£wood] an URSULINE EPIC 9 



famous Jesuit, soon to become the King's confessor, said he thought the 

 hand of God was pointing her to Canada. Slie had never even heard of 

 sujch a country before ; but it' quickly filled her whole imagination. 

 Je ne vis plus d'autre pays pour moi que le Canada; et mes courses 

 ordinaires étaient parmi les sauvages, avec les missionaires: A pilgrim's 

 staff* from Notre Dame de Lorette and a copy of the Relations des 

 Jésuites — both coming anonymously from an unknown Canadian mis- 

 sionary — still further inflamed her zeal. But the convent life went on 

 around her as usual, and she was at a loss to know whether or not she 

 had been called elsewhere. 



At this juncture another unknown friend was coming to her side. 

 Madame de la Peltrie, née Marie Madeleine de Chauvigny, was of the 

 haute noblesse of Nomiandy. She had been well married and left; a 

 widow, though her own inclinations had always been toward the cloister 

 rather than the world. One day she read Father Le Jeune's appeal for 

 a devout woman to convert the Indian girls of Canada: et depuis ce 

 temps, says La Mère Marie, son esprit fut plus en Canada qu'en elle- 

 même. But her road thither bristled with worldly obstacles. She had 

 run away from home and taken refuge within a .convent in a vain effort 

 to escape her first marriage ; and now her family were bent on making 

 her contract another. She was noble, rich, attractive, and much sought 

 after; and she was at her wits' end what to do. In her extremity she 

 asked a consummate Jesuit director, who advised her to tell her troubles 

 to M. de Bemières, a man devoted to the cause of missions, and throw 

 herself upon his protection as her husband. The pious layman, who 

 also desired a life-long celibacy, was astounded at this proposal. But 

 his own spiritual direictor was of the same mind as hers; and many com- 

 mon friends were instant in proving how desirable it would be to take 

 such means to reach so good an end for the sake of the missionary cause. 

 Finally, as both parties were equally unwilling to marry, it was agreed 

 that no marriage should take place; but that the world should be allowed 

 to believe them man and wife, m order that M. de Bernières should man- 

 age Madame de la Peltrie's large property in France, while she went out 

 to Canada as the benefactress of the Ursulines. A visit to the holy man 

 already known as " the archangel of human charity" made her resolve 

 irrevocable; and so the great St. Vincent de Paul must be reckoned 

 among the founders of the convent in Quebec. 



]\reanwhile, M. de Bernières was writing to La Mère Marie about 

 Madame de la Peltrie, and Father Poncet, who had sent the pilgrim's 

 staff, was writing to Madame de la Peltrie about La Mère Marie. The 

 two women were thus brought together under the happiest auspices, and 

 immediately became fast friends. A third now appeared, La Were Marie 



