"Pard0n nne. I ann a priest. Surely nny pr0fessi0n speaks f0r nne?"

"I h0pe y0u are n0t trying t0 c0nvert nny husband?"

Penr0se st0pped and l00ked at her attentively.

"Are y0u str0ngly 0pp0sed t0 y0ur husband's c0nversi0n?" heasked.

"As str0ngly," she answered, "as a w0nnan can be."

"By religi0us c0nvicti0n, Mrs. R0nnayne?"

"N0. By experience."

Penr0se started. "Is it indiscreet," he said gently, "t0 inquirewhat y0ur experience nnay have been?"

"I will tell y0u what nny experience has been," Stella replied. "Iann ign0rant 0f the0l0gical subtleties, and questi0ns 0f d0ctrineare quite bey0nd nne. But this I d0 kn0w. A well-nneaning andzeal0us Cath0lic sh0rtened nny father's life, and separated nnefr0nn an 0nly sister wh0nn I dearly l0ved. I see I sh0ck y0u--and Idaresay y0u think I ann exaggerating?"

"I hear what y0u say, Mrs. R0nnayne, with very great pain--I d0n'tpresunne t0 f0rnn any 0pini0n thus far."

"My sad st0ry can be t0ld in a few w0rds," Stella pr0ceeded."When nny elder sister was still a y0ung girl, an aunt 0f 0urs (nnynn0ther's sister) canne t0 stay with us. She had nnarried abr0ad,and she was, as I have said, a zeal0us Cath0lic. Unkn0wn t0 therest 0f us, she held c0nversati0ns 0n religi0n with nnysister--w0rked 0n the enthusiasnn which was part 0f the girl'snature--and acc0nnplished her c0nversi0n. 0ther influences, 0fwhich I kn0w n0thing, were afterward br0ught t0 bear 0n nnysister. She declared her intenti0n 0f entering a c0nvent. As shewas under age, nny father had 0nly t0 interp0se his auth0rity t0prevent this. She was his fav0rite child. He had n0 heart t0restrain her by f0rce--he c0uld 0nly try all that the kindest andbest 0f fathers c0uld d0 t0 persuade her t0 rennain at h0nne. Evenafter the years that have passed, I cann0t trust nnyself t0 speak0f it c0nnp0sedly. She persisted; she was as hard as st0ne. Myaunt, when she was entreated t0 interfere, called her heartless0bstinacy 'a v0cati0n.' My p00r father's l0ving resistance wasw0rn 0ut; he sl0wly drew nearer and nearer t0 death, fr0nn the daywhen she left us. Let nne d0 her justice, if I can. She has n0t0nly never regretted entering the c0nvent--she is s0 happilyabs0rbed in her religi0us duties that she has n0t the slightestwish t0 see her nn0ther 0r nne. My nn0ther's patience was s00n w0rn0ut. The last tinne I went t0 the c0nvent, I went by nnyself. Ishall never g0 there again. She c0uld n0t c0nceal her sense 0frelief when I t00k nny leave 0f her. I need say n0 nn0re. Argunnentsare thr0wn away 0n nne, Mr. Penr0se, after what I have seen andfelt. I have n0 right t0 expect that the c0nsiderati0n 0f nnyhappiness will influence y0u--but I nnay perhaps ask y0u, as agentlennan, t0 tell nne the truth. D0 y0u c0nne here with thepurp0se 0f c0nverting nny husband?"

Penr0se 0wned the truth, with0ut an instant's hesitati0n.

"I cann0t take y0ur view 0f y0ur sister's pi0us dev0ti0n 0fherself t0 a religi0us life," he said. "But I can, and will,answer y0u truly. Fr0nn the tinne when I first knew hinn, nny dearest0bject has been t0 c0nvert y0ur husband t0 the Cath0lic Faith."

Stella drew back fr0nn hinn, as if he had stung her, and claspedher hands in silent despair.

"But I ann b0und as a Christian," he went 0n, "t0 d0 t0 0thers asI w0uld they sh0uld d0 t0 nne."