failed to go to the city of Troyes, to visit the members of his family
who resided there, and also to pay a visit of respect to the religieuses
of the Congregation, for whom he entertained a sincere friendship, his
sister being a member of the community. On the eve of his arrival,
Sister Bourgeois had a singular prediction of the future. She saw in a
dream, a grave, venerable-looking man, dressed like an ecclesiastic,
standing silently before her. The form and features of the man, who was
not then known to her, remained distinctly imprinted on her imagination,
and she had an indefinable inspiration that he was to be in some way
connected with the work for which God intended her. She related the
dream to some of her friends, and three days afterwards M. de
Maisonneuve arrived at Troyes. He called at the Convent, when as usual
the subject of the proposed foundation at Ville-Marie was discussed.
Sister Bourgeois was sent for, that _her_ opinion might be heard with
the others. On entering the parlor, the first person that attracted her
attention was the strange gentleman, who corresponded exactly to the
person she had seen in her dream. Struck with astonishment, she could
not help exclaiming, "Behold the priest of my dream." She was requested
to relate the dream, which she did quite simply, and as a matter of
course, had to submit to a good deal of badinage about her vision, as
they called it, but jest soon turned to earnest, and before parting M.
de Maisonneuve and Sister Bourgeois conceived a lasting friendship for
each other. He asked if she would like to go to Montreal and teach a
primary school for girls, to which she promptly replied that nothing
would afford her greater pleasure, and that nothing was more suited to
her inclinations. By her reply he understood that Divine Providence had
fitted her for the New World, although he had not the most remote idea
of the great things intended to be accomplished by her ever-increasing
zeal. In the then state of the colony he felt convinced that nothing was
more conducive to its welfare than the Christian education of children,