14 TRAVELS THROUGH LOWER CANADA! 
curtain at the inside of this last lattice was 
. withdrawn, and an apartment discovered, 
somewhat larger than the chapel, surrounded 
with pews, furnished with an altar, at the 
foot of which sat two of the sisterhood, 
with books in their hands, at their medita¬ 
tions. The fair Ursuline, who came to the 
lattice, seemed to be one of those unfortunate 
females that had at last begun to feel all the 
horrors of confinement, and to lament the 
rashness of that vow which had secluded her 
for ever from the world, and from the par¬ 
ticipation of those innocent pleasures, which, 
for the best and wisest of purposes, the bene¬ 
ficent Ruler of the universe meant that his 
creatures should enjoy. As she withdrew the 
curtain, she cast a momentary glance through 
the grating, that imparted more than could be 
expressed by the most eloquent words; then 
retiring in silence, seated herself on a bench 
in a distant part of the coeur. The melan¬ 
choly and sorrow pourtrayed in the features of 
her lovely countenance, interested the heart in 
her behalf, and it was impossible to behold her 
without partaking of that dejection which 
hung over her soul, and without deprecating 
at the same time the cruelty of the custom 
which allows, and the mistaken zeal of a re¬ 
ligion that encourages an artless and inexperi¬ 
enced young creature to renounce a world, of 
