256 THE PASSION-FLOWER. 



from a luxuriant plant, that mantled its walls, pre 

 senting it with a graceful expression of her grati- 

 tude, and saying it was in itself a poor token, but 

 rich in the sacred resemblance which it bore to 

 what we both held most holy. 



I took an affectionate leave of her : and on 

 shewing the flower to a friend, with an account of 



its fair donor, she replied, ' Poor E ! It could 



be no other, for she is all that you describe, and 

 there is not one like her in the place.' She then 

 proceeded to tell me, that my nun was a young 

 lady, educated in the Protestant faith ; but led to 

 apostatize under strange circumstances. What 

 these were; she could not inform me : but several 

 years after I learnt her story. It was briefly this : 

 her father, a Romanist, had married a Protestant, 

 with the customary iniquitous agreement, that the 

 sons should be brought up in his religion — the 

 daughters in hers. Daughters only were born, and 

 they were educated in the Protestant faith ; but, 

 on their father's death, a number of priests assem- 

 bled, to perform offices for the departed soul, du- 

 ring the time that the corpse lay in the house ; and 

 so well did they improve their opportunity, that the 

 widow and all her daughters renounced Protestant- 

 ism shortly after the funeral, with the exception of 

 E . 



To overcome her conscientious repugnance, the 

 most nefarious means were resorted to ; a pretend- 



