d not approve of the step, but at first I had
no fears about it. After a while, however, I began to have fears. She
never liked our life and never sympathized with it, and her heart was
never enlisted in the cause of the sisterhood; but after a time I found
she was endeavoring to conquer herself, and when a woman with a
will--and Sylvia is one of these--undertakes in earnest to conquer
herself, she generally succeeds. Then it was I began to have my fears,
and then it was I wished to divert her mind from the life of the
sisterhood, and send her back to the world to which she belongs."

"Then it was you gave me your promise?" I added.

"Yes," she answered; "and I gave it honestly. I would have helped you
all I could. I truly believed that in so doing I was acting for Sylvia's
good."

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart," I said; "and tell me, did
Mrs. Raynor know, when I was on the island, of my affection for Sylvia?"

"She knew as much as I knew," was the answer, "for I went to the island
on purpose to consult with her on the subject; and when you confided in
me, and I gave you my promise to help you, I also told her about that."

"And did she approve?" I asked anxiously.

"She did not disapprove. She knew all about you and your family,
although she had never seen you until you were at her island."

"It is strange," said I, "that I should have happened to go to that
place at that time."

"Yes," she continued, "it does seem rather odd. But, as I was going to
say, a letter came not more than an hour after we had had our
conversation, which totally altered the face of affairs. Sylvia wrote
that she had resolved to devote her life to the sisterhood. This was a
great blow to her mother and to me, but Mrs. Raynor had firmly resolved
not to interfere with her daughter's resolutions in regard to her future
life. She had done so once, and the results had been very unfortunate. I
was of an entirely different mind, and I resolved, if the thing could be
done, to change Sylvia's purpose; but I failed, and that is the end of
it. She is not to be moved. I know her well, and her conviction and
determination are not to be changed. She is now on a visit to her
mother, and when she returns she will enter the House of Martha as an
inmate for life."

"Yes," said I, after a little pause, "I know that. I saw her a few days
ago, and she told me of her purpose."

"What!" cried Mother Anastasia, "you have seen her! A few days ago!