the past loom large in the narrative. The opening of the story introduces us to Mary Antony, the oldest lay-sister at the convent, who has an important ritual of counting the nuns as they return from Vespers through a subterranean passage. This count originates from a tragic past incident involving Sister Agatha, which has left a lasting impression on the community. The narrative quickly highlights various characters in the convent, including the stern yet compassionate Prioress and the troubled Sister Mary Seraphine, who longs for the life she left behind. As Mary Antony contemplates her daily duties and playful thoughts, the atmosphere becomes rich with both tangible life and the spectral weight of memories, setting the stage for conflict that intertwines personal desires with spiritual obligations. (This is an automatically generated summary.)