An old nun was being wheeled up and down the terrace in a bath-chair by one of the lay sisters, that she might enjoy the sweet air.

“I must say a word to Sister Lawrence,” the Prioress said, “she will never forgive me if I don’t.  She is the eldest member of our community; if she lives another two years, she will complete half a century of convent life.”

As they drew near Evelyn saw two black eyes in a white, almost fleshless face.  The eyes alone seemed to live, and the shrunken figure, huddled in many shawls, gave an impression of patriarchal age.  Evelyn saw by her veil that Sister Lawrence was a lay sister, and the old nun tried to draw herself up in her chair as they approached, and kissed the hand of the Prioress.

“Well, Sister, how are you feeling?  I have brought you our new musical postulant to look at.  I want to know what you think of her.  You must know, Evelyn,” said the Prioress, “that Sister Lawrence is a great judge of people’s vocations; I always consult her about my new postulants.”

Sister Lawrence took Evelyn’s hands between hers and gazed into her face so earnestly that Evelyn feared her innermost thoughts were being read.  Then, with a little touch of wilfulness, that came oddly from one so old and venerable, the Sister said: 

“Well, Reverend Mother, she is pretty anyhow, and it is a long time since we had a pretty postulant.”

“Really, Sister Lawrence, I am ashamed of you,” said the Prioress with playful severity; “Sister Evelyn will be quite disedified.”

“Mother, if I like them to be pretty it is only because they have one more gift to bring to the feet of our dear Lord.  I see in Sister Evelyn’s face that she has a vocation.  I believe she is the providence that God has sent to help us through our difficulties.”

“We are all praying,” said the Prioress, “that it may be so.”

“Well, Hilda, you’ll agree with me now, I think, that we have every reason to hope.”

“Hope for what, dear Mother?”

“That we shall discover a vocation in Evelyn.  You heard what Sister Lawrence said, and she has had great experience.”

“It is possible to God, of course, that an opera singer may find a vocation for the religious life, and live happily in a community of nuns devoted to Perpetual Adoration.”

“But you don’t believe God desires that such a thing should come to pass?”

“I shouldn’t like to say that, it would be too presumptuous; but it would be entirely out of the ordinary course.”

The Prioress began to wonder if Mother Hilda suspected that some great sin committed while she was in Rome was the cause of Evelyn’s nervous breakdown; and the Mistress of the Novices, as she walked by the side of the Prioress, began to wonder why the Prioress wished that Evelyn should become a nun.  It might be that the Prioress, who was a widow, was interested in the miracle of the great shock which had caused