The Hearing Trumpet by leonora Carrington

Author:leonora Carrington
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New York Review Books
Published: 2021-01-05T00:00:00+00:00

Before her departure the Abbess hid the flasks of Musc de Madelaine. Although I searched the whole convent later on I never could find the remaining flasks of ointment. Now I know that she must have hidden them in the crypt under the church where she was eventually buried. At that time it did not occur to me that the tombs of past abbesses of the convent could be the hiding place. Also a certain terror of the sinister vault kept me, no doubt, from considering that place as a possibility.

So after careful preparation the Abbess donned her disguise and left in the silver coach drawn by the two white mares. An outrider, mounted on Homunculus the black stallion, accompanied the coach.

Sister Teresa Gastélum de Xavier was appointed deputy Abbess. This nun was the personal attendant of Doña Rosalinda, and entirely devoted to the eccentric Abbess.

Teresa Gastélum de Xavier probably came from Moorish stock and had a dark complexion and morose secretive ways; she installed herself in the octagonal tower and it was extremely difficult to gain access into the Abbess’s apartments without her knowledge.

With a certain amount of diligence I did succeed on various occasions to get in and look through Doña Rosalinda’s personal effects, and in this manner came to be in possession of certain written documents and letters which helped to give insight into the character of the Abbess. As the convent confessor I considered it my duty to keep informed as far as possible of the happenings concerning Santa Barbara de Tartarus. Doña Rosalinda was naturally the main focal point of my interest. Vulgar curiosity in no way stimulated me; I was merely performing my duty as the Spiritual Director of the Community.

Mystery surrounds the journey of the Abbess, who was absent for almost two years. She must have spent more than half this time in the West of Ireland near the fortress of the Knights Templar, if not within the stronghold itself. Knowing the diabolically astute nature of Doña Rosalinda I am inclined to believe that she did indeed manage to spend a considerable time inside the fortress, although how this difficult feat was performed it is impossible to say. Probably no one but the Bishop of Trève les Frêles suspected that the bearded cavalier was really the Abbess, at least not for some time; and whoever did eventually discover her female identity kept the secret, otherwise Doña Rosalinda would never have left Ireland alive.

The condition of the Abbess when she did finally return to Santa Barbara de Tartarus left no doubt whatever that one person at least knew her to be a woman. I say a “Person,” although considering the incredible events around the death of the Abbess I sometimes recoil with a nameless doubt.

After the Abbess was dead I did happen to come into possession of a scroll which was written in Hebrew and which I was finally able to translate with the help of a Jew who traded spices in Madrid.

This scroll

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