s quite saveable," answered the nun
tartly. "The more hopeless from man's view, the more likely from God's.
I have a taste for hopeless enterprises."

"I wish you had left Louis out of this one," Arthur thought. "But to
deal with a wretch like her, so notorious, so fallen," he said aloud,
"you must have risked too much. Suppose, after you had entered her
office, she had sent for a reporter to see you there, to see you leaving
after kissing her, to hear a pretty story of an embassy from the
archbishop to coax her back to religion; and the next morning a long
account of this attempt on her resolution should appear in the papers?
What would your superiors say?"

"That could happen," she admitted with a shiver, "but I had her word
that my visit was to be kept a secret."

"Her word!" and he raised his hands.

"Oh, I assure you the affair was arranged beforehand to the smallest
detail," she declared. "Of course no one can trust a woman like that
absolutely. But, as you see, in this case everything went off smoothly."

"I see indeed," said Arthur too worried to smile.

"I arranged the meeting through Miss Conyngham," the nun continued, "a
very clever person for such work. I knew the danger of the enterprise,
but the woman has a soul, and I thought if some one had the courage to
take her by the hand and lead her out of her wicked life, she might do
penance, and even become a saint. She received Miss Conyngham quite
nicely indeed; and also my message that a helping hand was ready for her
at any moment. She was afraid too of a trap; but at the last she begged
to see me, and I went, with the consent of my superior."

"And how did you come to mix Louis up in the thing?"

"He happened to drop in as I was going, and I took him along. He was
very much edified, we all were."

"And he has been more edified since," observed Arthur, but the good nun
missed the sarcasm.

"She made open confession before the three of us," warming up at the
memory of that scene. "With tears in her eyes she described her fall,
her present remorse, her despair of the future, and her hope in us. Most
remarkable scene I ever witnessed. I arranged for her to call at this
convent whenever she could to plan for her return. She may be here any
time. Oh, yes, I forgot. The most touching moment of all came at the
last. When we were leaving she took Louis' hand, pressed it to her
heart, kissed it with respect, and cried out: 'You happy soul, oh, keep
the gr