he door of the main entrance open, something I had
never noticed before, although I had often passed the house. I entered
unceremoniously, and saw before me, in the hallway, a woman in gray,
stooping over a trunk. She turned, at the sound of my footsteps on the
bare floor, and I beheld Sister Sarah. Her eyes flashed as she saw me,
and I know that her first impulse was to order me out of the house. This
of course she now had no right to do, but there were private rights
which she still maintained.

"I should think," she said, "that a man who has done all the mischief
that you have done, who has worked and planned and plotted and
contrived, until he has undermined and utterly ruined the sisterhood of
pious women who ask nothing of this world but to be let alone to do
their own work in their own way, would be ashamed to put his nose into
this house; but I suppose a man who would do what you have done does not
know what shame is. Have you come here to sneer and jibe and scorn and
mock, and gloat over the misfortunes of the women whose home you have
broken up, ruined, and devastated?"

"Madam," said I, "can you tell me where I can find Miss Sylvia Raynor?"

She looked as if she were about to spring and bite.

"Atrocious!" she exclaimed. "I will not stay under the same roof,"--and
she marched out of the door.

I made my way into the reception room. I met no one, and the room was
empty, although I heard on the floor above the sound of many footsteps,
apparently those of the sisters preparing for departure.

I looked around for a bell, or some means of making my presence known.
The room appeared harder, barer, emptier than when I had seen it before.
In a moment it was filled with all the light and beauty of the world. A
door opened, and Sylvia entered.

"I saw you come," she said, advancing with outstretched hands, "and
hurried down as soon as I could."

She was in her gray dress, but without shawl or head covering. Her face
was filled with the most charming welcome. I hastened towards her. I did
not take her hands, but opening my arms I folded her in them, and kissed
her over and over again. With flushed face she pushed herself a little
from me.

"Isn't this taking a great deal for granted?" she said.

"Granted!" I exclaimed, "think of what has been denied. Think of the
weeks, the months"--

"We would a great deal better think somebody may come in here and see
us," said Sylvia, pushing herself still farther from m