Page:Marquis de Sade - Adelaide of Brunswick.djvu/145

 at her and saw the vision of beauty on her face and then still another expression came to her face when she recited the following:

"I recognize my fault; I will accuse myself in the presence of all; and the Lord will pardon at that time the enormity of my sin."

She was no longer a woman; she was an angel who merited for several instants the anger of Heaven and the pardon. Tears flooded her beautiful eyes and those who looked at her were edified by the one who had come there for edification.

As soon as the services were over, all of them received the benediction from the holy man who was conducting the ceremony. A few of them got up and threw themselves on their knees in front of the priest in accusing themselves of some lukewarmness in their holy worship.

"May God hear you, my daughters," the holy man said to them. "He is the father of mercy, and his arms are always open to the sinner and he consoles him if he is repentant."

A bell was heard, and all of them arose and going two by two through the cloister, they went to the dining room where the most frugal meal awaited them. The abbess invited the princess and her companion to sit near her, and in a few minutes the light repast was finished, and a great silence came to the room.

On leaving the dining room, the abbess invited the two visitors to go to her room where they found the director, and the conversation began. This interview was short and precise on the part of the abbess. She wanted to know the motive of their visit, and their answers convinced her that it was only pious curiosity. The director who was looking at the princess with curiosity, praised her motives with an absent-minded air. At that time a bell rang which called all the nuns to their cells. Adelaide and Bathilda were taken to two small cells where they found only the absolutely necessary things; there was no luxury of any kind.

On their awakening the director came to seek them in order to show them the whole establishment as they had requested. Going through the bedrooms, they were impressed by the severity of it all. These religious women slept in their coffins and