maining in the world. I shall now proceed to the awful morning in which I was to become a novice: for it must be observed, that a person desiring to be a religieuse is not a novice till she leaves her secular habits: then she may be said to be in her novitiate, but before she is only in a state of pretension to become a novice.

CHAPTER II.

THE PROFESSION.

It was Sunday, and the bishop who was to perform the ceremony (or the celebrant, as we called him) had arrived at Saint Siffren the evening before-not expressly on my account, but for an ordination and other duties of his office-and he was to be present in the chapel, with all his functionaries, at eight in the morning. I had slept little during the night, and had risen before daylight to prayer. I think it may not be uninteresting to give an account of this ceremony.

My habits, in which I was first to appear, had been duly prepared for me; they consisted of a muslin dress, with blue ornaments, a large bouquet of flowers, and a cap, or toque, of blue gauze, trimmed with silver: in all these I was carefully dressed, several of the sisters being now busy about me, although I was too much agitated to distinguish one from another. In the mean time all had been prepared in the chœur. From this part of the church there are two double grates; one of which opens on the body of the church, and the other upon the high altar; these are large and wide, so that those without may see the sisters within; and there is care generally taken to bring those most forward whose appearance will do credit to the establishmentthis matter, however, is arranged with address, though it is well understood. There had been a carpet laid in the chœur, within the upper grating, which opens on the altar, and hassocks, for myself and the superieure to kneel upon, and just within the altar was a chair for the bishop. But it is not my intention to go through the description of all the forms which are used on this

occasion-nor to say what anthems were chantedhow often the bishop's robes were changed-how the priests passed and repassed before the altar, bowing each time-or how full the church was with people, all crowding in to behold the gorgeous bridal (for this is the point of view in which the ceremony is held)— nor to tell how, sometimes solemnly, and sometimes mournfully, the organ swelled upon the ear, or died away in low and scarcely audible notes: I shall content myself with describing my own part in the ceremony. The bell having admonished us within the house that all was ready for the solemn ceremonial, the whole family immediately assembled in a room joining the chœur, usually called the ante-chœur, in order that the sisters should put on a long black draping, called le manteau de l'Eglise, and that each should take in her hand a burning taper of wax; and when the superieure had given the signal we all proceeded, by two and two, the younger sisters going first into the chœur, and the abbess entering last, leading the victim about to be offered at the shrine of superstition; the whole procession being visible to the congregation through the two gratings. We all were required to bow as we passed the upper grate, which opened on the high altar; and while each sister took her place, the abbess led me to a seat prepared, just within the grate above mentioned, where she placed herself by me, in full view of the whole church. Then began the hymn, O! Glo riosa Domina excelsa super sidera, &c., with certain short prayers, chanted by the celebrant, who sat within the rails of the altar in all the pomp of violet and gold, with his splendid crosier by his side, and his gemmed and sparkling mitre on his venerable brow. A sermon then followed, from a pulpit nearly opposite to us, in which what I was about to do was commended in a language and style that may be easily understood, and which tended not a little to keep up the spirit of false enthusiasm that had supported me, though not without some misgivings, during the last fifteen days. This sermon being concluded, many prayers in Latin and sundry recitatives ensued. After which the clothes which I was to put on being presented to the bishop, he sprinkled them with holy water, and blessed them, delivering them to the superieure. I then knelt down while the celebrant questioned me respecting my feelings and

motives as to taking the veil—the questions and answers being all such as the church had dictated, and being in fact no other than a printed form. It was either then, or during some time of the service,-my memory fails me in this particular, that a lady who sat near the altar took my hand in character of my godmother, and placed it within that of the celebrant. Madame Verani had been asked to be my godmother; but as she had always opposed my resolution to take the veil, she could not be prevailed upon to perform that office for me, although she thought it right to be present at the ceremony. Soon after having replied to the usual questions, I was led out of the church by the superieure to change my dress.

Thus terminated the first act of this solemn pantomime. It is to be supposed that at this time my hair was cut off, but as this operation required some time, it was put off till the next day, and my hair was only hid carefully under the cappe, or black band across the brow; still, however, there was some bustle to get off my smart frock and ornaments, and to invest me with my new habit, before the various prayers and chantings, which are arranged for filling up this interval, were exhausted. We were, however, very expeditious, the hands of my assistants being well-practised in this part of the drama, for I can call it no other; and I was then brought back to my place before the altar, having my black robe without a girdle, and only a small veil, my burning taper being again put into my hand. Then followed other ceremonies, in which the celebrant, having blessed the scapulaire, the veil, the girdle, the cross, and other appendages of the sacred dress, which had not yet been put on, gave them to the abbess, who arranged them on me with no small parade, finishing off my bridal attire by a crown of mingled thorns and roses, which was placed over my veil.

I have taken a task upon me which I cannot complete, as these forms, unauthorized as they are by Scripture, now appear to me so blasphemous and so puerile, that I cannot enlarge upon them any farther: Í shall simply say, that the ceremony terminated, after we had all received the wafer from the hands of the celebrant, by my kissing the hand of the superieure, and then passing round the chœur, and kissing all the sisters, more than one of whom seemed considerably affected at this part

of the scene. While I was thus passing round the chœur, the sisters were singing, Ecce quam bonam et quam jucundam; and, while still singing, we all withdrew from the chœur, the voices of the sisters being heard some time after we had quitted the church.

And now I was indeed a cloistered nun, and, although I had not taken the fatal black veil, I was, to all intents and purposes, as entirely bound as if I had; for how could I ever appear again among my former acquaintance, with such a blight on my reputation as that which I should necessarily incur by abandoning such a public profession as I had just made. I was aware of this immediately after the ceremony was concluded, and only wondered how it had happened that I had not seen the step which I had meditated in the same light before it had taken place.

It was therefore in a melancholy mood that I followed the abbess into the parlour behind the grille, where I had first seen her; and when I there found that I was never more to behold my dear friend Madame Verani, but through a grille, I felt a sadness stealing over me which I could not entirely conceal.

An elegant breakfast (of which, by-the-by, I was to pay the cost) had been set out in the hall, into which I and my friend had been ushered when I first visited the house, with an additional table within the grating, similarly furnished with cakes, sweetmeats, chocolate, and fruits. The guests without were Monseigneur l'Eveque, Monsieur and Madame Verani, with some other persons whom I had caused to be invited as her friends, Father Joachim, and several others of the clerical order, who either belonged to the establishment of Notre Dame de Misericorde, or were followers of the bishop. Those within the grille consisted of myself as queen of the day, the superieure, and other elders of the house, but none of the sisters. The conversation during the breakfast was lively, and even facetious; monseigneur conducting himself with the most gentlemanlike urbanity, and the bars which separated the two parties not seeming to be any hindrance to the freedom of conversation. Monsieur and Madame Verani and myself being the only persons present who were able to appear otherwise than gay. I say appear, for it is impossible that the gayety of several of those then present could have been from the heart.

Before the party dispersed, Madame Verani asked permission to see me soon again, but was told that it was only once a month that the young ladies were permitted to see their friends.

I have forgotten to say that during the whole of the festivity I was addressed by the title of La Sposa,-a glorious title, indeed, when taken in the sense there intended, and one which, were it bestowed by Him who alone has a right to give it, is as far above all earthly titles as the east is from the west; but which, when bestowed by mortals in virtue of some vain ceremony, becomes nothing but an impious and horrible blasphemy.

At length our spiritual father left us, Monsieur and Madame Verani took their leave, and the black curtain being drawn over the grating, I prepared to follow the lady superieure into that part of the house into which I had not as yet been introduced.

And now, my reader must henceforward know me by the appellation of the sister Angelique, which is the name I chose, according to the intimated wishes of the superieure, when I quitted that which had been given me by my parents; but before we left the parlour, the company being gone, the superieure directed me to give my crown to la mère assistante, to put aside in a safe place; "and remember," she added, "let the name be ticketed upon it :-you know for what purpose, daugh

ter?"

"No, indeed, madame," I replied.

She smiled, and la Mère Ursule laughed outright, laying her skinny hand on my shoulder, and saying, "The crown is put by for you to wear in your coffin, daughter, -it is the custom of the house. The daughters of the earth descend into the grave in their shrouds and burying attire; but we wear the crowns which our husband gave us in the day of our espousals."

I made no reply to this, for I did not dare to trust my voice, feeling a degree of sadness creeping over me, which was only the more potent from the state of forced enthusiasm in which I had been for some hours past. The elders, no doubt, understood these symptoms, and therefore the superieure hastened to break up this more private conference, which she did with certain expressions of fondness, which, even at this early hour of my profession, began to fill my mind with nameless apprehension; for I already began to conceive that the pill