Litchfield enquirer., 1834-10-23
TAKING THE VEIL.

the tales that professed to reveal the mys- teries of the cloister, crowd upon our me- ] mory we see standing before us the crea- 1 lures of our imagination, the infexible lady i abbess-the trembling nun-we hear the 1 authoritative question, and the timid reply we see the midnight procession, and hear 1 the anthem of sweet and holy voices-and crowd of mysterious and half forgotten dreams and visions float before us. Ofsome 1 oflhese early visions I had learned to do:bt the reality. had already caught occasion al glimses of those mysterious creatures who inllabt convent walls, without finding any realization of my vision of charms more than mortal. had learned to know that nuns grow old, and that the veil does not always shadow loveliness; but, having un- derstnod that the victim about 10 sacrifice herself was scarcely seventeen, dismissed iron, my mind all the realities that warred with my romantic illusions, and recurred to the dream of my earlier days.
 At the hour appointed, the abbess enter ed the room on the other side of the grat- ing, accompanied by all the nuns, and by several ladies, friends and relatives of the notice. She entered moment after and b"WCOs0eVly NuCbt OO"I9 "btu Ao$~ eO- ward the grating, so that had near aud distinct view of her. She was attired in the novice's robe of pure white, and wore crown of pure flowers upon her head. She seemed scarcely more than sixteen. Her countcnance was gentle, sweet, and inter- esting there was an expression of serious ness, but not of sadness in her face; and face, fairer than usually falls to the lot of Spanish women, was sensibly colored with a fine carnation-the glow of youth and health and happiness yet lingering on her cheek and connecting her with the world of light and life and freedom, about 10 close dpon her forever.
 The administrator now entered by the chapel, and placed himself in chair close to where l was stationed, and at the side of an opening in the grating of about foot square. The novice then rose, and walking forward to the grating, presented him a paper, which he read aloud this was the act of remuneration of all property, then and forever; and during this ceremony the -no- vice retired and knelt as before, holding in her hand long lighted taper, with which 1 tue abbess presented her. The preparato- ry service then commenced by reading and chanting; and this, although monotonous, was pleasing and impressive, according well with the soem,Iity of the scene that had introduced it; and in this service the no- vice joined with clear, sweet voice, in which nothing of emotion could be distin- gushed. When this was concluded, the novice again rose, advanced to the grating, and pronounced slowly and distinctly the | three VOWS that separate her from the world of chastity, poverty, and obedience. Her voice never faultcred; nor could perceive the slightest change of coun,enance: the l color only seemed gradually to torsake her. ] The lady abbess, who stood close by her side, wept all the while. An if each tear could have told why it flowed, what a his- tory might have been unfoldcd. lndigna- ton was the feeling produced in my mind.
 1 wished for the cannon of the constitution alists, to throw down these most odious of l by me in his crimson and gilded surplice, could not restrain myself from saying half audibly. Cue infamia.'
 When the VOWS that could never be re- called had been pronounced by this misgu- ded child, she stepped back and threw her self pros.ra,e upon the ground this is the act confrmatory of her VOWS, symboical of death, and signifying that she is dead to the
 world. The service was then resumed ; bell continued slowly to toll, and tho priest read while the nuns who stood around their new made sister responded dead to the world-separated from kindred-bride of heavcn!' and the nun who lay prostrate being supposed, at the same time to repent 10 heaven in secret, the VOWS she had al- ready pronounced aloud. When this was concluded, slow organ peal, and solemn swell of voices rose and died away and the abbess then raised the nun from the ground and embraced her. saw no tear upon any cheek excepting the cheek of the abbess, whose face was so full of benignity 1 that it half reconciled me to the fate of the young initiated who had vowed obedience to her. When she had embraced every one she again knelt for few moments, and then approached the grazing along with the abbess and the priest handed to the ab-
 bess, through the opening, the ves,men,s of a nun. Then came the last act of the dra-
 ma :-lhe crown was lifted from her head, the black vestment was put on, and the gir-
 dle and the rosary, and the black hood was drawn over her head-she was now nun, and she again embraced the abbess and :he sisters. Still l could not discover single l tear ov~on,;n0 0n ina rheek of the abbeSs