while you are working?"

"She did not say anything about it," she answered; "it was not needful.
We always wear our bonnets outside of the House of Martha."

I was about to make a further remark upon the subject, but restrained
myself: it was incumbent on me to be very prudent. There was a pause,
and then she spoke again.

"You are not likely to see Mother Anastasia," she said, "but please do
not say anything on the subject to Sister Sarah; she is very rigorous,
and would not approve of talking under any circumstances. In fact, she
does not approve of my coming here at all."

"What earthly reason can she have for that?" I asked.

"She thinks it's nonsensical for you to have a secretary," she answered,
"and that it would be much better for you to do your own work, and make
a gift of the money to the institution, and then I could go and learn to
be a nurse. I only mention these things to show you that it would be
well not to talk to her of Mother Anastasia's good sense."

"You may rest assured," said I, "that I shall not say a word to her."

"And now," said she, "shall we put aside what I have written to-day, and
go back to Genoa? The last thing you dictated yesterday was this: 'Into
this very building once came the old Crusaders to borrow money for their
journeys to the Holy Land.'"

We went to Genoa.

"How admirably," I exclaimed, when she had gone, "with what wonderful
tact and skill she has managed the whole affair! Not one word about the
occurrences of yesterday, not an allusion which could embarrass either
herself or me. If only she had looked at me! But she had probably
received instructions on that point which she did not mention, and it is
easy to perceive that she is honest and conscientious."

But after all it was not necessary that I should see her face. I had
seen it, and I could never forget it.

Whistling was not enough for me that day; I sang.

"What puts you into such remarkably good spirits?" asked my grandmother.
"Have you reached an unusually interesting part of your work?"

"Indeed I have," I answered, and I gave her such a glowing account of
the way the Red Cross Knights, the White Cross Knights, and the Black
Cross Knights clanked through the streets of Genoa, before setting sail
to battle for the Great Cross, that the cheeks of the old lady flushed
and her eyes sparkled with enthusiastic emotion.

"I don't wonder it kindles your soul to write about such things," she
said.

X