This he has a legal right to do in the
interests of his client. Sometimes he is conducted to this room by Lady
Chillington, sometimes by me; but even in his case her ladyship will not
relax her rule of not having the room visited by day."
Sister Agnes then showed Janet that behind the black draperies there was
a cupboard in the wall, which on being opened proved to contain a
quantity of large candles. One by one Sister Agnes took out of the
silver tripods what remained of the candles of the previous day, and
filled up their places with fresh ones. Janet looked on attentively.
Then, for the second time, Sister Agnes knelt on the _prie-dieu_ for a
few moments, and then she and Janet left the room.
Next day Sister Agnes was so ill, and Janet pressed so earnestly to be
allowed to attend to the Black Room in place of her, and alone, that she
was obliged to give a reluctant consent.
It was not without an inward tremor that Janet heard the clock strike
twelve. Sister Agnes had insisted on accompanying her part of the way
upstairs, and would, in fact, have gone the whole distance with her, had
not Janet insisted on going forward alone. In a single breath, as it
seemed to her, she ran up the remaining stairs, unlocked the door, and
entered the room. Her nerves were not sufficiently composed to allow of
her making use of the _prie-dieu_. All she cared for just then was to
get through her duty as quickly as possible, and return in safety to the
world of living beings downstairs.
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