Part 37 (2/2)
”I can't take in what you're saying. Going away for ever? Oh, Sister, this cannot be true!” And Evelyn stood looking at the nun, her eyes dilated, her fingers crisped as if she would hold Sister Mary John back. ”But what is taking you away?”
”That is a long story, too long for telling now; besides, you know it. You know I have been very fond of you, Teresa; too fond of you.”
”So that's it. And how shall I live here without you?”
”You are going to enter the convent, and as a nun you will learn to live without me; you will learn to love G.o.d better than you do now.”
”One moment; tell me, it is only fair you should tell me, how our love of each other has altered your love of G.o.d?”
”I can never tell you, Teresa, I can only say that I never understood, perhaps, as I do now, that nothing must come between the soul and G.o.d, and that there is no room for any other love in our hearts. We must remember always we are the brides of Christ, you and I, Sister.”
”But I am not professed, and never shall be.”
”I hope you will, Sister, and that all your love will go to our crucified Lord.”
They stood holding each other's hands.
”Won't you let me kiss you before you go?”
”Please let me go; it will be better not. The carriage is waiting; I must go.”
”But never, never to see you again!”
”Never is a long while; too long. We shall meet in heaven, and it would be unwise to forfeit that meeting for a moment of time on this earth.”
”A moment of time on this earth,” Evelyn answered. She stood looking out of the window like one dazed; and taking advantage of her abstraction Sister Mary John left the room. The Prioress came into the library.
”Mother, what does this mean? Why did you let her go?”
The Prioress sat down slowly and looked at Evelyn without speaking.
”Mother, you might have let her stay, for my sake.”
”I allowed her to see you before she left, and that was the most I could do, under the circ.u.mstances.”
”The most you could do under the circ.u.mstances? I don't understand.
Mother, you might have asked her to wait. She acted on impulse.”
”No, Teresa, she came to me some weeks ago to tell me of her scruples.”
”Scruples! Her love of me, you mean?”
”I see she has told you. Yes.”
The Prioress was about to ask her about her vows; but the present was not the moment to do so, and she allowed Evelyn to go back to the sacristy.
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