felt, even when very young, that they were of little worth.  But it was a severe trial to our temper to make so many pies, cakes, puddings, and all kinds of rich food, which we were never allowed to taste.  The priests, superiors, and the scholars had every luxury they desired; but the nuns, who prepared all their choice dainties, were never permitted to taste anything but bread and water.  I am well aware that this statement will seem incredible, and that many will doubt the truth of it; but I repeat it:  the nuns in the Grey Nunnery, or at least those in the kitchen with me, were allowed no food except bread and water, or, in case of illness, water gruel.

CHAPTER VII.

Orphan’s home.

The Grey Nunnery is said to be an orphan’s home, and no effort is spared to make visitors believe that this is the real character of the house.  I suppose it is true that one part of it is devoted to this purpose; at least my Superior informed me that many children were kept there; and to those apartments visitors are freely admitted, but never to that part occupied by the nuns.  We were never allowed to communicate with people from the world, nor with the children.  In fact, during all the time I was there, I never saw one of them, nor did I ever enter the rooms where they were.

In the ladies’ school there were three hundred scholars, and in our part of the house two hundred and fifty nuns, besides the children who belonged to the nunnery.  Add to these the abbesses, superiors, priests, and bishop, and one will readily imagine that the work for such a family was no trifling affair.

In this nunnery the Bishop was the highest authority, and everything was under his direction, unless the Pope’s Nuncio, or some other high church functionary was present.  I sometimes saw one whom they called the Archbishop, who was treated with great deference by the priests, and even by the Bishop himself.

The Holy Mother, or Lady Superior, has power over all who have taken or are preparing to take the veil.  Under her other superiors or abbesses are appointed over the various departments, whose duty it is to look after the nuns and novices, and the children in training for nuns.  The most rigid espionage is kept up throughout the whole establishment; and if any of these superiors or abbesses fail to do the duty assigned them, they are more severely punished than the nuns.  Whenever the Lady Superior is absent the punishments are assigned by one of the priests.  Of these there were a large number in the nunnery; and whenever we chanced to meet one of them, as we sometimes did when going about the house, or whenever one of them entered the kitchen, we must immediately fall upon our knees.  No matter what we were doing, however busily employed, or however inconvenient it might be, every thing must be left or set aside, that this senseless ceremony might be performed.  The