bly fine woman like Mother Anastasia--to
hide herself away in that make-believe convent?"

"Indeed I do," I answered, with animation.

"And since one fine woman is shut up for life in that prison, you think
it a shame that another one should remain within its walls?"

I assented warmly.

"Now, then," remarked Miss Laniston, rising, "it is absolutely necessary
for me to go to the Frenchwoman, who, I know, is fuming for me, and
whose time is very precious. I shall be with you again in about twenty
minutes, and during that time I wish you would make up your mind with
whom you are in love,--Mother Anastasia or Sylvia Raynor. When that
point is settled, we will see what can be done."

It was a man of a bewildered mind who was left alone in that
drawing-room. I did not understand what had been said to me, but now
that ideas of this kind had been put into words, there seemed to be a
certain familiarity about them. How dared she speak to me in that way?
What ground had she for such words?

And yet--Sylvia was shut up for life in the House of Martha. I could not
gainsay that.

I could not put my thoughts into form, and with my mind in chaos I
strode up and down the room until Miss Laniston returned.

"What an uneasy person you are!" she said. "Have you settled that little
point?"

"Settled it! There is nothing to settle."

She laughed. "I am not so sure about that. I thought I saw a change in
the wind when you were here last, and it is natural enough that it
should change. What is the good of its blowing steadfastly from the
north, when the north is nothing but ice?"

"You have no right to talk in that way!" I exclaimed angrily. "I utterly
repudiate your supposition."

"Come, come," she said, "let us be practical. I really take an interest
in you, you know, and besides that, I take an interest in my friends;
and it is quite plain to me that you must not be allowed to wander about
in a detached way, making all sorts of trouble. You have made a good
deal already. So if we must consider Sylvia Raynor as really out of the
race, on account of being tied up by her sisterhood obligations, we must
turn our attention to Mother Anastasia, who probably has not yet done
anything definite in regard to retaining her position in the House of
Martha. If anything can be done in this direction, it will be entirely
satisfactory, because, if you get the ex-Mother Superior, of course you
will be content to leave the young sister alone