But the Mother Superior answered that they were all three either nursing private cases or not on duty, which might mean that they were resting in their cells.
Sister Giovanna started slightly as the door of her cell opened, for she had scarcely realised that she had not moved from the window for a long time.

The elder woman had not taken the trouble to knock, and, strange to say, a faint blush rose in the Sister's face as if she had been surprised and were a little ashamed of being caught in idleness instead of reading her breviary for the day or doing something useful with her hands.

The black eyes looked at her searchingly, for nothing escaped them.
'What have you been thinking of ?' asked the impulsive woman.
There was a moment's silence.
'The Rangoon lepers,' answered the Sister in a quiet voice.
The Mother Superior's white face hardened strangely.
'The Princess Chiaromonte is gone,' she said rather sharply, 'and you are wanted in the surgical ward at once.' She turned without another word and went quickly away, leaving the door open.

It was clear that she was not pleased with the answer she had received.
Six weeks later Sister Giovanna went to her rooms on the other side of the cloistered court after first chapel and knocked at the door.

It was a Monday morning in March, and she was to be Supervising Nurse for the week, but the custom was to go on duty at eight o'clock and it was not yet seven.
'Well ?' asked the Mother Superior, looking up from her papers, while the young nun remained standing respectfully at the corner of the big desk.
The tone did not invite confidence; for some reason as yet unexplained the Mother had avoided speaking with her best nurse since that morning in the cell.
'I have made up my mind to go to the lepers with the others, Mother, if you will give me your permission.' The alabaster face suddenly glowed like white fire in the early light, the dark eyebrows knitted themselves angrily, and the lips parted to speak a hasty word, but immediately closed again.