San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-03

ArabianS, approaching. l Walkeu 10
meet it,; the %Coachman seeing me drew
up instantly. l bade him take me to the
COnyento DELI AnnunZiata, and entering
tho carriage, l was driven rapidly away.
The convent was situated, | knew,
somewhere between Naples and Sorren-
TO. guessed it to be near Castellamare,
but il was fully three miles beyond that,
and was a somewhat long drive of more
than two hours. 1t lay a good distance
out of the direct route, and was only at
tanned bS a by-road, which from its
rough and broken condition was evil
IDENTIFY not much f~requented. The build
ing stood apart from all other habita-
tions in a large Open piece of ground,
fenced in by a high stone wall spiked at
the top. Roses climbed thickly among
the spikes, and almost hid their sharp
points from view, and from a perfect
nest of green foliage, the slender spire
of the convent chapel rose into the sky
like a white finger pointing to heaven.
Nv coachman drew up before the heavily
barred gates. l alighted, and babe him
take the carriage to the principal
hostelry at Castellamare, and wait for
me there. AS soon as he had driven of,
| rang the convent bell. A little wicket
fixed in the gate opened Immediately,
and the wrinkled visage of a very old
and ugly nun looked out. She demanded
i'm low tones what l sought. l handed
her nv card, and stated my desire to see
the Countess Romani, if agreeable to the
Superioress. While l spoke she looked
at ne c%uriously, my spectacles, l sup
pose, excited her wonder, for
| had replaced these Disgusting glasses
Immediately on leaving the scene of
the duel,-I needed them yet a little
while longer. After peering at me a
minute or two with her bleared and aged
ewes, she shut the wicket in my face
with a smart click and disappeared.
While l awaited her return, | heard the
sound of children's laughter and light
footsteps running trippingly on the stone
passage within.
J ''Fi done, Roster said a girls voice in
| French; 'la bonnie Mere Marguerite sera
tres tres fachee avGc tot"
''Tais-toi, petite ~sainte!" cried another
voice more piercing and Silvery in tone.
''Je veux voir qui est la! C'est un
homme, je sails bien-parce cue la vielle
Mere Laura a rougi!' and both young
voices broke into a chorus of renewed
4 lduGultIs 1ACh amy bAA' nm hOlSC
of the old nuns footsteps eturning; she
evidently caught the two ~truantS, who
ever they were, for ! heard her eXpOstu-
lating, scolding and apostrophizing the
saints all in a breath, as she
babe them go inside the house and ask
the good little Jesus to forgive their
nsughtiness. A silence ensued. th0n
the bolts and bars Of the huge gate were
uudOne slowly-it opened, and | was adj
anitted. | raised nv hat as | entered
and walked bareheaded through a long,
cold corridor, guided by the venerable
nun, who looked at me no more, but told
her beads as she walked, and never spoke
till she had led me into the building,
through a lofty hall glorious with sacred
paintings and statues, and from thence
into a large, elegantly furnished room,
whose windows commanded a fine view
of the grounds. Here she mOtiOned me
to take a seat, and without lifting her
eyelids, said:
Mother Marguerite will wait upon
you, instantly, signor."
l bowed, and she glided from
the room so noiselessly that |
did not ever hear the door close behind
her. Left alone in what | right
ly concluded was the reception room
for visitors. | looked about me with
2 some faint interest and curiosity. | haC
never before seen the interior of what i,
known as al educational convent. There
were many photographs on the walls anC
mantel piece-pOrtraitS Of girls, some
: plain of face and form, others beautltu
n no doubt they had all been sent to thu
nuns as souvenirs OF former pupils. Rls
= ing from my chair | examined a few o
them Carelessly, and was about Il
D inspect a fine copy of Murrillo'
Virgin, when my attention was caugh
by an upright velvet frame surmOuntel
with my own crest and COronet. i
y it was a portrait of my wife, taken il
her bridal dress, as she looked whel
she married me. ! took it to tn
light and stared at the features dut
= iously. This was she-this slim, fairy
like creature clad in gossamer white
with the marriage veil thrown bac
: from her clustering hair and child-lik
face-this was the thing for which wv
IS mems lives had been sacrificed. With
)r a movement of disgust / replaced III
X. frame in its former position; | ha
} scarcely done so when the door opene
quietly and a tall woman, clad in trai
. ing robes of pale blue with a nuns ban
Il and veil of fine white cashmere, stoC
q before me. l saluted her with a dee
h reverence; she responded by u
ia slightest possible bend of her hea
~ Her outward manner was
very still and composed that when s.
spoke her colourless lips scarcely move
ne her very breathing never stirred Il
he silver crucifX that lay like a glitteril
sign-manual on her quiet breast. II
voice, though low, was singularly Gle
n, and penetrating.
OF u address the Count Oliva?" she
nd