He was a man
of few words and his errand was quickly explained. He was obliged to be
absent from home the greater part of the time and could not attend to
the education of his little girl as he would like to do. His wife was
not of our faith and was also too busily occupied to look after the
child. He did not mention that her occupation was that of society
butterfly, who sacrificed homelife, husband and child in the pursuit of
pleasure. Would Reverend Mother kindly undertake the charge of his
little Nita's education, spiritual as well as intellectual? Would she be
to the child what father and mother ought to be and could not?
Reverend Mother had gladly undertaken the task, and since then Nita had
never been separated from her even for a day. During the vacations, when
other pupils scattered far and wide to their various homes, Nita had
remained at the convent, roaming at will through the deserted
class-room and beautiful grounds. She was the pet and darling of the
entire community. In the long summer afternoons when the nuns carried
their sewing out to the orchard behind the house, or to the pine grove
on the hill, where one could obtain such a lovely view of the river,
Nita would flit about amongst them like a veritable woodland fairy. Her
snatches of song and merry laughter made sylvan echoes ring and brought
smiles to the faces of the simple women who watched her with loving
sympathetic glances.
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