CHAPTER II.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 153, 7 April 1876, Page 6

CHAPTER 11.

SISTER AGNES. I jil'ST speak of dear Sister Agnes, over whose life, lovely and beautiful, the grave has but lately closed — Requiescat hi pace. At the lender age of twelve, Agnes Shaw was left an orphan with a large fortune, to be wholly at her disposal when she had reached her majoritj r . She was educated in the family of her guardian, in all the pomp and parade of fashionable life ; every circumstance seemed to conspire to make her thoroughly worldly and selfish ; but the good Spirit brooded over her heart, and with a natural devout turn of mind, she soon came to eschew as vanity the aimless round of fashionable living. To a strong, powerful will, Bhe added a temper of unsurpassed sweetness ; persevering, energetic, sometimes almost obstinate, she was necessarily somewhat eccentric in her efforts to live for a purpose ; sometimes breaking away from all the conventionalities of society, and rushing headlong 1 to her own plans of benevolence, which were ofte^r dangerous, and wholly impracticable from her position in society as a woman. But for her largo means and extraordinary good sense, she would have been deemed a candidate lor the insane asylum by her companions, who could not comprehend how one of their set could really love a round of visits to the dirtiest alleys of the citj', to hear the tales of the poor, or to relievo some scene of wretchedness. They wearied themselves teasing her, and ceased their ridicule when they found themselves powerless to prevent her slopping the most miserable objects she met in her walk?, and listening with unwearied ear to the unvarying talc of woe. They contented themselves with dubbing her, far and wide, as the " Protestant Sister of Charity." She pursued her way, in spite of remonstrances and entreaties, escaping sometimes from places and scenes of vice in its worst forms, as if by miracle. On one of these occasions s!ie was preserved from insuit by the providential appearance of a stranger, a gentleman, " himself on kindly deeds intent. " The acquaintance grew and ripened into a warm friendship for many years, before it culminated in that affection which made the two hearts one. Mr. Pondleton had the qualities she most needed to complcto her character, and from him Agues Shaw first learned

that there is a pleasure in submitting to true and rightful guidance. Seldom does the sunlight visit a more charming nbode than Fairview Cottage, just in the suburbs of the city. Devote.Uy religious himself, and au earnest Catholic, Mr. Pendleton soon taught his bride to love the holy ways, and partake of the spirit, of the Church of which he was a devout member. Togetli3r they made and executed large plans of benevolence ; together they sought the sick, the desolate, the fallen, and brought them life and hope. Ten years of bliss, such as seldom falls to tbe lot of humanity, was the portion of these good people, when in, as it were, a single day, by a peculiar visitation, Agues Pendleton was left alone; her noble-hearted husband, and two precious children, were snatched from her arms by the ruthless stroke. The suddenness of the blast, the short space of one month, opening upon hei in joy and peace, and shutting down in the end in a uight of deep darkness, without moon or star ; the very suddenness crushed her spirit, her energies gave way ; her indomitable will, that had first learned submission through love, succumbed ; she became absorbed in speechless grief. How mercifully our good Lord brings out of the fairest evils good to individuals and communities ! Mrs. Pendleton was first aroused from the abstraction of her grief by one of those sudden and awful visitations that thrill a community to its very centre, and desolate so many homes in a single moment of time. Her soul was awakened by the crash to its life-object, and with a weary, aching heart, she gave all her energies to the sufferers. From this beginning of action, her faith in the good God revived, and at length she gave her property and her life to the Lord, as a Sister of Charity. Not many years passed before her sweet, self-denying life, with her energy and devotion, placed her at the head of the House of the Infant Jesus. " Sister Agnes," she was called, wherever her sweet voice and quiet determination were known. Destitution and suffering were the passports to her favor. Mrs. Benton, the friend of her youth, had been her co-worker as a lay sister in the world for many years, and now, when the dark mantle of sorrow shrouded her friend, Sister Agnes was her earthly consoler.