soon reached the Franciscan Convent. The Abbess, a rather
stiffly-mannered, grey-haired woman, received her young guest with
sedate kindliness, and committed her to the special charge of Sister
Eularia. This was a young woman of about twenty-five, in whose mind
curiosity was strongly developed. She took Beatrice up to the
dormitory, showed her where she was to sleep, and gave her a seat on the
form beside her at supper, which was almost immediately served.
Beatrice noticed that whenever Eularia helped herself to any thing
edible, she made the sign of the cross over it.

"Why dost thou do that?" asked the young Jewess.

"It is according to our rule," replied the nun. "Surely thou knowest
how to cross thyself?"

"Indeed I do not. And I do not see why I should."

"Poor thing!--how sadly thou lackest teaching! Dost thou not know that
our Lord Christ suffered on the cross?"

"Oh yes! But why must I cross myself on that account?"

"In respect to Him!" exclaimed Eularia.

"Pardon me. If one whom I loved were slain by the sword, I should not
courtesy to every sword I saw, because I loved him. I should hate the
very sight of one."

Eularia was scarcely less puzzled than Beatrice.

"It is the symbol of our salvation," she said.

"I should look on it rather as the symbol of His suffering."

"True: but He suffered for us."

"For which reason I should still less admire that which made Him
suffer."

Eularia shrugged her shoulders.

"Thou art very ignorant."

The discussion slumbered until they rose from supper; when Eularia
seated Beatrice beside her on the settle, and offered to instruct her in
the use of the rosary.

"What a pretty necklace! I thought nuns did not wear ornaments?"

"Ornaments! Of course not."

"Then what do you do with that?"

"We pray by it."

"Pray--by--it! I do not understand."

"We keep count of our prayers."

"Count!--why?"

"Why, how could we remember them else?"

"But why should you remember?"

"Poor ignorant child! When thou comest to make confession, thou wilt
find that the priest will set thee for penance, so many Aves and so many
Paternosters."

"What are those?"

"Dost thou never pray?" gasped Eularia.

"I never say so many of one thing, and so many of another," answered
Beatrice, half laughing. "I never heard anything so absurd. The holy
prophets did not pray in that way."

"Of course they did!" exclaimed Eularia. "How could they obtain help of