But a day or two later Kitty made an unforeseen discovery.

She went to the convent as usual and set about her first work of seeing that the children were washed and dressed. Since the nuns held firmly that the night air was harmful, the atmosphere in the dormitory was close and fetid. After the freshness of the morning it always made Kitty a little uncomfortable and she hastened to open such windows as would. But to-day she felt all of a sudden desperately sick and with her head swimming she stood at the window trying to compose herself. It had never been as bad as this before. Then nausea overwhelmed her and she vomited. She gave a cry so that the children were frightened, and the older girl who was helping her ran up and, seeing Kitty white and trembling, stopped short with an exclamation. Cholera! The thought flashed through Kitty's mind and then a deathlike feeling came over her; she was seized with terror, she struggled for a moment against the night that seemed agonisingly to run through her veins; she felt horribly ill; and then darkness.

When she opened her eyes she did not at first know where she was. She seemed to be lying on the floor and, moving her head slightly, she thought that there was a pillow under it. She could not remember. The Mother Superior was kneeling by her side, holding smelling salts to her nose, and Sister St. Joseph was looking at her. Then it came back. Cholera! She saw the consternation on the nuns' faces. Sister St. Joseph looked huge and her outline was blurred. Once more terror overwhelmed her.

“Oh, Mother, Mother,” she sobbed. “Am I going to die? I don't want to die.”

“Of course you're not going to die,” said the Mother Superior.

She was quite composed and there was even amusement in her eyes.

“But it's cholera. Where's Walter? Has he been sent for? Oh, Mother, Mother.”

She burst into a flood of tears. The Mother Superior gave her hand and Kitty seized it as though it were a hold upon the life she feared to lose.

“Come, come, my dear child, you mustn't be so silly. It's not cholera or anything of the kind.”

“Where's Walter?”

“Your husband is much too busy to be troubled. In five minutes you'll be perfectly well.”

Kitty looked at her with staring, harassed eyes. Why did she take it so calmly? It was cruel.

“Keep perfectly quiet for a minute,” said the Mother Superior.“There is nothing to alarm yourself about.”

Kitty felt her heart beat madly. She had grown so used to the thought of cholera that it had ceased to seem possible that she could catch it. Oh, the fool she had been! She knew she was going to die. She was frightened. The girls brought in a long rattan chair and placed it by the window.

“Come, let us lift you,” said the Mother Superior. “You will be more comfortable on the chaise longue. Do you think you can stand?”

She put her hands under Kitty's arms and Sister St. Joseph helped her to her feet. She sank exhausted into the chair.

“I had better shut the window,” said Sister St. Joseph. “The early morning air cannot be good for her.”

“No, no,” said Kitty. “Please leave it open.”

It gave her confidence to see the blue sky. She was shaken, but certainly she began to feel better. The two nuns looked at her for a moment in silence, and Sister St. Joseph said something to the Mother Superior which she could not understand. Then the Mother Superior sat on the side of the chair and took her hand.

“Listen, ma chère enfant…”

She asked her one or two questions. Kitty answered them without knowing what they meant. Her lips were trembling so that she could hardly frame the words.

“There is no doubt about it,” said Sister St. Joseph. “I am not one to be deceived in such a matter.”

She gave a little laugh in which Kitty seemed to discern a certain excitement and not a little affection. The Mother Superior, still holding Kitty's hand, smiled with soft tenderness.

“Sister St. Joseph has more experience of these things than I have, dear child, and she said at once what was the matter with you. She was evidently quite right.”

“What do you mean?” asked Kitty anxiously.

“It is quite evident. Did the possibility of such a thing never occur to you? You are with child, my dear.”

The start that Kitty gave shook her from head to foot, and she put her feet to the ground as though to spring up.

“Lie still, lie still,” said the Mother Superior.

Kitty felt herself blush furiously and she put her hands to her breasts.

“It's impossible. It isn't true.”

“Qu'est-ce qu'elle dit?” asked Sister St. Joseph.

The Mother Superior translated. Sister St. Joseph's broad simple face, with its red cheeks, was beaming.

“No mistakes is possible. I give you my word of honor.”

“How long have you been married, my child?” asked the Mother Superior. “Why, when my sister-in-law had been married as long as you she had already two babies.”

Kitty sank back into the chair. There was death in her heart.

“I'm so ashamed,” she whispered.

“Because you are going to have a baby? Why, what can be more natural?”

“Quelle joie pour le docteur,” said Sister St. Joseph.

“Yes, think what a happiness for your husband. He will be overwhelmed with joy. You have only to see him with babies, and the look on his face when he plays with them, to see how enchanted he will be to have one of his own.”

For a little while Kitty was silent. The two nuns looked at her with tender interest and the Mother Superior stroked her hand.

“It was silly of me not to have suspected it before,” said Kitty.“At all events I'm glad it's not cholera. I feel very much better. I will get back to my work.”

“Not to-day, my dear child. You have had a shock, you had much better go home and rest yourself.”

“No, no, I would much rather stay and work.”

“I insist. What would our good doctor say if I let you be imprudent? Come to-morrow, if you like, or the day after, but to-day you must be quiet. I will send for a chair. Would you like me to let one of our young girls go with you?”

“Oh, no, I shall be all right alone.”

然而，过了一两天以后，凯蒂有了一个意想不到的发现。

她像往常一样来到修道院，着手她的第一项工作，看看孩子们是否已经洗漱完毕，穿好了衣服。因为修女们笃信晚上的空气是有害的，所以宿舍里的环境是封闭的，空气污浊。虽然早上有新鲜空气进来，但总是让凯蒂有些不舒服，每次她都尽可能迅速地把窗子打开通风。可今天，她突然觉得特别恶心，头也晕乎乎的，她站在窗户旁边，想使自己安定下来，以前从来没有这么难受过。过了一会儿，她终于控制不住恶心，开始呕吐起来。她的大声呕吐把孩子们吓坏了。那个年龄大一点儿、给凯蒂做小助手的女孩跑过来，看见凯蒂脸色煞白，全身颤抖，她停了下来大声叫人过来帮忙。霍乱！凯蒂的脑海一下子闪过这个念头，随后像被死神扼住的感觉传遍全身，她被吓坏了，挣扎了一会儿，痛苦地抵抗着在她血管中蔓延的黑夜，她觉得自己病得很厉害，然后眼前一黑，就什么都不知道了。

当睁开眼睛的时候，她一开始不知道自己在什么地方。慢慢地她感觉到自己好像躺在地板上，移动了一下头，感觉好像有个枕头在头下。她记不清刚才发生了什么事情。院长嬷嬷正跪在她身边，手里拿着一块嗅盐放到她的鼻子下，圣约瑟夫修女站在旁边注视着她。凯蒂猛地又想起来了，霍乱！她看到了修女们脸上的惊愕表情，圣约瑟夫修女看上去身形巨大，但轮廓并不清楚。恐怖再一次吞没了她。

“哦，嬷嬷，嬷嬷。”她抽泣道，“我快要死了吗？我不想死。”

“你当然不会死。”院长嬷嬷安慰道。

她很镇定，甚至眼睛里能够看出有种觉得好笑的神色。

“但是，我染上了霍乱。沃尔特在哪儿？有人去找他吗？哦，嬷嬷，嬷嬷。”

她放声大哭了起来，院长嬷嬷把手伸给她，凯蒂一把抓住了它，好像它能拉住她害怕失去的生命一样。

“好了，好了，我亲爱的孩子，你别犯傻了。不会是霍乱或者别的什么传染病的。”

“沃尔特在哪儿？”

“你丈夫太忙了，不能受到干扰。过五分钟你就会完全没事了。”

凯蒂用疲惫的眼神目不转睛地看着她，为什么她那么平静？这也太残忍了。

“彻底保持安静一会儿。”院长嬷嬷说道，“根本没事，你别自己吓唬自己。”

凯蒂觉得她的心猛烈地跳着，她已经习惯认为自己是不可能染上霍乱的，哦，她真是个傻瓜！她知道自己快要死了，很害怕。这时，姑娘们搬来一把长藤椅，把它放在了窗户边上。

“来吧，让我们把你抬上去。”院长嬷嬷说道，“在这把椅子上休息会儿，你会更舒服点儿。你觉得自己能站起来吗？”

她把手放到凯蒂的胳膊下，而圣约瑟夫修女帮着抬腿，凯蒂筋疲力尽地躺到了椅子上。

“我最好把窗户关上。”圣约瑟夫修女说道，“早上的空气凉，恐怕对她不好。”

“不，不。”凯蒂说道，“请让它开着。”

看到蓝天，她恢复了信心，虽然身子还在哆嗦，但显然开始觉得好多了。两位修女安静地看了她一会儿，随后，圣约瑟夫修女说了一些她没听明白的话。院长嬷嬷坐在椅子边上，拿起了她的一只手。

“听我说，亲爱的孩子……”

她问了凯蒂一两个问题，凯蒂告诉了她，但不知道她的用意。她的嘴唇颤抖着，几乎话不成句。

“一点儿也不用怀疑了。”圣约瑟夫修女说道，“在这种事上，我可不是容易被骗的人。”

她笑了一下，笑声中凯蒂似乎能分辨出是某种激动和慈爱。院长嬷嬷仍然握着凯蒂的手，微笑中透着关心和柔情。

“圣约瑟夫修女比我在这方面有更多的经验，亲爱的孩子，她立刻判断出了你出了什么状况，很显然，她是对的。”

“您是什么意思？”凯蒂焦急地问道。

“事情明摆着，你从来没想过这种可能吗？你怀孕了，我亲爱的。”

听到这话，凯蒂全身一震，一股寒气从头穿过了脚底。她把脚一下子放到了地上，好像要从椅子上蹦起来。

“躺好，躺好。”院长嬷嬷说道。

凯蒂觉得自己的脸红得发烫，把双手放到了胸口。

“这不可能，这不是真的。”

“她说什么呢？”圣约瑟夫修女问道。

院长嬷嬷给她翻译了一下。圣约瑟夫修女纯朴、红扑扑的脸蛋都开始放光了。

“不可能有错，我敢发誓。”

“你结婚多久了，我的孩子？”院长嬷嬷问道，“为什么你不要孩子，我弟媳妇结婚时间跟你差不多，可她已经是两个孩子的妈妈了。”

凯蒂又躺倒在藤椅上，心里有了个死结。

“我感到很羞愧。”她小声说道。

“就因为你快要有一个宝贝了？为什么，这不是再自然不过的事吗？”

“要是沃尔特医生知道了该有多高兴呀。”圣约瑟夫修女说道。

“是的，试想一下你的丈夫会有多开心，他一定会心花怒放的。你只需看看他和婴儿们待在一起的样子就知道了，他和孩子们一起玩时，脸上的表情别提有多快乐了。我们可以预见，等他有了自己的孩子一定乐开了花。”

有好长时间凯蒂都没有说话，两位修女用温柔的目光好奇地看着她，院长嬷嬷拍了拍她的手。

“竟然没想过可能是怀孕了，我真是太傻了。”凯蒂说道，“不管怎么说，我很高兴我没染上霍乱，现在我没事了，得回去工作了。”

“今天就别工作了，我亲爱的孩子。你今天受惊了，最好还是先回家休息休息。”

“不用，不用，我更想待在这儿工作。”

“你还是听我的话吧，如果我让你这么不小心，我们的好医生会说些什么呢？明天来吧，如果你愿意，或者后天，但是今天你必须休息，我派人去找一张轿椅送你回去，你愿意我派一个年轻的女孩陪着你一起回去吗？”

“哦，不用了，我想我自己一个人就行了。”