nfortunately. I thought they would be dressed splendidly,
have their hair cut off in the church, be divested (in the
convent) of their finery, and reappear to take leave of their
relations in the habit of the order. Not at all. I went with A.
Hill and Legge, who had got tickets from the brother of one of
the _sposine_; we were admitted to the grating, an apartment
about ten feet long by five wide, with a very thick double
grating, behind which some of the nuns appeared and chattered. A
turning box supplied coffee and cakes to the company. I went to
the door of the parlour (which was open), but they would not
admit me. There the ladies were received, and the nuns and
novices were laughing and talking and doing the honours. Their
dress was not ugly--black, white, and a yellow veil. The chapel
was adorned with gold brocade, and blue and silver hangings,
flowers, tapers; a good orchestra, and two or three tolerable
voices. It was as full as it could hold, and soldiers were
distributed about to keep order; even by the altar four stood
with fixed bayonets, who when the Host was raised presented
arms--a military salute to the Real Presence! The brother of one
of the girls did the honours of the chapel, placing the ladies
and bustling about for chairs, which all the time the ceremony
was going on were handed over heads and bonnets, to the great
danger of the latter. It was impossible not to be struck with
this man's gaiety and _sang-froid_ on the occasion, but he is
used to it, for this was the fourth sister he has buried here.
When the chapel was well crammed the _sposine_ appeared, each
with two _marraines_. A table and six chairs were placed opposite
the altar; on the table were two trays, each containing a Prayer
Book, a pocket-handkerchief, and a white veil. The girls (who
were very young, and one of them rather pretty) were dressed in
long black robes like dressing-gowns, their hair curled, hanging
down their backs and slightly powdered. On the top of their
heads were little crowns of blue, studded with silver or
diamonds. The ladies attending them (one of whom was Princess
Fondi and another Princess Bressano) were very smart, and all the
people in the chapel were dressed as for a ball. There was a
priest at the table to tell the girls what to do. High Mass was
performed, then a long sermon was delivered by a priest who spoke
very fluently, but with a strange twang and in a very odd style,
continually apostrophising the