Ursula-of-the-Lake. Mary Grant's only
knowledge of the world outside the convent had been given her by Lady
MacMillan, with whom when a schoolgirl she had sometimes spent a few
days, and might have stopped longer if she had not invariably been
seized by pangs of homesickness. Lady MacMillan's household, to be sure,
did not afford many facilities for forming an opinion of the world at
large, though a number of carefully selected young people had been
entertained for Mary's benefit. Its mistress was an elderly widow, and
had been elderly when the child saw her first: but occasionally, before
she became a postulant, Mary had been taken to Perth to help Lady
MacMillan do a little shopping; and once she had actually stayed from
Saturday to Tuesday at Aberdeen, where she had been to the theatre. This
was a memorable event; and the sisters at the convent had never tired of
hearing the fortunate girl describe her exciting experiences, for theirs
was an enclosed order, and it was years since most of them had been
outside the convent gates.
Lady MacMillan was a large, very absent-minded and extremely
near-sighted lady, like her half-sister, Mary's adored Reverend Mother;
but neither so warm-hearted nor so intelligent. Still, Mary was used to
this old friend, and fond of her as well. It was not like going away
irrevocably from all she knew and loved, to be going under Lady
MacMillan's wing. Still, she went weeping, wondering how she had ever
made up her mind to the step, half passionately grateful to Reverend
Mother for not being angry with her weakness and lack of faith, half
regretful that some one in authority had not thought it right to hold
her forcibly back.
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