toward her is not changed." She came
nearer to me, looking into my face with her eyes full of an earnest
tenderness, and as she spoke she laid the tips of her fingers gently
upon my shoulder. She had a very pleasant way of doing this. "I do
wish," she said, "that you would let me prevail upon you to do what your
conscience must tell you is right. If you have ever loved the girl who
was once Sylvia Raynor, that is the best of reasons why you should cease
to love her now. You owe it to her to cease to love her."

I looked steadily into the face of the Mother Superior.

"You promise me that you will do that?" she said, with a smile upon her
lips and a light in her eyes which might have won over almost any man to
do almost anything. "You promise me that you will allow our young
sister, who has hardships enough to bear without any more being thrust
upon her, to try to be happy in the way she has chosen, and that you
will try to be happy in the way you should have chosen; that you will go
out into the world and act your part in life; that you will look upon
this affair as something which has vanished into the past; and that you
will say to your heart, 'You are free, if not by my will, by the
irresistible force of circumstances'?"

I looked at her a few moments in silence, and then answered, very
quietly, "I shall do nothing of the kind."

She gave her head a little toss and stepped backward, and then, with a
half laugh which seemed to indicate an amused hopelessness, she said:
"You are utterly impracticable, and I am certain I do not know what is
to be done about it. But I see that the boy has returned with the horse,
and I must continue my journey. I am going to the Iron Furnace to see a
sick woman. I wish you would think of what I have said, and remember
that it was spoken from the depth of my soul. And do not think," she
continued, as I turned and accompanied her toward the carriage, "that I
do not appreciate the state of your feelings. I understand them
thoroughly, and I sympathize with you as perhaps only a woman can
sympathize; but still I say to you that there are some things in this
world which we must give up, and which we ought to give up promptly and
willingly."

"Do you think," said I, "that if Sylvia were to learn typewriting there
would be any objection to her copying manuscript for me?"

Mother Anastasia burst into a laugh. "You ought to be ashamed of
yourself for making a person of my position behave so giddily in the
presence of a hack-driver."

We now reached the carriage, and I assisted her to enter it.

"Good-morning," she said, her face still perturbed by her suddenly
checked merriment, "and do not forget the counsels I have given you."

I bowed and stepped back, but the driver did not start. He sat for a
moment irresolute, and then, turning toward Mother Anastasia, asked,
"Shall I wait for the other sister?"

"Oh, go on!" cried the Mother Superior. "There is no other sister."

The boy, startled by her tone, gave his horse a cut, and the equipage
rattled away. I walked slowly homeward, meditating earnestly upon Mother
Anastasia's words and upon Mother Anastasia.




XXXIX.

A SOUL WHISPER?


My meditations upon the Mother Superior of the House of Martha were not
concluded during my homeward walk; the subject occupied my mind for the
greater part of the rest of the day. I do not call myself a philosopher,
but I am in the habit of looking into the nature and import of what
happens about me. My reflections on Mother Anastasia gradually produced
in me the conviction that there was something more in her words, her
manner, and her actions than would appear to the ordinary observer.

In considering this matter, I went back to the very first of my
intercourse with this beautiful woman, who, divested of the dismal
disguise of her sisterhood, had produced upon my memory an impression
which was so strong that, whenever I now thought of Mother Anastasia,
she appeared before my mental vision in a white dress, with a broad hat
and a bunch of flowers in her belt. In the character of a beautiful and
sensible woman, and not at all in that of a Mother Superior, she had
warmly commended my suit of Sylvia Raynor. With our regard for Sylvia as
a basis, we had consulted, we had confided, we had shown ourselves to
each other in a most frank and friendly manner.

Suddenly she had changed, she had deserted me without a word of
explanation, and the next time I saw her she was totally opposed to my
maintaining any connection whatever with Sylvia.

But there had been more than this. This woman, beautiful even in her
gray garb, had shown an increasing interest in the subject, which could
not be altogether explained by her interest in Sylvia. If she truly
believed that that young sister would devote her life to the service of
the House of Martha, that matter might be considered as settled; and
what was her object in so earnestly endeavoring to impress upon my mind
the fact that I could not marry Sylvia? It might be supposed that, in
the ordinary course of events, I should be compelled to admit this
point. But not only did she continually bring up this view of the
subject, but she showed such a growing interest in me and my welfare
that it made me uneasy.

It is almost impossible truly to understand a woman; most men will admit
this. I could not say that I understood Mother Anastasia. At times I
hoped I did not understand her. From what I knew of the constitution of
the sisterhood, some of its members were vowed to it for life, and
others for a stated period. Putting together this and that which Mother
Anastasia had said to me about the organization, it did not appear to me
that she felt that devotion to it which a sister for life would
naturally feel. She had used all the art of a logician to impress upon
me the conviction that Sylvia was a life sister, and could be nothing
else. Was it possible--I scarcely dared to ask myself the question--that
she had used the arts of a woman to intimate to me that she might be
something else? It did not cross my mind for an instant that anything
that Mother Anastasia had said to me, or anything that could be deduced
from her manner, was in the slightest degree out of the way. A woman has
a right to indicate her position in regard to a fellow-being, and in
this age she generally does indicate it. If the true nature of Mother
Anastasia had so far exerted itself as to impel her, perhaps
involuntarily, to let me know that she was as much a woman as she was a
Mother Superior, and that in time she would be all of the first and not
any of the latter, she had truly done this with a delicate ingenuousness
beyond compare. It had not been the exhalation by the flower of inviting
perfume or its show of color; it had been the simple opening of the
blossom to the free sun and air before my eyes.

My last interview with Mother Anastasia had crystallized in my mind a
mist of suppositions and fancies which had vaguely floated there for
some time. It is not surprising that I was greatly moved at the form the
crystal took.

When Walkirk came, the next day, to make his usual reports, I talked to
him of Mother Anastasia. Of course I did not intimate to him how I had
been thinking of her, but I gave him as many facts as possible, in order
that I might discover what he would think of her. When I had finished my
account of the interview of the morning before, I could see that a very
decided impression had been made upon him. His countenance twitched, he
smiled, he looked upon the floor. For a moment I thought he was going to
laugh.

"This amuses you," I remarked.

"Yes," he replied, his face having recovered its ordinary composure, "it
is a little funny. Mother Anastasia seems to be a good deal of a
manager."

"Yes," I said reflectively, "that is true. It is quite plain that,
perceiving an opportunity of a private conference with me, she took
advantage of the circumstances. We could have had an ordinary chat just
as well in one place as another, but it was easy to see that she did not
wish the boy who was unhitching the horse to hear even the first words
of our conversation. As you say, she is a good manager, and I had my
suspicions of that before you mentioned it." As I said this I could not
help smiling, as I thought how surprised he would be if he knew in what
direction my suspicions pointed. "Do you know," I continued, "if it is
necessary that the head of a sisterhood should be a life member of it?"

"I have never heard," he answered, "but I have been informed that the
organization of the House of Martha is a very independent one, and does
not attempt to conform itself to that of any other sisterhood. The women
who founded it had ideas of their own, and what rules and laws they made
I do not know."

For a few moments I walked up and down the room; then I asked, "How did
Mother Anastasia come to be the Mother Superior?"

"I have been told," said Walkirk, "that she gave most of the money for
the founding of the institution, and it was natural enough that she
should be placed at the head. I have an idea that she would not have
been willing to enter the House except as its head."

"It is about four years since it was established, is it not?" I asked;
and Walkirk assured me that I was correct.

All this information ranged itself on the side of conviction. She was
just the woman to try a thing of this kind for a stated time; she was
just the woman not to like it; and she was just the woman whose soul
could not be prevented from whispering that the gates of the bright
world were opening before her. But why should her soul whisper this to
me? The whole matter troubled me very much.

I determined not to base any action upon what had thus forced itself
upon my mind. I would wait. I would see what would happen next. I would
persist in my determination never to give up Sylvia. And I will mention
that there was a little point in connection with her which at this time
greatly annoyed me: whenever I thought of her, she appeared before me in
the gray dress of a sister, and not as I had seen her on the island. I
wished very much that this were not the case.




XL.

AN INSPIRATION.


I now found myself in an embarrassing situation. All my plans and hopes
of tidings from Sylvia, or of any possible connection with her, were
based upon Mother Anastasia. But would it be wise for me to continue my
very friendly relations with the Mother Superior? On my side these
relations were extremely pleasant, though that did not matter, one way
or another. But would it be kind and just to her to meet with her on the
footing I had enjoyed? In every point of this affair I wished to be
honorable and considerate. Acting on these principles, I went away for
two weeks. It was very hard for me to absent myself for so long a period
from Arden, but it was my duty. To take the chances of another meeting
with Mother Anastasia, following close upon the recent one, which had
made so forcible an impression upon me, would be imprudent. A moderate
absence might be of great advantage.

On my return I took to strolling about the village, especially in the
neighborhood of the House of Martha; and if, in these strolls, I had met
the Mother Superior, I should not have hesitated to accost her and ask
news of Sylvia. For more reasons than one, I felt it was highly
desirable that I should impress it on the mind of Mother Anastasia that
my interest in Sylvia had not in the least abated.

But several days passed, and I met no one clad in gray bonnet and gown.
I was disappointed; there were a good many questions about Sylvia which
I wished to ask, and a good many things in regard to her that I wished
to say. I might go to the House of Martha and boldly ask to see the
Mother Superior; but a step like that might produce an undesirable
impression, and naturally the position in which I had placed myself
regarding Sylvia would prevent my going to visit her.

As I could do nothing for myself in this matter, I must ask some one to
help me, and there was no one so willing and able to do this as my
grandmother. She could go to the House of Martha and ask what questions
she pleased. I went to the dear old lady and made known my desires. She
laid down her knitting and gave me her whole attention.

"Now tell me exactly what it is you want," she said. "You cannot expect
to be asked to take tea with the sisters, you know, though I see no
reason why you should not. Say what they will, they are not nuns."

"What I want," I replied, "is to know how Sylvia is, what she is doing,
all about her. I do not even know that she is still there."

"My dear boy," said my grandmother, very tenderly, "I suppose that even
if you are obliged to give up all hope of ever having Sylvia for your
own, you will want to know every day for the rest of your life just how
she is getting on."

"Yes," I answered, "that is true."

"Poor fellow," said the old lady, her eyes a little dimmed as she spoke,
"the fates have not been using you well. Is there anything else you want
me to inquire about?"

"Oh, yes," I answered. "I take a great interest in the institution."

"Which is natural enough, since Sylvia is there," interpolated my
grandmother.

"And I should be glad," I continued, "to know anything of interest
regarding the sisterhood, from the Mother Superior down."

"Mother Anastasia is a very fine woman," said my grandmother, "and I
should think you would be likely to be greatly interested in her. I am
going to make some inquiries about the rules of the House of Martha. I
see no reason why the sisters should not occasionally accept invitations
to tea."

This remark startled me, and I was prompted to make a cautionary
observation. But I restrained myself; in cases like this interference
would be likely to provoke comment, and by my grandmother's desire I
went to order the carriage.

In less than an hour she returned. I was promptly at hand to receive her
report.

"Well," said she, "I have visited the sisters, but I am sorry I did not
see Mother Anastasia. She was away."

"Away!" I exclaimed. "Where has she gone?"

"She went to Washington more than a week ago," was the answer.

"For a long stay?" I asked quickly.

"The sisters did not know," continued my grandmother, "but their
impression is that she will return in a few days."

I knitted my brows.

"You are disappointed, and so am I. I intended to ask her here to tea
next Friday, and to urge her, if she did not too greatly object, to
bring Sylvia with her. There is nothing like quiet intercourse of that
kind to break down obstacles."

"Alas," I said, "I am afraid there are obstacles"--

"But do not let us talk about them," she interrupted. "Nobody knows what
will happen, and let us be as happy as we can."

"Did you see Sylvia?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," she answered, "and I had some talk with her, but it did not
amount to much. She is trying to make a regular nun of herself,--that
is, if a Protestant can be a nun,--but I do not think she will ever
succeed. She admitted that she greatly disliked the ordinary work of the
sisters, and wished to employ herself in some way which would be just as
lucrative to the institution, and yet not so repugnant to her. Now you
can see for yourself that that will not do. If she intends to be a
sister of the House of Martha, she must do as the other sisters do. She
cannot always expect to be an exception. At present she is learning
typewriting."

I gave a great start. "Typewriting!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," said my grandmother. "Is it not odd that she should have taken up
that? She has a machine, and practices steadily on it. She showed me
some of her printed sheets, and I must say, so far as I am concerned,
that I should prefer plain handwriting, where the letters are not so
likely to get on top of one another. She wanted to know if I could give
her any advice about getting work, when she thought she could do it well
enough; but of course I know nothing about such things. My hope is that
she will get to dislike that as much as she does nursing and apothecary
work, and to find out that her real duty is to live like an ordinary
human being, and so make herself and other people truly happy."

I do not know that there is any inherent connection between a
typewriting machine and the emotions and sentiments of love, but in this
case such a connection instantly established itself in my mind. It
seemed plain to me that Walkirk's suggestion to Sylvia had taken root;
and why did she wish to typewrite, if she did not wish to typewrite for
me? Was this an endeavor of her tender heart to keep up a thread of
connection with me which should not be inconsistent with the duties, the
vows, and the purposes of her life? Dear girl! If the thing could be
managed, she should typewrite for me as much as she wished, even if she
piled the letters on one another as high as the Great Pyramid.

With much enthusiasm, I communicated to Walkirk my intention to employ
Sylvia in typewriting, and requested his assistance in regard to the
details of the business. I could easily furnish her material enough. I
had lots of things I should like to have copied, and I was ready to
prepare a great deal more. My under-study made no allusion to my
previous reception of his suggestion about typewriting, but brought his
practical mind to bear upon the matter, and advised that preliminary
arrangements should be made immediately. In a case like this it was well
to be in time, and to secure the services of Miss Raynor at once. I
agreed with Walkirk that it was very wise to take time by the forelock,
but Mother Anastasia was the only person who could properly regulate
this affair, which should be instantly laid before her; and as it was
impossible to find out when she would return to Arden, I felt that it
was my duty to go to her. When I mentioned this plan to Walkirk, he
offered to go in my place, but I declined. This was a very delicate
affair, to which no one could attend as well as I could myself.

"Walkirk," said I, "do you suppose that the Mother Superior will appear
in Washington under her real name, or as Mother Anastasia? And, by the
way, what is her real name?"

"Is it possible," exclaimed Walkirk, "that you do not know it? It is
Raynor,--Miss Marcia Raynor. She is a cousin of the younger lady."

"Oh, yes, I know that," I replied; "but it never occurred to me to
inquire what name Mother Anastasia bore before she entered the House of
Martha. The first thing for me to do is to get her Washington address."

"And may I ask," continued Walkirk, "how you are going to do that?"

I was not prepared to give an immediate answer to this question.

"I suppose," I remarked presently, "that it would not do to ask for the
address at the House of Martha, but I could go to Sylvia's mother. I
should like to call there, any way, and I have no doubt she would know
where Mother Anastasia would be likely to stop."

My under-study shook his head. "Pardon me," he said, "but I do not think
it would be wise to go to Mrs. Raynor. She would be sure to connect her
daughter with your urgent desire to see Mother Anastasia, and she would
not hesitate to question you on the matter. I think I understand her
disposition in regard to you and Miss Raynor, and I am very certain that
when she heard of the typewriting scheme she would instantly put her
foot on it; and if I am not mistaken," he continued, with a noticeable
deference in his tone, "that is the only reason you can give for your
wish to confer with Mother Anastasia."

I strode impatiently up and down the room. "Certainly it is," said I,
"and although it is reason enough, I suppose you are right, and it would
not do to offer it to Mrs. Raynor; and, for the matter of that, Mother
Anastasia may think it a very little thing to take me down to
Washington."

"I had thought of that," said Walkirk, "and that was one reason why I
proposed to go in your stead."

I made no answer to this remark. My mind was filled with annoying
reflections about the unreasonableness of people who insist upon knowing
people's reasons for doing things, and my annoyance was increased by the
conviction, now that I looked more closely into the matter, that the
only reason I could give for hastening after Mother Anastasia in this
way was indeed a very little one.

"Walkirk," I exclaimed, "can't you think of some other reason for my
seeing the Mother Superior without delay?"

"Truly," he replied, smiling, "it is rather difficult. You might offer
to build an annex to the House of Martha, but such a matter could surely
wait until the return of the Mother Superior."

I sniffed, and continued to stride. I must see Mother Anastasia in
Washington, because there I might have a chance of speaking to her
freely, which I could not expect to have anywhere else; and yet how was
I going to explain to her, or to any one else, my desire to speak with
her at all? It might have been difficult to explain this to myself; at
all events, I did not try to do it. Suddenly an idea struck me.

"Annex!" I cried,--"capital!"

"My dear sir," said Walkirk, rising in much agitation, "I hope you do
not think that I seriously proposed your building an annex to"--

"Building!" I interrupted. "Nonsense! The annex I am thinking of is
quite different; and yet not altogether so, either. Walkirk, don't you
think that a man in my position could do a great deal to help those
sisters in their good work? Don't you think that he could act as an
outside collaborator? I am sure there are many things he could do which
might not be suitable for them to do, or which they might not want to
do. For instance, this business that has taken Mother Anastasia to
Washington. Perhaps it is something that she hates to do, and I might
have done as well as not. I have a mind to propose to her to go in and
take all this sort of thing off the hands of the sisters. I think that
is a good practical idea, and it is very natural that I should wish to
propose it to her at the very time she is engaged in this outside
business."

"In a word," remarked Walkirk, "you would make yourself a brother of the
House of Martha."

I laughed. "That is not a bad notion," I said; "in fact, it is a very
good one. I do not know that I shall put the matter exactly in that
light, but a brother of the House of Martha is what I should like to be.
Then I should be free to discuss all sorts of things, and to do all
sorts of things. And I could be of a lot of service, I am sure. But I
shall approach the matter cautiously. I shall begin with a simple offer
of service, and, perhaps, for the present I may drop the typewriting
plan. Now for Mother Anastasia's address. I must get that without
delay."

Walkirk did not seem to have paid attention to this last remark. His
mind appeared occupied with amusing reflections.

"I beg your pardon," he said, in apologizing for his abstraction, "but I
was thinking what a funny thing it would be to be a brother of the House
of Martha. As to the address--let me see. Do you remember that lady who
was staying with Mrs. Raynor, at her island, who called herself a
Person,--Miss Laniston?"

"Of course I remember her," I answered, "and with the greatest disgust."

"I happen to know her address," said Walkirk, "and I think she is more
likely to give you the information you want than Mrs. Raynor. If you do
not care to confer with her, I can go to the city"--

"No, no, no!" I exclaimed. "She might object to giving you the address;
I shall insist that she give it to me. I think I can manage the matter.
She owes me something, and she knows it."

In fact, I did not care to trust Walkirk with this affair. It was plain
that he did not thoroughly sympathize with me in the project. I was
afraid he might make a blunder, or in some way fail me. Any way, this
was a matter which I wished to attend to myself.




XLI.

MISS LANISTON.


At eight o'clock that evening I was at the house of Miss Laniston. The
lady was at home, and received me. She advanced with both hands
extended.

"Truly," she cried, "this is the most charming instance of masculine
forgiveness I have ever witnessed."

I took one of her hands; this much for the sake of policy. "Madam," I
said, "I am not thinking of forgiveness, or unforgiveness. I am here to
ask a favor; and if you grant it, I am willing that it shall
counterbalance everything between us which suggests forgiveness."

"Dear me!" she exclaimed, leading the way to a sofa. "Sit down, and let
me know my opportunities."

I did not want to sit down, but, as I said before, I felt that I must be
politic, and so took a seat on the other end of the sofa.

"My errand is a very simple one," I said. "I merely want to know the
address of Mother Anastasia, in Washington."

The lady folded her hands in her lap, and looked at me steadily.

"Very simple, indeed," she said. "Why do you come to me for this
address? Would not the sisters give it to you?"

"For various reasons I did not care to ask them," I replied.

"One of them being, I suppose, that you knew you would not get it."

I did not reply to this remark.

"If you know the address," I inquired, "will you kindly give it to me?
It is necessary that I should have it at once."

"To telegraph?" she asked.

"No, I am going to her."

"Oh!" ejaculated the lady, and there was a pause in the conversation.
"It does not strike me," she said presently, "that I have any authority
to tell gentlemen where to find Mother Anastasia, but I can telegraph
and ask her if she is willing that I shall send you to her."

This proposition did not suit me at all. I was quite sure that the
Mother Superior would not consider it advisable that I should come to
her, and would ask me to postpone my communication until she should
return to Arden. But Arden, as I had found, would be a very poor place
for the long and earnest interview which I desired.

"That would not do," I answered; "she would not understand. I wish to
see her on an important matter, which can be explained only in a
personal interview."

"You excite my curiosity," said Miss Laniston. "Why don't you make me
your confidante? In that case, I might decide whether or not it would be
proper to give you the address."

"Impossible," I said,--"that would be impossible."

Miss Laniston's eyes were of a blue gray, and very fine ones, and she
fixed them upon me with a lively intentness.

"Do you still hope," she asked, "to marry Sylvia Raynor? Surely you must
know that is impossible. She is now a member for life of the
sisterhood."

"I know all that," I replied impatiently. "It is not about that matter
that I wish to see the Mother Superior."

"Is it then about Mother Anastasia herself? Do you wish to marry her?"

I sprang to my feet in my excitement. "Why do you speak to me in that
way," I exclaimed, "and about a woman who is at the head of a religious
institution, and whose earthly existence is devoted to it?"

"Not at all," quietly answered the lady. "Mother Anastasia is not a life
member of the sisterhood of the House of Martha."

At these words my blood began to boil within me in a manner which I
could not comprehend. My eyeballs seemed to burn, as I stood and gazed
speechlessly at my companion.

"You take such an interest in these sisters," she said, "that I supposed
you knew that Mother Anastasia joined the sisterhood only for a term of
years, now nearly expired. She was made Mother Superior because those
who helped form the institution knew that no one else could so well fill
the place, especially during its first years. I was one of those
persons."

I do not remember a time when my mind was in such a state of
ungovernable emotion. Not only was I unable to control my feelings, but
I did not know what they were. One thing only could I comprehend: I must
remove this impression from the mind of Miss Laniston, and I could think
of no other way of doing it than to confide to her the business on which
I wished to see Mother Anastasia. I reseated myself on the sofa, and
without delay or preface I laid before her my plan of collaboration with
the sisters of the House of Martha; explaining how much better a man
could attend to certain outside business than the sisters could do it,
and showing how, in a manner, I proposed to become a brother of the
House of Martha. Thus only could I defend myself against her irrational
and agitating suppositions.

She heard me to the end, and then she leaned back on the sofa and
laughed,--laughed until I thought the people in the street must hear
her. I was hurt, but said nothing.

"You must excuse me," she said, when she was able to speak, "but this is
so sudden my mind is not prepared for it. And so you wish to become a
brother of the House of Martha? I would be solemn about it if I could,
but really I cannot," and again she laughed.

I was about to retire, but she checked me.

"Do not go," she said; "do not be angry. Forget that I laughed. Now
perhaps I can help you. I will make you a promise. If you will agree
faithfully to tell me how Mother Anastasia receives your proposition, I
will give you her address."

"Promise," I said severely. "You may remember that this is not the first
time you have made me a promise."

"Don't bring up that old affair!" she exclaimed. "What I did then could
not be helped. When we had our talk about the sister with whom you had
fallen in love, I had no idea she was Sylvia Raynor, the daughter of my
hostess. When I discovered the truth, I had to drop the whole affair.
Any person of honor would have done that. I could not help its being
funny, you know."

I had become calmer, and was able to be politic again.

"If Mother Anastasia will allow me," I said, "I am willing to promise to
tell you what she thinks of my plan."

"Very good," she replied, "it is a bargain. She is stopping with a
friend, Mrs. Gardley, at 906 Alaska Avenue. I address her as 'Miss
Raynor,' because I always do that when I have a chance, but I think it
will be well for you to ask for Mother Anastasia."

I arose, and she followed my example.

"Now, then," said she, "we are friends," and her sparkling eyes seemed
to have communicated their merriment to the gems upon the white hand
which she held out to me.

I took the hand, and as I did so a politic idea flashed up within me. If
I must be friends with this woman, why not make use of her? This was a
moment when she was well disposed to serve me.

"If you are willing to consider me a friend," I replied, still holding
her hand, "you will not refuse to tell me something which I have long
wanted to know, and which I ought to know."

"What is it?" she asked.

"What was the trouble, which caused Sylvia Raynor to enter the House of
Martha?"

She withdrew her hand and reflected for a moment.

"Man is an inquisitive animal," she answered, "but we cannot alter his
nature, and there is some excuse for your wanting to know all about
Sylvia. She is out of your reach, of course, but you have certainly
taken as much interest in her as a man can take in a woman. The matter
is not a close secret, and I suppose I may as well tell you that the
cause of her entering the sisterhood was nothing at all out of the
common. It was simply a thwarted love affair. You don't like that, I can
see by your face."

"No, I do not like it, and I am very sorry to hear it."

"My dear sir," said she, "you must be early on hand and prompt in action
to be Number One with a girl like Sylvia; but then, you know, a Number
One seldom counts. In this case, however, he did count, for he made a
Number Two impossible."

"Not so," I cried hotly. "I am Number Two, and shall always continue
so."

She laughed. "I am afraid," she said, "that it will be necessary for a
brother of the House of Martha to get rid of that sort of feeling."

"How was she thwarted?" I asked quickly.

"The story is briefly this," replied Miss Laniston: "A certain gentleman
courted Sylvia's cousin, and everybody supposed they would be married;
but in some way or other he treated her badly, and the match was broken
off; then, a few years later, this same person fell in love with Sylvia,
who knew nothing of the previous affair. The young girl found him a most
attractive lover, and he surely would have won her had not her mother
stepped in and put an extinguisher upon the whole affair. She knew what
had happened before, and would not have the man in her family. Then it
was that Sylvia found the world a blank, and concluded to enter the
sisterhood."

"Do you mean," I asked, "that the cousin with whom the man was first in
love was Marcia Raynor, Mother Anastasia?"

"Yes," answered Miss Laniston, "it was she. You do not like that?"

Like it! A cold and tingling pain ran through my body, and there sprang
up in me an emotion of the intensest hatred for a person whom I had
never seen.

My feelings were such as I could not express; the situation was one
which I could not discuss. I took leave of Miss Laniston without giving
sufficient consideration to her expression of countenance and to her
final words now to be able to say whether they indicated amusement or
sympathy.




XLII.

THE MOTHER SUPERIOR.


Seldom, I think, has a berth in a sleeping-car held a more
turbulent-minded man than I was during my journey from New York to
Washington. The revelation that the same man had loved and been loved by
Mother Anastasia and by Sylvia had disquieted me in a manner not easy to
explain; but I knew that I was being torn by jealousy, and jealousy is a
passion which it is sometimes impossible to explain.

An idea which came into my mind in the night increased the storm within
me. I imagined that the wretch who had made suit to both Marcia and
Sylvia was Walkirk. He knew a good deal about these women; sometimes I
was surprised to discover how much he knew. Perhaps now, acting in a
base disguise, he was endeavoring to make of me a stepping-stone to his
ultimate success with one or the other. Hound! I would crush him!

My thoughts ran rapidly backward. I remembered how zealous he had been
in following Miss Raynor's yacht. He had told me of his conversations
with Sylvia, but what reason had I to believe he spoke the truth? That
any man should have loved these two women filled me with rage. That that
man should be Walkirk was an insupportable thought. I was not only
jealous but I felt myself the victim of a treacherous insult.

It was seven o'clock when I reached Washington, but, although I had
arrived at my destination, I could give no thought to the object of my
journey until I had discovered the truth about Walkirk. That was
all-important.

But of whom should I inquire? I could think of no one but Miss Laniston.
I had been a fool not to ask her the name of the man when I was with
her. But I would telegraph to her now, and ask for it. She might be
asleep at that hour, but I believed she was a woman who would awake and
answer my question and then go to sleep again.

I immediately went to the telegraph office, and sent this message: "What
is the name of the man of whom we spoke last evening? It is necessary
that I know it. Please answer at once." She would understand this. We
had spoken of but one man.

For nearly an hour I walked the floor and tossed over the morning
papers, and then came the answer to my message. It was this: "Brownson.
He is dead."

There is a quality in the air of Washington which is always delightful
to me, but I think it has never affected me as it did that morning. As I
breathed it, it exhilarated me; it cheered and elated me; it rose-tinted
my emotions; it gave me an appetite for my breakfast; it made me feel
ready for any enterprise.

As soon as I thought it proper to make a morning call I went to number
906 Alaska Avenue. There I found a large and handsome house, of that
independent and highly commendable style of architecture which
characterizes many of the houses of Washington. I had not yet made up my
mind whether I should inquire for Mother Anastasia or "Miss Raynor." I
did not know the custom of Mother Superiors when traveling or visiting,
and I determined, as I ascended the steps, to be guided in this matter
by the aspect of the person who opened the door.

It has always been interesting to me to study the character, as well as
I can do so in the brief opportunity generally afforded, of the servants
who open to me the doors of houses. To a certain degree, although of
course it does not do to apply this rule too rigidly, these persons
indicate the characters of the dwellers in the house. My friends have
disputed this point with me, and have asserted that they do not wish to
be so represented, but nevertheless I have frequently found my position
correct.

I prefer to visit those houses whose door service is performed by a
neat, good-looking, intelligent, bright-witted, kindly-tempered,
conscientious, and sympathetic maidservant. A man is generally very
unsatisfactory. He performs his duty in a perfunctory manner. His heart
is not in it. He fears to say a word more than he thinks absolutely
necessary, lest you should imagine him new in service, and had not lost
his interest in answering questions.

But even if the person you ask for be not at home, it is sometimes a
pleasure to be told so by an intelligent maid, such as I have mentioned
above. One's subsequent action is frequently influenced by her counsel
and information. Frequently she is able to indicate to you your true
relation with the household; sometimes she assists in establishing it.

When the door before me opened, I saw a colored woman. I was utterly
discomfited. None of my rules applied to a middle-aged colored woman,
who gazed upon me as if she recognized me as one whom she carried in her
arms when an infant. Actuated by impulse only, I inquired for "Miss
Raynor."

"I reckon," said she, "you's got to de wrong house. Dat lady doan' live
hyar."

"Well, then," I asked quickly, "is there a lady here named Mother
Anastasia?"

The woman showed thirty-two perfectly developed teeth.

"Oh, dat's she? You means de sister. She's hyar, yes, sah. Want to see
her?"

I stated that I certainly desired to see her.

"She's gone out now, sah, an' dere's no tellin' when dey'll git back.
Dey ginerally all gits back 'bout dark. Commonly jist a little arter
dark."

"Not return before dark!" I exclaimed. "That is bad. Can you give me any
idea where I might find Mother Anastasia?"

"I 'spects you kin fin' her mighty easy. Mos' likely, she's at de Patent
Office, or at de Army and Navy Buildin', or de White House, or de
Treasury, or de Smifsonian, or de Navy Yard, or de new 'Servatory, or on
de avenue shoppin', or gone to de Capitol to de Senate or de House, one;
or perhaps she druv out to Arlin'ton, or else she's gone to de
'Gressional Libr'y. Mos' likely she's at one or de odder of dem places;
an' about one o'clock, she an' Mis' Gardley is mighty sure to eat der
luncheon somewhar, an' arter that I reckon they'll go to 'bout four
arternoon teas. I doan' know 'xactly whare de teas 'll be dis arternoon,
but ye kin tell de houses whar dar is a tea inside by de carriages
a-waitin',--an' ef it aint a tea, it's a fun'ral,--and all yer's got to
do is to go inside an' see if she's dar."

I could not refrain from smiling, but I was greatly discouraged. How
could I wait until evening for the desired interview?

"If you is kin to de sister," said the woman,--"an' I reckon you is, for
I see de likeness powerful strong,--she'll be mighty glad to see ye,
sah. Want me ter tell her ye'll come back this evening, if you doan'
fin' her before dat?"

I desired her to give such a message, and went away well pleased that
the woman had not asked my name. It was desirable that Mother Anastasia
should not know who was coming to call on her.

I am, as I have said before, much given to the consideration of motives
and all that sort of thing, and, in the course of the day, I found
myself wondering why I should have taken the trouble to walk through the
Patent Office and half a dozen other public buildings, continually
looking about me, not at the objects of interest therein, but at the
visitors; that is, if they were ladies. Why this uneasy desire to find
the Mother Superior, when, by quietly waiting until evening, I was
almost certain to see her? But in the midst of my self-questionings I
went on looking for Mother Anastasia.

I finished my long ramble by a visit to the gallery of the House of
Representatives. A member was making a speech on a bill to establish a
national medical college for women. The speech and the subject may have
interested some people, but I did not care for either, and I am afraid I
was a little drowsy. After a time I took a cab and went to my hotel. At
all events, the long day of waiting was nearly over.

Early in the evening I called again at Mrs. Gardley's house, and to my
delight I was informed that the lady I desired to see was at home.

When Mother Anastasia came into the drawing-room, where I awaited her,
she wore the gray gown of her sisterhood, but no head covering. I had
before discovered that a woman could be beautiful in a Martha gown, but
at this moment the fact asserted itself with peculiar force. She greeted
me with a smile and an extended hand.

"You do not seem surprised to see me," I said.

"Why should I be?" she answered. "I saw you in the House of
Representatives, and wondered why you should doze when such an
interesting matter was being discussed; and when I came home, and heard
that a gentleman answering your description intended to call on me this
evening, I declined to go out to the theatre, wishing to be here to
receive you."

I was disgusted to think that she had caught me napping, and that she
had been near me in the House and I had not known it, but I said nothing
of this.

"You are very good," I remarked, "to give up the theatre"--

"Oh, don't thank me," she interrupted; "perhaps you will not think I am
good. Before we say anything more, I want you to tell me whether or not
you came here to talk about Sylvia Raynor."

Here was a blunt question, but from the bottom of my heart I believed
that I answered truly when I said I had not come for that purpose.

"Very good," said Mother Anastasia, leaning back in her chair. "Now I
can freely say that I am glad to see you. I was dreadfully afraid you
had come to talk to me on that forbidden subject, and I must admit that
this fear had a very powerful influence in keeping me at home this
evening. If you had come to talk to me of her, I would have had
something very important to say to you, but I am delighted that my fears
were groundless. And now tell me how you could help being interested in
that grand scheme for a woman's college."

"I have never given it any thought. Do you care for it?"

"Care for it!" she exclaimed. "I am enlisted in the cause, hand and
heart. I came down here because the bill was to be brought before the
House. If the college is established,--and I believe it will be,--I
expect to be one of the faculty."

"You are not a physician?" said I.

"Oh, I have studied and practiced medicine," she answered, "and expect
to do a great deal more of it before we begin operations. The
physician's art is my true vocation."

"And you will leave the House of Martha?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "The period for which I entered it has nearly
expired. I do not regret the time I have spent there, but I must admit I
shall be glad to leave the sisterhood. That life is too narrow for me,
and perhaps too shallow. I say nothing against it in a general way; I
only speak of it as it relates to myself. The very manner in which I
rejoice in the prospect of freedom proves to me that I ought to be free,
and that I did a wise thing in limiting the term of my sisterhood."

As Mother Anastasia spoke there was a glow of earnest pleasure upon her
face. She was truly very happy to be able to talk of her approaching
freedom.

I am a prudent man and a cautious one. This frank enthusiasm alarmed me.
How deftly she had put Sylvia out of sight! How skillfully she had
brought herself into full view, free and untrammeled by vows and
rules,--a woman as other women!

The more I saw of Mother Anastasia the better I liked her, but I
perceived that she was a woman with whom it was very necessary to be
cautious. She was apt, I thought, to make convictions of her
presumptions. If she presumed that my love for Sylvia was an utterly
hopeless affection, to be given up and forgotten, I did not like it. It
might be that it was hopeless, but I did not care to have any one else
settle the matter for me in that way,--not even Mother Anastasia.

"Of course," I remarked, "I am glad that you have concluded to withdraw
from a vocation which I am sure is not suited to you, and yet I feel a
little disappointed to hear that you will not continue at the head of
the House of Martha, for I came to Washington on purpose to make you a
proposition in regard to that institution."

"Came to Washington on purpose to see me, and to make a proposition!
What can it possibly be?"

I now laid before her, with considerable attention to detail, my plan
for working in coöperation with the House of Martha. I showed her the
advantages of the scheme as they had suggested themselves to me, and as
an example of what could be done I mentioned Sylvia's fancy for
typewriting, and demonstrated how easily I could undertake the outside
management of this very lucrative and pleasant occupation. I warmed up
as I talked, and spoke quite strongly about what I--and perhaps in time
other men--might do for the benefit of the sisterhood, if my proposition
were accepted.

She listened to me attentively, her face growing paler and harder as I
proceeded. When I had finished she said:--

"It is not at all necessary for me to discuss this utterly preposterous
scheme, nor even to refer to it, except to say that I plainly see its
object. Whatever you have persuaded yourself to think of your plan, I
know that its real object is to reГ«stablish a connection with Sylvia.
You would know, if you would allow yourself to think about it, that your
absurd and even wicked scheme of typewriting, companionship in work, and
all that stuff, could only result in making the girl miserable and
perhaps breaking her heart. You know that she loves you, and that it has
been a terrible trial to her to yield to her conscience and do what she
has done; and you know, furthermore,--and this more than anything else
darkens your intention,--that Sylvia's artless, ingenuous, and impulsive
nature would give you advantages which would not be afforded to you by
one who did not love you, and who better understood the world and you."

"Madam," I exclaimed, "you do me an injustice!"

She paid no attention to this remark, and proceeded: "And now let me
tell you that what you have said to me to-night has changed my plans, my
life. I shall not leave Sylvia exposed to your cruel attacks,--attacks
which I believe will come in every practical form that your ingenuity
can devise. It was my example that brought that girl into the House of
Martha, and now that she has vowed to devote her life and her work to
its service I shall not desert her. I will not have her pure purpose
shaken and weakened, little by little, day by day, until it falls
listless and deadened, with nothing to take its place. Therefore, until
I know that you are no longer a source of danger to her, I shall remain
Mother Superior of the House of Martha, and rest assured that while I am
in that position Sylvia shall be safe from you." And with that she rose
and walked out of the room.




XLIII.

WAS HIS HEART TRUE TO POLL?


Never before had any one spoken to me as Mother Anastasia had just
spoken. Never before had I felt as I felt in leaving the house where she
had spoken to me. I did not admit all that she had said; and yet not
even to myself could I gainsay her statements. I was not convinced that
I had been wrong, but I could not help feeling that she was right. I was
angry, I was mortified, I was grieved. The world seemed cold and dark,
and the coldest and darkest thing in it was the figure of Mother
Anastasia, as she rose to leave me.

When I reached New York, I bethought myself of my promise to Miss
Laniston. It tortured my soul to think of what had happened; I knew it
would torture it still more to talk of these things. But I am a man who
keeps his promises; besides, I wanted to see Miss Laniston. I did not
like her very much, but the people whom I did like seemed to be falling
away from me, and she was a woman of vigorous spirit, to whom one in my
plight would naturally turn. That she could give me any encouragement
was not likely, but she might offer me an enheartening sympathy; and,
moreover, she was well acquainted with Mother Anastasia, and there were
a good many questions I wanted to ask about that lady.

I found Miss Laniston at home, but I was obliged to wait a good while
before she made her appearance.

"If you were any other man in this world," she said, "I should have felt
obliged to excuse myself from seeing you, for I am engaged on most
important business with a modiste who is designing a gown for me; but I
am perfectly wild to hear about your interview with Mother Anastasia,
and I was afraid, if I sent you away, that you would not come back
again; so tell me about it, I pray you. I know you have seen her, for
you look so uncommonly glum. I am afraid that you have not yet become a
brother of the House of Martha."