ment to be brought in the meantime for John Muntz
in the hall, and desiring him to talk to his people and to sell any of
his books if he could. Ava, after sending greeting to him and her
mother, and love and duty, continued:

"And now, dear father, I must tell you that I cannot longer endure this
life. It was only while I believed that I was doing God service that I
loved it. Now I am certain that it is directly contrary to His law. I
have read the New Testament carefully with prayer, and I can find
nothing there to sanction it. We are told not to bow down to images--
not to use vain repetitions in prayers; we are employed the greater part
of each day in doing these two things. We invoke dead saints, we
worship the Virgin Mary, we fast, we perform penances to merit heaven,
and all the time the Bible tells us that there is but one Mediator
between God and man, Jesus Christ, and that by repentance and through
faith in Him can we alone become righteous and meet to enter the kingdom
or heaven. I cannot tell you one-half of the objections I have to
remain here. There are also eight other nuns who desire to leave, and
they have written to their parents to the same effect, though some of
them tremble as to what will be the answers; others say that there was
so much grief when they went away, that they are certain that there will
be rejoicing to get them back. I know how sorry you and mother and
Laneta were when I left home, that I have no doubt that you will be glad
to have me return. But how are we to get away?--there is the
difficulty. We know that we are watched, and that every effort will be
made to detain us."

"I have no doubt that there will!" exclaimed Eric. "Sister Ursula, as
they call their lady abbess, would move heaven and earth to detain them
if she knew that they wished to escape. Do not write, lest the letter
should fall into the old dame's hands; but let me go with Albert, and
depend on it we shall find means before long of letting out the caged
birds."

The Knight, without saying what Albert proposed, showed Ava's letter to
Dame Margaret. She was horrified.

"What! a professed nun break her vows?" she exclaimed. "A bride of
Christ forsake her bridegroom! Horrible profanity! No. I love Ava as
my daughter, but I can never receive one who is so utterly neglectful of
all her religious obligations. You must write and tell her that is
impossible to comply with her request. I am sure Father Ni