Kitty found the work a refreshment to her spirit. She went to the convent every morning soon after sunrise and did not return to the bungalow till the westering sun flooded the narrow river and its crowded junks with gold. The Mother Superior gave into her care the smaller children. Kitty's mother had brought to London from her native Liverpool a practical sense of housewifery and Kitty, notwithstanding her air of frivolity, had always had certain gifts to which she referred only in bantering tones. Thus she could cook quite well and she sewed beautifully. When she disclosed this talent she was set to supervise the stitching and hemming of the younger girls. They knew a little French and every day she picked up a few words of Chinese so that it was not difficult for her to manage. At other times she had to see that the smaller children did not get into mischief; she had to dress and undress them and take care that they rested when rest was needed. There were a good many babies and these were in charge of amahs, but she was bidden to keep an eye on them. None of the work was very important and she would have liked to do something which was more arduous; but the Mother Superior paid no attention to her entreaties and Kitty stood sufficiently in awe of her not to be importunate.

For the first few days she had to make something of an effort to overcome the faint distaste she felt for these little girls, in their ugly uniforms, with their stiff black hair, their round yellow faces, and their staring, sloe-black eyes. But she remembered the soft look which had transfigured so beautifully the countenance of the Mother Superior when on Kitty's first visit to the convent she had stood surrounded by those ugly little things, and she would not allow herself to surrender to her instinct. And presently, taking in her arms one or other of the tiny creatures, crying because of a fall or a cutting tooth, when Kitty found that a few soft words, though in a language the child could not understand, the pressure of her arms and the softness of her cheek against the weeping yellow face, could comfort and console, she began to lose all her feeling of strangeness. The small children, without any fear of her, came to her in their childish troubles and it gave her a peculiar happiness to discern their confidence. It was the same with the older girls, those to whom she taught sewing; their bright, clever smiles, and the pleasure she could give them by a word of praise, touched her. She felt that they liked her and, flattered and proud, she liked them in return.

But there was one child that she could not grow used to. It was a little girl of six, an idiot with a huge hydrocephalic head that swayed top-heavily on a small, squat body, large vacant eyes and a drooling mouth; the creature spoke hoarsely a few mumbled words; it was revolting and horrible; and for some reason it conceived an idiot attachment for Kitty so that it followed her about as she changed her place from one part of the large room to another. It clung to her skirt and rubbed its face against her knees. It sought to fondle her hands. She shivered with disgust. She knew it yearned for caresses and she could not bring herself to touch it.

Once, speaking of it to Sister St. Joseph, she said that it was a pity it lived. Sister St. Joseph smiled and stretched out her hand to the misformed thing. It came and rubbed its bulging forehead against it.

“Poor little mite,” said the nun. “She was brought here positively dying. By the mercy of Providence I was at the door just as she came. I thought there was not a moment to lose so I baptized her at once. You would not believe what trouble we have had to keep her with us. Three or four times we thought that her little soul would escape to heaven.”

Kitty was silent. Sister St. Joseph in her loquacious way began to gossip of other things. And next day when the idiot child came to her and touched her hand Kitty nerved herself to place it in a caress on the great bare skull. She forced her lips into a smile. But suddenly the child, with an idiot perversity, left her; it seemed to lose interest in her, and that day and the following days paid her no attention. Kitty did not know what she had done and tried to lure it to her with smiles and gestures, but it turned away and pretended not to see her.

凯蒂发现工作像一服清醒剂，让她的精神焕发。她每天清晨太阳升起后不久就匆匆赶往修道院，直到西边的太阳把狭窄的河流和河面上拥挤的小船染成金黄色才回到家中。院长嬷嬷安排她照料一些年龄较小的孩子。凯蒂的母亲在她小时候就从家乡利物浦把她带到了伦敦，比较早地培养了她具有讲求实际的家庭主妇的意识，而凯蒂虽然平日里有些随随便便，但她用打趣的口吻说，自己还是具备了作为一名好的家庭主妇的天赋。她做的饭很好吃，针线活也做得漂亮，当她显露出这方面的本事后，就被派去管理更年轻一些的女孩子们的缝纫工作，这些女孩子懂一点儿法语，而每天她都学几句中国话，所以管理起来倒不是太费劲。在其他的时间里，她还得照看年龄更小的孩子，让她们不要调皮捣蛋，还得给她们穿脱衣服，到了睡觉的时间，让她们老实睡觉。孩子人数很多，也有专门的保姆帮着照看，但是凯蒂需要留意一下她们的工作。所有的工作都不是太重要，她本来更愿意做一些更艰巨的工作，但是院长嬷嬷没有同意她的请求，加之凯蒂对她很敬畏，也就没有再三要求。

在开始的几天里，她不得不努力调整自己，克服对这些小姑娘多多少少的厌恶之情。小姑娘们穿着难看的制服，梳着黑色的朝天辫，长着黄色的圆脸和乌黑明亮的眼睛。凯蒂还清楚地记得，第一次来修道院时，四周站满了这些小丑八怪，院长嬷嬷的面孔变得柔和而美丽。可凯蒂本能上对这些孩子还是有些排斥。现在，她得双手抱着一两个小孩，而这些孩子因为跌了一跤，或者磕掉了牙齿正在大哭。凯蒂发现用一两句哄小孩的话就能起作用，虽然孩子们听不懂她在说什么，但能感觉到她紧抱着自己的力量，或者她用温柔的脸颊紧贴着那些哭泣着的小黄脸，孩子们能够感受到抚慰，也就不哭了。对凯蒂渐渐熟悉起来以后，小孩子们对她不再感到陌生和害怕，纷纷跑过来和她玩耍，由于她赢得了他们的信任，这也给了凯蒂某种特别的幸福感。年龄更大一些的女孩子对凯蒂也同样如此，凯蒂教她们缝纫，这些女孩子欢快的笑声、聪明的表现，以及当凯蒂表扬她们几句时，她们的兴高采烈劲儿，都让凯蒂深深地感动，她觉出了她们喜欢自己。于是，既为自己得到她们的喜欢而有些沾沾自喜，也为自己的行为感到骄傲，凯蒂也开始喜欢她们了。

然而，有一个孩子却始终不能让她适应。她是一个六岁的小女孩，但是个痴呆儿。硕大的患有脑积水的头不堪重负地在她瘦小的身体上晃动，长着一双大而无神的眼睛，嘴角不断地流着口水，时不时地还用沙哑的嗓音嘟囔着谁也听不清的话语。她既让人恶心，又让人害怕。不知什么原因，这个智障的孩子对凯蒂有着某种依恋。凯蒂在大房子里走到哪里，她便跟到哪里，还紧紧地贴着凯蒂的裙摆，在凯蒂的膝盖上蹭她的脸，不断地要抚摸凯蒂的手。凯蒂因为厌恶而浑身发抖，她知道这个孩子渴望爱抚，但她打心眼儿里不愿意去触碰她。

有一次，她和圣约瑟夫修女谈到了这个智障女孩，凯蒂感慨地说这孩子真不应该活在这个世界上。圣约瑟夫修女面带笑容，伸出了她的手去抚摸这个畸形儿。这个智障孩子用她凸出的前额反复地摩挲修女的手。

“可怜的小家伙。”修女说道，“她被人带到这儿时都奄奄一息了。上帝保佑，她来时我正好在大门口，我想她应该还有一口气，所以我马上给她施了洗礼。你想象不到，为了救活她，我们费了多大的劲儿，有那么三四次我们都以为她那个小灵魂已经逃到了天堂。”

凯蒂不再说话，圣约瑟夫修女又滔滔不绝地开始聊起别的事情了。而第二天，当这名智障孩子接近凯蒂并摸她的手时，凯蒂控制住自己的情绪，用手去抚摸这孩子光秃秃的大脑门，并强挤出笑容。但是，突然这个孩子的行为有些反常，她从凯蒂身边走开了，好像对她失去了兴趣。那一整天，包括接下来的好几天，她对凯蒂都带搭不理，凯蒂有点儿不知道自己做错了什么，想用笑容和手势哄她过来，但是这个孩子扭过头去，假装没看见她。