CHRISTMAS EVE IN A CONVENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2711, 15 January 1910, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHRISTMAS EVE IN A CONVENT.

(By May E. Gosman, in tlic “Ladies’ Home Journal.”)

It was only a short time before Clmst. • mas in the year father was suddenly , called to India on business, that I found myself in a convent some distance from Jsew York, one of the thirty English <rirls among three hundred Ire rich ones., I had spent sleepless nights thinking of the lonely days before me, and 1 was preparing for long hours of routine, unswerving discipline, and lack of girlish amusements, and that I was to spend Christmas under an alien roof, far from the dearest being on earth and unsurrounded bv familiar scenes and faces—this was the sad thought constantly in my mind. . Then came, in contrast to this foreboding, the reality of study under delightful teachers, interspersed with hours of joyous companionship with girls my own age, all sorts of unexpected pleasures, and discipline so kind that it was ever disguised : and, best of all, to be told that Christmas was thought of and planned for weeks ahead and celebrated in a novel and mystical nian. nor —this wholly appealed to my beautyloving soul. Every one, including those gentle, sweet-faced Sisters, entered into the spirit of Clmstmastide, and many fascinating plans were unfolded to me. Still I noticed an air of mystery about it all, and in answer to a bit of inquisitiveness now and then, I was told that it was a time-honored custom amongst pupils not to tell the new ones ■of the surprises in store for them on Christmas Eve. And so, before I realised it, I was absorbed in the event before us. There were many hours when my thoughts were far over the sea with the father I missed so keenly, but loneliness could not exist long with faces on ©very side, and then were sown the seeds of that love for “our” convent and the happy days . spent there which are even now beginning to be but a sweet memory. Music was to be one of the principal features, and long before the celebration we began to spend from fifteen minutes to an hour each evening in the music-hall, rehearsing beautiful old French carols, and mastering the intricacies of some Mass bv Mozart. Oh, the delight andvimportance of having a dc--..-vcisfon • reaelted as to whether you should, sing sopffi.no or contralto, and what dismay reigned if you were banded with • the former while your particular chum was relegated to tbe ranks of the latter. Precious spare moments were spent in making gifts for absent ones. Not the .least of our duties were our Christmas letters which were sent off days ahead, for some of the girls came from foreign . countries. At last, after days of longing and . fear that some mistake in the calendar might happen the twenty-fourth of December actually arrived, and there was : »a .fever of excitement. Girls whose homes were near enough and who went home for the holidays were regarded :.almost with pity, and I doubt not they .were torn between the desire to go and the longing to remain. Most of the twenty-fourth was spent in final rerehearsals, last touches to gifts and in ■: finishing the despised, blit inevitable Christmas essay. But we rejoiced that it could be full of Christmas and did not have to be on a brain-racking topic like the-one given at entrance; “What is the most Important Factor in Education Finally the unexpected began to happen —we found ourselves at the teatable at five, instead of half-past. What could it mean? And, oh, the secretive.ness of girls who were spending, their second, third, or fourth years in the ■ convent! Recreation followed, and ‘at half-past seven, to our utter consternation, the bell rang for “Dormitory.” Was it a joke, or were all these talks of ;a unique Christmas Eve mere fiction? At any rate, there stood Sister Alexandrine waiting for the line to form before mounting the dormitory stairs and calming iour fears with the mystic words: “Young ladies, it is well for us to have a few hours’ sleep if we are to rise at eleven to-night, so I expect each of you to no quietly and quickly t-o bed.” It was going exciting, and what a lark not to know exactly how it was all to happen.! Perhaps it was not strange that we were all soon asleep, for we were really tired and the dormitory, was absolutely quiet. It seemed only a few minutes before we heard the rising bell. The gas was lighted, and we heard, “Dress quickly, my children, in your white uni. forms and long white veils, and form in line .for-chapel.” _ We were wide awake in an instant and dressed more quickly than ever before. I know of nothing more lovely than those three-lnindred white-; robed and white-veiled girlish figures, as they walked to the chapel to attend; Midnight Mass. Slowly we went through the halls, each girl with a filmy veil on her head, , almost touching to the floor, and an un. lighted .taper in .her hand. Quietly we .passed into our peaceful chapel, so, quaint and beautiful in its walls of soft white, its chaste altar of marble on which stood golden candlesticks -of exquisite workmanship; the quiet, pale-; faced old chaplain in his vestments of white satin embroidered with a wonderful design in gold thread. Everything was white and gold—no touch of color anywhere except for .a long, crimsonvelvet curtain of finest texture, hanging directly behind the altar, and screening from view the Lady Chapel. A stillness was over everything, a vague expectancy filled our hearts, perhaps like that which filled the hearts of the shepherds years ago, until rich tones from the organ poured forth and the Mass began, so long rehearsed and so well learned. Sisters in the choir sang the motif of the Angels, while in the nave below our younger voices took up the song of adoration of the Shepherds and Wise Men. Then, after a pause, first far away, and then nearer, came the ten tiniest, children of the school walking slowly down the main aisle, r singing in their sweet, baby voices, that glorious carol so- dear to every Frenchman’s heart, “Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes,” and when they reached the words “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” the entire kneeling congregation of girls and Sisters took im- the refrain and the bell above the chapel pealed forth the midnight anthem. One by one the tapers were, lighted and slowly the shadows gave place to a glory of light and every heart poured out in song the message of “Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.” When it ceased again silence reigned, and, as if Jbv an invisible hand the curtains before the Lady Chapel parted, revealing an exact representation of the Jowly, stable

of Bethlehem, -and the cows and oxeaa nodding in the shadow, Joseph and Mary, and the shepherds kneeling in adoration, and a glorious star. shining down on the sleeping figure- of the Christ-Child. It was so real, -so wonderfully beautiful, that, for a moment at least,'it . was like a vision of the first Christmas morn, tind Heaven itself seemed not far off. Only too short a time passed before the signal was given for rising .from our knees; our veils. were lowered and as silently as on entering w© passed from, the chapel. Naturally we expected to return to our dormitory for the clock in the hall told us that it was now half, past one; but instead we found ourselves being guided downstairs to the refectory, and at- its door order and silence were banished. We rushed m, and then stor>oed in amazement at the sight-that met our eyes. The long tables were brilliantly lighted and evidently set for an usual event—a midnight supper. But no one thought of hunger, for behind our chairs were the most enviable objects in the world, much longed for, often worried and conjectured about —our Christmas boxes. In a moment- the air was filled with the noise of the tearing off of papers amid cries of delight and faces beaming with happiness. I hesitated to look at my chair, for India was such a long way off, but I was -caught ut> in the enthusiasm by dear Jane, who exclaimed: “Why, come, you haven’t looked at- your place, and you are even luckier than wo, for you have two boxes instead of one!” True indeed—one with all sorts of queer stamps and markings, showing the long way it had travelled, and the other from New York, filled with delic. acies and sweets which bring such keen pleasure to a schoolgirl’s heart. Delight and excitement increased—we flew from one to another with some cherished gift or unusual surprise, a coveted book' or a -game in which, we might share. Even the quiet, serene Sisters entered into our gayety, and, as we gave them- our wish of “Merry Christmas,” we were allowed to kiss them, a privilege, like Christmas, coming onlv once a year.

After what had at first seemed an impossibility the bottoms of the boxes were reached, and it took only gentle persuasion to induce us to sit down and partake of the delicious oyster stew and toasted crackers that the lay Sisters were placing on the tables. How good it tasted—a thousand times better than usual, for were we not eating in the middle of the night?—a fact that alone would make it nectar and ambrosia.

But, alas! boxes had to he left, and I am sure each one stowed away some tiny gift in her wonderful convent pocket, for Sister stood at the door of the refectory waiting for us to form in line to follow her to the dormitory. We were loath to leave such delights behind, but sleepily we followed her, and it did seem good to snuggle down in our tiny, warm beds to catch a few more 1 lours of sleep. Beatrice slept next to me, and just os the first rays of the sun peeped through the shutters I heard her whisper to her other neighbor: “Mildred, don’t vou hear music, or am I still asleep?” We were alert at once, and truly, as the sound came closer, we could discern the Sisters’ voices, mingled with the soft accompaniment of guitars and mandolins in a dear, familiar carol, as they passed between the rows of sleeping girls each head was raised from its pillow and each voice joined jn and helped to swell the volume of the glad song.

Blinds were thrown open, tile glorious sun beamed in upon us and Christmas Day had really, come. It was almost as if we had realised the dream of the little boy who.- found the place where everv day was Christmas. Unconsciously, then, we felt it, and now that we look back on it we are sure that it was good to be alive, and it was better still to be young.