started from Troyes to Paris in an old worn-out conveyance, that we
hired for our own use, but had not gone far before we were compelled to
stop, as the owners of the _public_ carriages, who controlled the road,
would not permit a private conveyance like ours to interfere with their
traffic. We were therefore obliged to return to Troyes, where M. Chatel
obtained for us permission to continue the journey. As we had to travel
on Sunday, we requested the driver to stop at some village where we
could assist at Mass. This he very disobligingly refused to do. We
passed before a church pretty soon, however, and one of the wheels
breaking, he stopped against his will, to mend it, and we assisted at
the Holy Sacrifice while he worked at the broken wheel. On our arrival
in Paris, M. Raisin would not permit his daughter to go to Canada, and
stubbornly refused to see her; nor had she the courage to present
herself before him. She could only prevail through the intercession of
friends, and in this way was successful, as he finally gave his consent,
a contract being ratified in her case also. I could not prevent his
offering one thousand livres for her voyage, and, as I feared to
disoblige him by a refusal, I compromised, and accepted one hundred
crowns. However, this did not satisfy him, and he legally arranged to
pay to the community an annuity of thirty-five livres, being the
interest of the seven hundred livres I refused to accept. After his
death, his son, a member of the Legislative Assembly, added to this an
annuity of three hundred livres, interest on six thousand, which was
donated for three yearly Masses, for the repose of his father's soul,
which Masses are celebrated to this day on the 22d, 23d, and 24th of
April; so charitable were these gentlemen to the embryo Congregation. In
Paris we received an addition to our number, M. Blondel giving one of
his nieces as a teacher for Ville-Marie. This young lady was the first
person admitted to our community in 1659, and was named Sister St.
Claire. There were now assembled eighteen young girls for the return