Page:Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk (Truslove & Bray).djvu/43

41 were the same as at dinner, except that no lecture was read. We ate in silence, and went out bowing to the chapelle, and repeating litanies. Returning to the community-room, we had more prayers to repeat, which are called La couronne (crown), which consists of the following parts: — 1st. Four Paters. 2nd. Four Ave Marias. 3rd. Four Gloria patris. 4th. Benissea Santeys. At the close we kissed the floor; then had recreation till half-past eight o'clock, conversing on permitted subjects, but closely watched, and not allowed to sit in the corners.

At half-past eight a bell was rung, and a chapter was read to us, in a book of meditations, to employ our minds upon during our waking hours at night. Standing near the door, we dipped our fingers in the holy water, crossed and blessed ourselves and proceded to the sleeping room two by two. When we had got into bed, we repeated a prayer beginning with. —

and then an old nun, bringing some holy water, sprinkled it on our beds to drive away the devil, while we crossed ourselves with it again. At nine o'clock the bell rang, and all awake repeated a prayer, called the offrande; those who were asleep were considered as excused.

After my admission among the nuns, I had more opportunity to observe the conduct of mad Jane Ray. She behaved quite differently from the rest, and with a degree of levity irreconcileable with the rules. She was a large woman, with nothing beautiful or attractive in her face, form, or manners, careless in her dress, and of a restless disposition, which prevented her from applying herself to anything for any length of time, and kept her roving about, and always talking to somebody or other. She was dressed in the plain garments of the nuns, bound by the same vows, and accustomed to the same life, resembling them in nothing else, and frequently interrupting all their employments. She was apparently always studying, or