that her will to do good was renewed and doubled and trebled, so that
it could accomplish twice and three times as much as before. Her
daughter would not leave her now, to be a martyr in the East, as the
only escape from herself and from the man who loved her too daringly.
Why should she go? If she still felt that she must leave Rome for a
time, she could go to one of the order's houses far away, but not to
the East, the deadly East! Heaven did not love useless suffering; the
Church condemned all self-sacrifice that was not meet, right, and
reasonable. In due time she would come back, when all danger was over,
when Giovanni had lived through the first days of surprise,
disappointment, and passion.

The sunset glow had faded and twilight was coming on when the two went
down the steps and crossed the cloistered garden to the chapel, for it
was the hour for Vespers. They walked as usual, with an even,
noiseless tread, the young nun on the left of her superior and keeping
step with her, but not quite close to her, for that would not have
been respectful; yet each felt as if the other's hand were in hers and
their hearts were beating gently with the same loving thought. Peace
had come upon them and they felt that it would be lasting.

At the chapel door they separated; the Mother Superior passed to her
high-backed, carved seat at the end, the three aged nuns who had
survived from other times sat next to her in the order of their years,
and Sister Giovanna took her appointed place much farther down. A
number of seats were empty, belonging to those nurses who were
attending private cases.

Cloistered nuns spend many hours of the day and night in chapel, but
the working orders use short offices and have much latitude as to the
hours at which their services are held. Except on Sundays and at daily
mass, no priest officiates; the Mother Superior or Mother Prioress
leads with her side of the choir, the Sub-Prioress, or the Mistress of
the Novices, or whoever is second in authority, responds with the
other nuns. The Office of Saint Dominic for Vespers practically
consists of one short Psalm, a very diminutive Lesson, one Hymn, and
the beautiful Canticle 'My soul doth magnify the Lord'; then follows a
little prayer and the short responsory, and all is over. The whole
service does not last ten minutes.

The women's voices answered each other peacefully, and then rose
together in the quaint old melody of the hymn, the sweet notes