“Our Mother Superior wishes to speak to you.” The journalist bowed in acquiescence.

Some minutes later, the Mother Superior joined him in the large parlour.

“Monsieur,” she began, “I must apologise for having sent for you, but I wished to have a necessary talk with you.” Fandor interrupted the saintly nun.

“And I must apologise, reverend Mother, for not having come to pay my respects to you before leaving. Had I not been much troubled, I should never have dreamt of leaving without thanking you for the help you have been good enough to give me.”

The nun looked at him questioningly; Fandor continued:

“In agreeing to receive Mademoiselle Elizabeth Dollon as a boarder, you have done a deed of true charity: this poor girl is so unhappy, so tried, so unfortunate, that I really do not know where she could have found a better refuge than in this convent under your sheltering care... I...” But the nun would not allow Fandor to continue.

“It is precisely about Mademoiselle Dollon that I wish to speak to you... Of course, I should be glad to help and comfort one suffering from a real misfortune; but I must confess, that when Mademoiselle Dollon presented herself here as a boarder, I was ignorant of the exact nature of the scandal in which she is involved.”

Fandor was taken aback at the harsh tone of the nun’s speech.

“Good heavens, madame, what do you mean to insinuate?”

“I have just been informed, monsieur, of the exact nature of the relations which existed between the criminal, Jacques Dollon and Madame de Vibray.”

Fandor stiffened with indignation.

“It is false!” he cried. “Utterly false! You have been misinformed!”

He stopped short. The nun signified by a movement of her hand that further protests were useless.

“In any case, whether false or not, it is quite certain that we cannot keep this girl here any longer, for her name will, in the end, do harm to the repectability of this house.” Fandor was astounded at this extraordinary statement.

“In other words,” said he, “you refuse to keep Mademoiselle here any longer as a boarder?”

“Yes, monsieur!”

The journalist moved a step or two, then, with bent head, seemed to be turning something over in his mind.

“It comes to this, madame: you are not giving me your true reasons for...”

Again the nun interrupted the young man with a gesture.“True, monsieur, I should have preferred not to mention my real and very definite reasons, which make it an imperative duty that I should request Mademoiselle Dollon to seek another refuge. Nevertheless, since you insist, I will tell you that Mademoiselle Dollon’s attitude just now – her behaviour – is what we cannot possibly allow.”

“Good heavens! What do you wish to insinuate now, madame?”