aged to get dismissed.

Angelique was now nearly eleven, but much older in her thoughts and ways
than most children of her age, though she was still fond of games, and
spent part of the day playing or wandering about the garden. If it was
wet, she read Roman history, and perhaps she may have learnt something
of housekeeping from the prioress, who saw that all was kept in order.
The abbess said carefully the short prayers appointed for certain hours
of the day, and heard matins every morning at four and evensong every
afternoon. After this was over, she did as she was bidden by her
superior, the abbot of Citeaux, and took all her nuns for a solemn walk
on the hills outside the abbey.

[Illustration: She took all her nuns for a solemn walk.]

At first the young abbess was full of self-importance, and much occupied
with her position. After Agnes's taunts when they were both at St.
Cyr--oh, _long_ ago now!--it was delightful to be able to send her _own_
carriage for her, and play at the old home games in the garden. But
by-and-by the novelty wore off, and she became very tired of her life,
which was always the same, day after day, and would never, never be
different. If only she could be back at Andilly with the rest! and then
she would shut her eyes very tight so that no tears might escape them.

Lively and impulsive though she was, she was not accustomed to speak of
her feelings to others, and did her best to thrust her longing for
freedom into the background. But she grew pale and thin in the struggle,
and at last there came a day when a visitor, guessing what was the
matter, hinted that as she had taken her vows before she was old enough
to do so by law, it would be easy to get absolved from them. Something
of the kind may have perhaps occurred to Angelique, but, put into words,
the idea filled her with horror, for deep down in her mind she felt that
though her profession had been thrust upon her before she knew what she
was doing, she would feel ashamed and degraded all her life if she broke
her vows. Still, she wanted to forget it all if she could, and in order
to distract her thoughts she began to receive and pay visits in the
neighbourhood, to the great grief of her mother, who feared this was the
first step towards the moonlight balls of Maubuisson.

Angelique was far too tender-hearted to withstand her mother's tears,
and gave up paying calls; spending the time instead in reading
Plutarch's 'Lives' and other b