Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-11-10

submission TO your ladyshlp, shall try to
get place in Brtges, so that may be near
these darling childer, and gladden. my eyes
with the sight of them now and then, as the
good nuns give lave"
Miss Fitzpatrick had no objection 20 this
plan She was good woman according TO
her lights, but as hard as a stone. She want
ed TO do her duty in prompt and business
like manner, and to provide for these oIs
phans; not because she cared straw for
them, but because they were orphans, and
to feed the widow and the orphan is the
business of a good Catholic.
She put the two girls into fly next morn
Ing, after spending an uncomfortable night
at the best hotel in Bruges, where the for
eign arrangements and the all-pervading
odors atfl cted her sorely, and drove straight
off to the Sisters of Sainte Marie.
Here, in a rambling chilly-l"oking house
with large whlte-washed carpetless rooms,
and corridors smelling of plaster, Miss Fitz.
patrick handed the orphans over to the
Reverend Mother, stout comfortable-look-
ing Belgian, who, for payment in all Of
ninety pounds year, was to lodge, feed,
clothe, and educate the two children from
January TO December. There were to be
no yacations-the school year was to be
really year. Children who had parents
might go home for summer holiday; but
for these orphans the whiGe-walled convent
in its fiat sandy garden was to be the only
home.
And now there began for those orphan
sisters new life-very strange, very cold
and formal, after Il life they had led with
the careless yet loving father and the de-
voted nurse. II was life of rule and rou-
tine, of work and deprivation. The con-
vent school was cheap school, and though
the Sisters were conscientious in their deal
ings with their pupils, the fare was of the
poorest the beds were hard and narrow, the
coverlets were thin, domitories draughty
and carpetless, everything bleak and bare.
The children rose at unnatural hours in the
cold dark mornings, and were sent to bed
early TO save fire and candle. 1t was hard
life, with scarcely ray of sunshine. Some
of the nuns were kind and some of the nuns
were cross, just as women are outside con-
vent-walls. There were no pleasures, there
was very little to hope for; the nuns were
too poor 10 afford pleasure for their pupils.
Chapel and lessons, lessons and chapel;
chapel tw ce day. lessons all day long;
that was the round of life. Half an hours
recreation now and then-just one brief
half-hour of leisure and play,if the children
had strength to play, after two long hours
bending over books, puzZling over sums.
Rose bore her trials like a heroine. Kath-
leen fretted a good deal at first, and then
when she grew older and stronger she be-
came little inclined to occasional out
breaks Of rebellion. She had sweet loving
nature, and could be ruled easily by love
by threats or hard usage not at all. The
nuns, happily, were fond of her. and petted
her for her beauty and br ghtnesS and grace
full ways. While dark proud Rose, earnest,
thoughtful, labor.ous, plodded on at her
studies, ALWAYS obedient, ways cOnscieh-
tious, Kathleen learnt by fits and starts, was
sometimes attentive, sometimes neglectful,
sometimes Industrious TO fever-point, some
times incorrigibly idle. She had all the
freaks of genius.