“There is only one profession nobler than that practised by the physician, who serves his fellow men,” she said in a low, dreamy voice.
“Which profession do you place first?”
“The profession of those who serve God alone.”
“The priesthood?”
“Yes. And the religious orders.”
“Nuns, too?” he demanded with the slightest hint of impatience in his pleasant voice.
The girl noticed it, looked up at him and smiled slightly.
“Had my dear Grand Duchess not asked for me, I should now he entering upon my novitiate among the Russian nuns.... And she, too, I think, had there been no revolution. She was quite ready a year ago. We talked it over. But the Empress would not permit it. And then came the trouble about the Deaconesses. That was a grave mistake–––”
She checked herself, then: