M： Yes. Well you see， the sky was soblue today and everything was so green and fragrant. I just had to be a part ofit！ And you know those birds kept meeting me higher andhigher as though it wanted me to go right through the clouds with it.
Reverend Mother： Child， suppose darkness had come and you were lost？
M： Oh， Mother， I could never belost up there. That"s my mountain， I was brought upon it. It was the mountain that led me to you.
Reverend Mother： Oh？
M： When I was a child， I would come downthe mountain and climb a tree and look over into your garden. I"d see thesisters at work and I would hear them sing on their way to Vespers， which brings me to another transgression， Reverend Mother. I was singing out there today without permission.
Reverend other： Maria， it is only here in the abbey that we have rules aboutpostulant singing.
M： I can"t seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what"s worse， I can"t seem to stop saying things. Everything and anything I think andfeel.
Reverend Mother： Some people would call that honesty.
M： No， but it"s terrible， Reverend Mother.You know how Sister Beth always makes me kiss the floor after we had adisagreement？ Well lately I"ve taken to kissing the floor when I seeher coming just to save time.
Reverend Mother： Maria， when you saw us over the abbey wall and longed to be oneof us， that didn"t necessarily mean that you were prepared forthe way we live here， did it？
M： No， Mother. But I pray and I try and I am learning. I reallyam.
M： Yes. Well you see， the sky was soblue today and everything was so green and fragrant. I just had to be a part ofit！ And you know those birds kept meeting me higher andhigher as though it wanted me to go right through the clouds with it.
Reverend Mother： Child， suppose darkness had come and you were lost？
M： Oh， Mother， I could never belost up there. That"s my mountain， I was brought upon it. It was the mountain that led me to you.
Reverend Mother： Oh？
M： When I was a child， I would come downthe mountain and climb a tree and look over into your garden. I"d see thesisters at work and I would hear them sing on their way to Vespers， which brings me to another transgression， Reverend Mother. I was singing out there today without permission.
Reverend other： Maria， it is only here in the abbey that we have rules aboutpostulant singing.
M： I can"t seem to stop singing wherever I am. And what"s worse， I can"t seem to stop saying things. Everything and anything I think andfeel.
Reverend Mother： Some people would call that honesty.
M： No， but it"s terrible， Reverend Mother.You know how Sister Beth always makes me kiss the floor after we had adisagreement？ Well lately I"ve taken to kissing the floor when I seeher coming just to save time.
Reverend Mother： Maria， when you saw us over the abbey wall and longed to be oneof us， that didn"t necessarily mean that you were prepared forthe way we live here， did it？
M： No， Mother. But I pray and I try and I am learning. I reallyam.
瑪：是的！您看，今天的天空多麼的湛藍，一草一木都是那麼的翠綠、芬芳。我不得不加入它們。你知道，我越爬越高，那些鳥不斷地迎接我，彷彿要讓我陪伴它們穿過朵朵白雲。
嬤：孩子，要是天黑了，你迷路了怎麼辦呢？
瑪：嬤嬤，在那兒我是不會迷路的。那是我的大山，我就是在那兒長大的。正是大山把我引向您的。
嬤：哦？
瑪：當我還是個小孩子的時候，常從山上下來，爬上一顆樹，眺望您的花園。我看見修女們在忙碌，聽到她們一路歌唱去晚禱。這使我想起我又犯錯了，院長嬤嬤，我今天在外面沒經允許就唱歌了。
嬤：瑪麗亞，我們只是在修道院裡才對見習者有唱歌的規定。
瑪：不管在哪兒，我幾乎都忍不住要唱歌。更糟的是，我幾乎都忍不住要說話。說我感受到的、想象到的任何事物。
嬤：一些人會說這就是誠實。
瑪：嬤嬤，然而這太討厭了。您知道貝絲修女和我意見不同，她總叫我親吻地板，以後只要看見她過來，我就會先親吻地板，以省時間。
嬤：瑪麗亞，當你在修道院牆外看見我們，希望加入我們時，這並不就意味著你得準備著象我們這樣生活，是嗎？
瑪：不，嬤嬤！我祈禱著，並且努力著，而且，我在學習，真的。