15
THE PRIVILEGE OF ACCEPTANCE
Priscilla waited in darkness in the Anglican cathedral crypt.
She had not eaten cooked, nutritious food for two or three days. She had lost track of nights and days, so she was not certain of passing time. Nor did she know how long the battery-operated flashlight would last, so she kept it mostly turned off; and, even though Onslow had come back twice and provided her with provisions, he had been clear that her use of the flashlight was conditional.
“Use the battery-operated flashlight only when absolutely necessary,” he had told her. “And ‘necessary’ does not include your fear of the darkness, either.”
As for the other provisions he had left for her, she understood the use of the blanket and the hourglass, as well as the chocolate bars, the nuts, and th
