constancy of her vocation. While she awaited the arrival of M. de
Maisonneuve she had a strong desire to approach the Sacraments once more
before leaving France, and as she always preferred a Carmelite
confessor, she sought one, and was successful, as there was a Carmelite
church in the city. It was one of her lifelong principles to do nothing
by halves; therefore she once again related her whole past experience to
the good Father, who unhesitatingly advised her to remain in her native
land, and become a Carmelite nun. Humanly speaking, it was natural he
should so advise her. But his suggestions threw her into a dreadful
state of perplexity. On leaving him, she entered the Capuchin church,
where the Blessed Sacrament was still exposed, and prostrating herself
in the presence of God, shed abundant tears in the bitterness of her
soul, protesting that her only desire was to _know_ His will, and _do_
it. During this hour of spirit trial and loving colloquy with her divine
Lord, a light from heaven suddenly enveloped her, her heart was
replenished with the sweetest consolation, and she was made clearly to
understand, at once and forever, that God willed she should go to
Canada. Yet, although she was thus divinely reassured, she would not
neglect the duty of holy obedience, and as her last confessor directed
Her to write to those persons in Paris who had manifested an interest in
her vocation, she did so, rather to thank them for what they had already
done, than to ask them to renew their exertions. But during the three
weeks she still remained in Nantes, she received no reply from these
friends. It seemed now as if the devil had left no stone unturned to
destroy her vocation for Ville-Marie, yet true to his old malice, he
made one more attempt, and this time the trial came from M. de
Maisonneuve himself. As soon as he arrived in Nantes, in order to hasten
the preparations for their departure, he received an anonymous letter,
in which it was alleged, among other unpleasant things, that Margaret
Bourgeois was unfit to accompany him to Canada, as her vocation for the