CHAPTER 19

At Saint-Sulpice, the narration establishes the church as a historically unusual Paris landmark, built over ancient religious ruins and associated with unorthodox religious and secret-society history. The sanctuary is nearly empty at night when Sister Sandrine brings Silas inside at the request of the abbé.

Sister Sandrine questions Silas politely, and Silas explains that he was born in France, found his calling in Spain, and now studies in the United States. Sister Sandrine assumes he has influential connections, while Silas privately thinks of the people directing him and remains focused on his mission.

Silas observes the church's stark, cold interior and contrasts it with more ornate cathedrals. He believes the brotherhood's keystone is hidden in Saint-Sulpice and thinks the brotherhood is close to being destroyed. Although Silas considers that Sister Sandrine would be easy to overpower, Silas restrains himself because Sister Sandrine is a woman of the cloth and not responsible for the brotherhood's actions.

To get Sister Sandrine away from him, Silas asks to pray alone rather than take a tour. Sister Sandrine is uneasy but agrees, and Silas persuades her to return to bed, promising to let himself out and secure the door afterward. Once Sister Sandrine leaves, Silas kneels in the front pew and begins a prayer while feeling the pain of the cilice on his leg.

The chapter then shifts to Sister Sandrine's point of view: instead of going to bed, Sister Sandrine hides in the choir balcony and watches Silas from above. Sister Sandrine feels sudden dread and wonders whether Silas may be the enemy she was warned about, raising the possibility that she may need to carry out long-held secret orders.