Reader, you must bear in mind that convents have many tortures outside of the torturing conscience on account of having the virtue of their inmates destroyed. The teachings of Catholicism lead people to practice self-infliction upon their person in order to appease a living God, as they seem to worship a living God the same as the pagans would worship a God of stone, or a ferocious God in the form of some carnivorous beast, and in order to atone for their sins, these inmates of the nunneries are taught that they must bear self-infliction; in fact, Catholicism teaches her followers that in order that any of them shall receive absolute pardon, that they must resort to heathenish practices. As stated above, the same lady whom we speak of in the first part of this chapter, relates her experience with a sister nun, who endured self-torture, believing that it was an outward demonstration of godliness. Her story follows: "I call to mind a case of cruelty under the guise of devotion that happened in our convent. A consecrated penitent, Sister Madeline, had been for some time a victim of consumption. She was a beautiful girl, and her exquisitely sweet voice could be heard in church every Sunday, taking part in the high mass. Poor Sister Madeline! How many humiliations she received! How often she was censured for leaving her work unfinished when she was not able to do it, and how I have pitied her as she tried to eat the bread and dripping we had for supper. Failing in the attempt, I would notice the tears gather in her eyes. Oh, how often I longed to be able to obtain some little delicacy for her! but dared not ask for it. Her gentle, patient, suffering face will never fade from my memory. "One Sunday evening she and I were walking in the garden after benediction. She felt more than usually weak, and, therefore, I could offer her my arm to lean upon. "'Dear Sister Magdalene Adelaide,' she said, 'I think our blessed Lord is soon going to come for me.' "I tried to cheer her by telling her that it might be His will to restore her again to health and strength. "'No, dear Sister,' she replied; 'and oh, I do not want to stay. I long to see my Master's face. At night, when I lay awake in pain, I long, oh, so much, that I might go!' "'Sister Madeline,' I said, 'you have been happy here, have you not? You love your present life?' "We had seated ourselves by this time in a little grotto made up in honor of 'Our Lady of Lourdes.' She buried her face in her hands, and I saw the tears trickling between her fingers. "My own eyes filled with tears; I know not why. "At last, raising up her head, she said: 'I have tried my best to be contented; but oh! Sister Adelaide, it has been a bitter struggle. It is wrong in me to give way thus; but I cannot help it. May Our Lady pity me! I want you to promise, dear Sister, that you will say a rosary for me every day for a year after I am dead, and one communion every month.'