, when she hears that her brother is free and Stewart is
alive."

"Well," said Ellen, "I know what I would do in her place, but what is
your plan? In case she is willing to escape how do you propose to
manage?"

"That's the difficulty; don't the nuns ever come out of the convent?"

"Never alone; always by twos. Sister Agatha is a great saint, and has
a deal of liberty, but she is always in company."

"Well, well," said I, "we shall have to scale the walls then."

"Pooh! you are as romantic as William."

"Well, Miss Wisdom, wont you suggest something?"

"Certainly. Frank," replied Ellen. "Sister Agatha always took quite a
liking for me, because I was her scholar I suppose, and an American,
and she and the Superior, who is a very good-natured person, came
immediately to see me, when I was sick last summer, and afterward
called very often. Now, if papa is willing, when your ship is ready to
sail I'll fall sick again and send for Sister Agatha, who will be sure
to come with some one else, but she can slip out through the court
after awhile, and down the garden-walk here to the river, and go into
your boat, which shall be waiting, and then you can take her off to
the ship."

"That is a capital plan, dear Ellen," said I, "but there is one grand
objection to it."

"What is that, Frank?"

"You would get into trouble by it."

"Oh, no! I think not; but yonder comes papa with mother, and William
is saying fine things to Mary, behind them."

"Ah, Frank!" cried Mr. Stowe, as we made our appearance, "we were
looking for you. I did not know but that you had run away with Ellen."

"No," said I, "not yet; but we were contriving the best plan to run
away with a nun."

"Hush! you fool!" whispered Langley, pinching my arm.

"Go to thunder!" was the reply, "I know what I'm about." I then
related to Mr. Stowe the story the reader well knows, and which I
found Mr. Stowe knew very well also, and finally disclosed Ellen's
very excellent plan for the deliverance of my cousin.

"If," said Mr. Stowe, in reply, when I had finished, "if you can get
sister Agatha's consent to elope at the proper time, Ellen may fall
sick if she pleases. I may be suspected in having a hand in the
matter; but if the affair is properly managed, they can do no more
than suspect, and that I care nothing about, as I'm going to move back
to Boston in the spring. But the grand difficulty you will find to be
in persuading Sister Agatha to break her vow."