Convents -- Fiction; Spain -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction; Young women -- Spain -- Fiction
"My aunt... Sor Teresa... is likely to be there. She has returned to
Saragossa to-day. The Mother Superior--by the grace of God--has
indigestion. I have got a letter safely through to Sor Teresa. The
service is at seven o'clock. The Archbishop will go in procession round
the Cathedral to bless the people. The Cathedral is very dark. There will
be considerable confusion when the doors are opened and the people crowd
out. I have a few men--of the road, from the Posada de los Reyes--who
will add to the confusion under my instructions. I think if you help me
we can get Juanita separated from the rest. I will take her home and see
to it that she arrives at the school at the same time as the others. We
can arrange it, I think."
"Yes," answered Sarrion. "I have no doubt that we can arrange it."
And they sat far into the night, after the manner of conspirators,
discussing Marcos' plans, which were, like himself, quite simple and
direct.
The Cathedral of the Seo in Saragossa is one of the most ancient in
Spain, and bears in its architecture some resemblance to the Moorish
mosque that once stood on the same spot. It is a huge square building,
dimly lighted by windows set high up in the stupendous roof. The choir is
a square set down in the middle--a church within a Cathedral. There are
two principal entrances, one on the Plaza de la Seo, where the fountain
is, and where, in the sunshine, the philosophers of Saragossa sit and do
nothing from morn till eve. The other entrance is that which is known as
the grand portal, and with a wrong-headedness characteristic of the
Peninsular, it is situated in a little street where no man passes.
Marcos knew that the grand portal was used by the religious communities
and devout persons who came to church for the good motive, while those
who praised God that man might see them entered, and quitted the
Cathedral by the more public doorway on the Plaza. He knew also that the
convent schools took their station just within the great porch, which,
during the day, is the parade ground for those authorised beggars who
wear their number and licence suspended round their necks as a guarantee
of good faith.
The Cathedral was crammed to suffocation when Marcos and his father
entered by this door. At the foot of the shallow steps descending from
the porch to the floor of the Cathedral, Sor Teresa's white cap rose
above the heads of the people. Here and there a nun's cap or the blue
veil of a nursing sister showed itself amidst the black mantillas. Here
and there the white head of some old man made its mark among the sunburnt
faces. For there were as many men as women present. The majority of them
looked about them as at a show, but all were silent and respectful. All
made room readily enough for any who wished to kneel. There was no
pushing, no impatience. All were polite and forbearing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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