Transcript

Chapter XII · The White Sister

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Chapter twelve of The White Sister. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox
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recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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visit LibriVox dot org. The White Sister by F. Marion Crawford, Chapter
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twelve. Sister Giovanna was the supervising nurse for the week, and in the
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natural course of her duty, it was she who went to the telephone when
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doctor Pierre called up the hospital at seven o'clock. In a few words,
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he explained the case as far as was necessary, and begged the sister to
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have a good room ready for the patient. He believed that number two was
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vacant. It was, and the wounded man could have it. The doctor
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said he would bring him in a motor towards nine o'clock. The patient's name,
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if you please, said Sister Giovanna, in a business like tone.
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Captain SEVERI, I do not know his first name. What is the matter,
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sister? The nun had uttered a low exclamation of surprise, which Pierre
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had heard distinctly nothing, She answered, controlling her voice. Is he a
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son of the late general of that name? I do not know, sister.
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He is a friend of the Princess Chiaromonte, is it all right?
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I am busy, Yes, answered the nun's voice, It is all right.
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She hung up the receiver and went to give the necessary orders, rather
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whiter about the lips than usual. The fact that the injured officer was a
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friend of her aunt's seemed to make it certain that he was one of the
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brothers of whom Giovanni had often and spoken, and the mere thought that she
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was to see him in an hour or two was disturbing. For a moment,
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she was strongly impelled to beg the Mother Superior that some one else might
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take her place during the morning. But in the first place, it seemed
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cowardly to leave her post, and secondly, in order to explain her position,
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she would have been obliged to tell Mother Superior her whole story, which
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she had never done. Monseigneur Saurtenesca knew it, and Madame Bernard, but
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no one else whom she ever saw nowadays. Then came the comforting inward suggestion
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that Giovanni would have wished her to do all she could for his brother,
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and this at once made a great difference. She went to see that the
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room was in perfect order, though she was quite sure that it was,
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and she sent for the orderlies on duty, and told them to be especially
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careful in moving a patient who would soon be brought, and to get ready
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a certain new chair which was especially constructed for carrying persons who had received injuries
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of the feet only, and who did not require to be transported on the
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ordinary stretcher, which always gives a patient the idea that his case is a
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serious one. She also went out to the lodge to warn the fortress that
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Captain Severi was expected and must not be kept waiting even a few seconds longer
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than was necessary. The Excellent Honor looked up with some surprise, for she
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had never kept anyone waiting without good cause since she had been in charge of
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the gate. But she bent her head obediently and said nothing. It seems
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to be a general rule with religious houses that no one is ever to wait
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in the street for admittance. The barrier, which is often impassable, is
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the door that leads inward from the vestibule. When everything was prepared for UGO's
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reception, Sister Giovanna went back to the duties which kept her constantly occupied in
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the morning hours, and often throughout the day. She was personally responsible to
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the house surgeon for carrying out all directions given the nurses as he was in
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grave cases, to the operating surgeon or visiting physition. It was her business
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to inspect everything connected with the hospital, from the laundry, the sterilizing apparatus,
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and the kitchen to the dispensary, where she was expected to know from
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day to day what supplies were on hand and what was needed. She was
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ultimately answerable for the smallest irregularity or accident, and had to report everything to
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the Mother's superior every evening, after vespers and before supper. During her week,
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everyone in the establishment came to her for all matters that concerned the hospital
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and the nurses on duty by day or night, but she had nothing to
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do with those who were sent out to private cases. They reported themselves and
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gave an account of their work to the mother Superior whenever they returned to the
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convent. The supervising nurse for the week did not sleep in her cell,
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but lay down on a pallet bed behind a curtain in her office on the
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first floor, close to the dispensary, where she could be culled at a
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moment's notice, though it rarely happened that she was disturbed between ten o'clock at
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night and five in the morning. The Mother Superior had introduced the system soon
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after she had taken charge of the convent hospital, of which the management now
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differed from that of most similar institutions in this respect. For the most competent
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sisters took turns in the arduous task of supervision from week to week. At
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other times they went to private cases when required, or acted as ordinary nurses.
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Any One who has any knowledge of hospitals managed by religious orders is aware
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that no two of them work by precisely the same rules, and that the
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rules themselves are largely the result of the mother's superior's own experience, modified by
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the personal theories and practice of the operating surgeon and the principal visiting physician.
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The scale of everything related to the administration is, of course very small compared
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with that of any public hospital, and all responsibility therefore weighs more directly on
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the doctors and nurses in charge at any given moment than on a board of
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management. In other words, on the right individuals, rather than on a
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body. Princess Chiaromonte rose early and jove for the convent in a cab,
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intending to come home in the motor which was to bring Ugo and the doctor.
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She rang, was admitted and asked for the supervising nurse. The portress,
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who knew her by sight, at once led her to the large hall
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already mentioned and rang the bell, which gave warning that some one was waiting
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who had business in the hospital. She drew one of the chairs forward for
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the princess and went back to the lodge. A moment later, a novice
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opened the door that led to the wards, and the visitor repeated her a
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quest without mentioning her name. The novice bowed and disappeared, and several minutes
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passed before sister Giovanna came. She had last seen her aunt ill in bed
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and flushed with fever, but the princess had changed too little in five years
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not to be instantly recognized by any one who had known her so recently.
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Both women made a movement of surprise, and the nun stood still in an
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instant still holding the handle of the door. Of the two, however,
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she was the first to regain her composure. Her aunt rose with alacrity indeed,
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and held out her hand, but she colored a little and laughed with
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perceptible awkwardness. She had long wished to see her niece, but the meeting
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had come too unexpectedly to be pleasant. I hope you have felt no ill
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effects from your illness, Sister Giovanna spoke, calmly, in a tone of
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civil inquiry. Own none at all, answered the princess. Thanks to your
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wonderful nursing. She added, with rather too much eagerness. I had hoped
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to tell you before now how grateful I am. But though I have been
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here more than once, you were never here when I came. Sister Giovanna
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bent her head slightly. There is really nothing to thank me for, she
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said. The novice said, you wish to see me? Can I be
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of any service to you? The elder woman inwardly resented the tone of superior
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calm. She was now convinced that Sister Giovanna was no other than her niece
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Angela, though she had not yet given any direct sign of recognition. She
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was not quite sure of being able to meet the young eyes steadily, and
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when she answered, she fixed her own on the line where the veil was
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drawn tightly across the nun's forehead. In this way, she could not fail
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to see any quick change in the other's features. It is about Captain Severi,
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she said, very distinctly, Ugo, as we call him, the
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brother of that poor Giovanni who was murdered by savages in Africa. She saw
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what she had had to see, and felt that she had already got the
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upper hand, for the nun's face turned the color of smoldering wood ashes when
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they are a grayish white, though the faint hot glow still rises in them
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with every passing breath of air, and then fades fitfully away. Captain Severe's
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room is ready, said Sister Giovanna steadily. Yes, of course. The
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princess nodded as she spoke. It's not that, sister. He is a
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great friend of mine, and I was quite devoted to his unfortunate brother.
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So I have come to beg that he may have the very best of care
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while he is here. You need not have any anxiety. Sister Giovanna sat
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bolt upright in her straight chair, her hands folded on her knees. The
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princess rested one elbow on the table in an easy attitude, and glanced at
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her once or twice. During the silence that followed, each was wondering whether
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the other was going to admit that she recognized her, and each was wing
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the relative advances of remaining on the present footing, which was one of uncertainty
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for Sister Giovanna and of armed quiescence on the princess's part. Thank you,
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said the latter, after a long time, with a bright smile, as
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if she had quite understood the nun's answer. It will be such a comfort
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to know that he is being well cared for, poor fellow. I believe
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he will be here in a few minutes. We are expecting him, answered
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the nun, not stirring. Another long silence followed, and she sat so
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perfectly still that the princess began to fidget, looked at the tall old clock
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in the corner, and then compared her pretty watch with it, laid her
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olive green parasol across the table, but took it off again almost immediately and
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dropped the tip to the floor. The sister's impassive stillness seemed meant for a
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reproach, and made her nervous the certainty that this motionless woman opposite her was
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Angela, calmly declining to know her was very disagreeable. She tried the excuse
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of pretending in her thoughts that there was still a reasonable doubt about it,
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but she could no longer succeed yet to address her niece by her baptismal name
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would be to acknowledge herself finally beaten in the contest of coolness, after having
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at first succeeded in making her adversary change color. The ticking of the clock
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was so distinct that it made an echo in the high hall. The morning
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sun streamed across the pavement from the cloistered garden. The chirping of a fuse
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barrows and the sharper twitter of the house swallow that had already nested under the
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eaves sounded very clearly through the closed glass door. The princess could not bear
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the silence any longer, and she looked at Sister Giovanna with a rather pinched
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smile. My dear Angela, she said, there is really no reason why
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we should keep up this absurd little comedy any longer, is there? The
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nun did not betray the least surprise at the sudden question, if you have
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no reason for it, I have none, she answered, but her gaze
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was so steady that the princess looked away. I prefer to be called Sister
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Giovanna, however, she added, after an instant's pause. The princess,
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though not always courageous, was naturally overbearing and rather garrelsome, and her temper
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rose viciously as soon as the restraint which an artificial situation had imposed was removed.
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I really think you should not have kept me in doubt so long,
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she said, after playing nurse to me in my own house. You can
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hardly have taken me for another person. But as for you, your dress
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has changed so completely, and you look so much older than anyone would have
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thought possible that you need not be surprised. If I was not quite sure
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if it was really you, her niece listened, unmoved. A trained nurse,
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even if she be a nun, may learn a good deal about human
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nature in five years, and Sister Giovanna was naturally quick to perceive and slow
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to forget. She understood now much better than the princess supposed. I'm not
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at all surprised, she said, on smiling, and it cannot possibly matter.
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The older woman began to think that her recollections of what she thought she
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had said in her delirium were nothing more than a record of a dream.
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But the fear of having betrayed herself still haunted her, although four months had
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passed and the present opportunity of setting her mind at rest might not return.
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Rather than let it slip away, she would be bold, if not brave.
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And besides, she said, as if finishing her last speech, I
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believe I was more or less delirious most of the time that you were with
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me, was I not? Sister Giovanna was sorely tempted to speak out,
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But though it would be so easy to humiliate the woman who had injured her,
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it looked too much like vengeance, and she remembered how she had told
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the sick woman that she forgave her with all her heart, meaning what she
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had said. But it had been hard to keep the passion flower of forgiveness
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from fading as soon as it had opened. You were rather quiet on the
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whole, she answered, with truth, and so calmly that the princess was
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relieved. I wish all my patients were as submissive. Really, how delightful
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No one ever said I was a submissive person. I am sure you were
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very much so. And now, since your friend has not come yet and
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you will wish to wait for him, I must ask you to let me
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leave you, for I am on duty and must not stay here for too
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long. Should you like to see the mother superior? Sister Giovanna rose as
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she spoke, for though she was sure of herself after making the first effort,
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she did not mean to tell an untruth if her aunt asked her a
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still more direct question. She was well aware too that she had turned very
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pale at the first mention of Giovanni, and she did not intend to expose
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herself to any further surprises which her enemy might be planning. The princess was
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disappointed now, and was not satisfied with having so greatly diminished her own anxiety.
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She felt she had come into contact with a force which she could not
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hope to overcome, because it did not proceed only from Angela's own strength of
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character, but was backed by a power that was real, though it was
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invisible. It was hard to express what I mean, but those will understand
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who have personally found themselves opposed by a member of any regular order whom they
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wished to influence. It has been well said that there is no such obstacle
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in life as the inert resistance of a thoroughly lazy man. But in certain
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circumstances that is far inferior to the silent opposition of a conscientious person belonging to
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a large body, which declines on grounds of belief rather than logic, to
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enter into any argument. That is what Princess Chiaromonte felt. She rose from
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her chair a moment after her niece had stood up. Thank you, she
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said, I will wait here if I may. You are welcome. Sister
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Giovanna made a slight inclination of the head and left the hall at once.
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When she was gone, her aunt did not resume her seat, but walked
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slowly up and down, and twice. As she reached the door that led
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to the wards, she stood still for a second and smiled. It was
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all very well to be as strong as Angela, she reflects, did,
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and to have a great religious order behind one supported by the whole body of
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the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. And it was a fine thing to have
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so much character, and such a beautiful grave face and solemn, saintly eyes.
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But it showed weakness to turn as white as a sheet at the mention
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of a man's name, though he might be dead, and in a few
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minutes, it would be a satisfaction to note the signs of inward distress when
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the grave supervising nurse came face to face with the brother of the man she
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had loved. That was what the princess was thinking of when she heard the
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distant gatebell tinkling, and stopped once more in her walk, preparing herself to
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receive Ugo Severi with an expression of cordiality and affectionate concern. The portress opened
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the door into the hall, and a confused sound of voices came from the
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passage. The princess stared slightly and then smiled, reflecting that she had never
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noticed the resemblance between UGO's tone and poor Giovannis. Doctor Pierre entered first,
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tall, grave, fair bearded, and he was looking back to be sure
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that the orderlies were careful. They followed him closely, burging Captain Ugo in
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a chair in which he sat upright, with his injured foot lying on a
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raised rest before him, and a rug from the motor car over his knees.
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He wore a covert coat and a gray felt hat. The princess went
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forward with a bright smile, looking into his face. I have seen the
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head nurse, she said, and you are to have the best room in
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the hospital and all sorts of extra care. Ugo said something as the orderlies
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set down the chair, but almost at the same moment, the princess heard
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another voice. It was hard and cold and did not match the words it
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spoke. You have been extremely kind, said Giovanni Severi. She had fairly
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good nerves and had been, in a very small measure prepared for the surprise
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by having heard him talking in the passage, though in a very different tone.
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But she started and gasped audibly as she looked up and met his resentful
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eyes. Giovanni, she cried in amazement is it you? Are you alive?
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But she had no doubt about it, in spite of the heavy beard
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that hid the lower part of his face. Oh yes, he answered,
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rather coldly, Quite alive. Thank you. She held out her hand now,
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but it was shaking when he took it. Doctor Pierre looked on in
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some surprise, but said nothing. One of the orderlies rang the bell that
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summoned the supervising nurse. Where have you been all these years, asked the
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princess. Why have you never written to your friends? That is a long
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story, Giovanni answered, in the same tone as before. If you happen
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to be on friendly terms with the ministry, you will be doing the government
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a service by not speaking of my return till it is made public. How
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mysterious the princess was recovering from her surprise. Ugo looked from one to the
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other, watching their faces. It was quite clear that his brother disliked the
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middle aged woman of the world now, whatever their relation had been in the
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past, and from her behavior when she had recognized him, it looked as
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if the two must have once been very intimate. What are we waiting for,
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asked the captain, cheerfully, in order to break off the conversation.
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The supervising nurse answered, Pierre, she will be here directly, a nun,
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I suppose, observed Giovanni carelessly. Old and hideous too. No doubt,
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poor Ugo, not so much to be pitied as you think, said
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the princess. She is still young and must have been very pretty. She
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is worth looking at, I assure you. Her own astonishment and recent emotion
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were already forgotten in the pleasure of looking forward to the recognition which must take
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place within a few moments. She had hated her niece long and unrelentingly,
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and she had never forgiven Giovanni for what she called in her heart his betrayal.
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But the reckoning was to be settled in full at last, and she
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knew that if sister Giovanna could choose, she would rather pay it with her
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flesh and blood than meet what was before her now. Giovanni was looking towards
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the door when the nun opened it, and the strong morning light fell full
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on her face as she came forward. Naturally enough, her eyes at first
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turned downwards towards UGO's face, for she had already seen the princess, and
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Pierre was a familiar figure. She was aware that a bearded officer was standing
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on the other side of the chair, but she did not look at him.
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Giovanni's expression changed quickly. At first, he only saw a strong likeness
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to Angela, a striking resemblance that made him wonder whether the nun could possibly
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be an elder sister of hers, of whom he had never heard. But
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by quick degrees. He became sure that it was herself. She spoke to
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the wounded man. Shall we go up to your room at once? She
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asked, in her soft voice, bending over him. Before Ugo could answer,
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a name he did not know rang out in a tone he had never
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heard. He did not recognize his brother's voice. It was so full of
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passion and joy, mingled with amazement, yet trembling with anxiety. Angela sister
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Giovanna, straightened herself with a spring and stood transfixed, facing Giovanni. The
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chair was between them. In an instant was an age to both. Sharp
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lines furrowed her brow, her cheeks grew hollow, and her pale, parted
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lips were distorted with pain. Her face was like the virgin mother's at the
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foot of the cross. It was only for a moment. She threw up
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her arms, stiff and straight as a man who was shot through the heart.
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One loud cry then and she fell backwards. Pierre was in time and
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caught her before her head struck the pavement. But though he was strong and
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she was slightly made, the impetus of her fall dragged him down upon one
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knee. Giovanni could not reach her at once. For the hospital chair with
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the bars by which it was carried, was between them, and the foremost
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of the orderlies stood exactly in his way. He almost knocked the man over
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as he dashed forwards. The princess was already bending over the unconscious sister with
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every appearance of profound sympathy. She was trying to loosen the wimple and gorget
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that confined the nun's cheeks and throat too closely, but the fastenings were unfamiliar
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and she could not find them. Giovanni, pale and determined, pushed her
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aside as he stooped to lift the woman he loved. Pierre helped him,
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and the princess rose and stepped back to look on. Now that she had
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shown her willingness to be of use, Ugo gazed at the scene with wide,
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astonished eyes, turning half round in his chair and grasping his arms to
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hold himself in the position. Open the glass door, said the doctor to
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the nearest. Orderly, they carried sister Giovanna into the cloistered garden, towards
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the stone seat by the well, where the three old nuns used to sit
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in the afternoon. Before they reached the place. She opened her eyes and
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met Giovanni's, already haggard with fear for her, but brightening wildly as her
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consciousness returned, for he had believe that she had fallen dead before him.
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Even through the closed glass doors. The mother's superior had heard her cry and
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known her voice, for the window had been opened to the april sunshine.
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The mother could be swift when there was need, and she was downstairs and
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at the well almost as soon as the two men could get there, walking
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slowly with their burden, Exerting a strength that amazed them, she took the
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young nun into her arms and sat down with her, and laid the drooping
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head tenderly to her heart. Her own face was as still and white as
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marble, but neither Giovanni nor Pierre saw her eyes. You may go,
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she said, I will take care of her in the presence of the strange
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officer. She would not ask the doctor what had happened. She fainted suddenly,
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He said, yes, I understand, leave her to me. Pierre
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saw that Giovanni could not move of his own free will, so he passed
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his arm through the young man's and whispered in his ear while he drew him
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away. You must obey for the present, he said. She is in
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no danger, for he had understood the truth at once, as it was
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easy enough. And Giovanni went with him, looking back again and again,
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unable to speak, not yet knowing all. When the princess had seen the
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Mother Superior crossing the garden, she had drawn back within the door, and
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the doctor shut it. When Giovanni had come in, the woman of the
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world had believed that she could still face the men after what she had done,
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and perhaps find the words that would hurt him. But when she saw
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his eyes, she was frightened, for she had known him well. When
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he went straight towards her, she made one step backwards, in bodily fear
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of him. But he spoke quietly and not rudely. It was your duty
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to warn us both, he said. That was all. But he stood
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looking at her, and her fright grew. For men who live long in
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the wilderness gather a strength that may inspire terror when they come back to the
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world. The princess turned from him without answering, and left the hall.
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One of the orderlies had called another nurse from within, and Ugo was taken
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to his room still surprised, but already understanding as Pierre did. The latter
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soon took his leave. The nurse followed him for instructions, and the brothers
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were alone together when I left her. Giovanni said, we were engaged to
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be married. I wrote to her just before I sailed, but she has
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not received the letter yet. What shall you do? Asked Ugo, watching
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him with sympathy. Do marry her? Of course? Do you suppose I
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have changed my mind? But she is evidently a nun, objected Ugo.
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She must have taken irrevocable vows. These nurses are not like sisters of charity,
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I believe, who make their promise for a year only and then are
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free during one night to decide whether they will renew it. Giovanni severe laughed,
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but not lightly, nor carelessly nor scornfully. It was the short,
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energetic laughter of a determined man who does not believe anything impossible. End of
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Chapter twelve.