"An anchorite is a monk or a nun who lives a solitary life of worship and contemplation of the divine," says Laertes. "And as to what damnation is ... that's a matter of great turmoil, in my time. One is damned if one dies unshriven, with sins still writ upon God's ledger--but to repent, and to ask God's forgiveness, erases those sins and once again opens the steep and narrow path to salvation." Laertes lets his rolling, didactic tone fade back into wryness. "For my part, I cannot repent my sins. If I must choose between my husband's love and God's, I will gladly suffer torment unending, and never reach up a hand to be saved."