The threshold might smile, but the house itself prayed and wept.
Hugo goes to great lengths to describe the shroud of secrecy that surrounded this convent. Gaining access was something only available to people that had a clear reason to be there and a good deal of previous knowledge to draw upon:
- Just to get past the doorkeeper required a password.
- Once inside the home you would have to make your way up a dark and narrow staircase, wind down dark halls, up an additional staircase, and eventually push your way into a room with an open door.
- Upon entering the room you would see before you a grate of sorts, with a bell next to it.
- If you rang the bell you would hear the voice of a person on the other side of the grate but could see nothing of them. Getting past them required an additional password.
- Upon providing the password you would be directed to another door in the room and find yourself in a theatre box of sorts that was completely shuttered.
- In the box you would be subjected to deeper questioning and would need to meet more criteria before you were given any additional access. You would never get in to the convent itself, but you may be able to visit through the grate with someone if they were family or a close friend from the past. No men were ever given entry.
This convent, shrouded in secrecy and strictly enclosed from outsiders, was the “Bernadine Convent of the Perpetual Adoration”. We’ll learn more about it as we read on!