The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-23

whole was nearest to the truth, told that
she was the daughter of noble of Eastern
Bohemia. who had died soon after her birth,
the last of his family. having converted his
ancestral possessions into money Tor
CnOrna's benefit, in order to destroy all
trace of her relationship to him TIE
secret must, Of course, have been confided
TO some one, but it had been kept faithfully.
and Cnona herself was no wiser than
those who amused themselves with fruit
less speculations regarding her origin. If
from the first. from the moment when. as
young girl, she left the convent 10 enter
into possession of her fortune, she had
chosen TO assert some right to footing in
the most exclusive ariStOcracy in the world,
1t IS notimpOsSiole that the protectiOn,of the
abbeSs might have helped her to obtain il.
The secret of her birth would, however,
have rendered marriage with a man of
that class al but impossible, and would
have entirely excluded her from the
only other posltloniconsidered dignitied for
wel-bOrn woman of fortune,
unmarried and wholly without living relg-
tons Or connectiOnS-that of a lady-cano-
ness on the crown foundation. Moreover,
her wild bringing up, and the singular nat
ural gifts she possessed and which she
could not resist the impulse to exercise had
in few months placed her in a position
from which no escape was possible SO long
feW-chietiy men-who for her beauty'S
sake, or out of curiosity. would gladly have
made her acquaintance she raised an i'm
passable barrier of pride and reserve. Nor
was her reputation altogether an evil one.
She lived in a strange fashion, it is true,
but the very fact of her extreme SecluSion
had kept her name free from stain. Ii peo-
pie spoke OF her as the witch, il was more
from habit and half in Jest, than in earnest.
In strong contradiction to the cruelty which
she could exercise ruthlessly when reused
to anger, WIS her well known kindness 10
the poor, and her charities to institutions
founded for their benefit were in reality
considerable and We're said to be boundleSS.
These explanations seemed necessary in or
der to account for the readiness with which
she turned to the convent when
she was in danger, and for the
facilities which We're then at once
offered her for Il stay long or short,
as she would please to make it. Some of the
more suspicious nuns looked grave when
they heard she was under their roof,
others, who had not yet seen her were
filed with curiosity. others. again, had
been attached to her during the time she
had formerly spent among them, and there
Were not lacking those who, disappearing of
herpreSence, held their pDce, in the antici-
patton that the rich and eccentric lady
would on departing present gift of value
to their order.
The rooms which were kept at the dis
pOsal of ladies desiring to make religious
retreat for a short time We're situated on
the first floor of one wing OF the convent
overlooking a garden which was not within
the clustered precincts, but which was cul-
tivated for the convenience OF the nuns,
who themselves never entered IL The
windows on this size We're not latticed, and
the ladies who occupied the apartments
were at liberty to look out upon the small
square of land, their view OF the street
beyond being cut OFF, however, by wall
in which there was one iron gate for the
convenience of the gardeners. who
were thus not obliged 10 pass through
the main entrance of the convent in
order to reach their work Within the
rooms all opened out upon broad vaulted
corridor, lighted in the daytime by huge
arched window looking upon an inner court,
and, at night, by Il single lamp suspended
in the middle of the passage by Il strong
iron chain. The pavement OF this passage
was of broad stones, once smooth and even.
but now worn and made irregular by long
use. The rooms for the guests We're car
peted with sOmber cOlcrs and warmed by
high stoves built up of glazed white tiles.
The furniture. as has been said, was simple,
but afforded all that was strictly necessary
for ordinary comfort, each apartment con
in lateral dimensions but relatively very
high. The walls We're thick and not easily
penetrated by any sounds from without.
and, as in many religious houses, the en-
frances from the corridor were all closed by