ter of great importance. A number of persons, who had
been contending at law for several years, applied to my husband to
settle their affairs. Though it was not properly the business of a
gentleman, yet they applied to him, because he had both understanding
and prudence; and as he had a love for several of them, he consented.
There were twenty actions one upon another, and in all twenty-two
persons concerned, who could not get any end put to their differences,
by reason of new incidents continually falling out. My husband charged
himself with getting lawyers to examine their papers, but died before
he could make any procedure therein. After his death I sent for them to
give them their papers; but they would not receive them, begging of me
that I would accommodate them, and prevent their ruin. It appeared to
me as ridiculous, as impossible, to undertake an affair of so great
consequence, and which would require so long a discussion.
Nevertheless, relying on the strength and wisdom of God, I consented. I
shut myself up about thirty days for all these affairs, without ever
going out, but to mass and to my meals. The arbitration being at length
prepared, they all signed it without seeing it. They were all so well
satisfied therewith, that they could not forbear publishing it
everywhere. It was God alone who did those things; for after they were
settled I knew nothing about them; and if I now hear any talk of such
things, to me it sounds like Arabic.

CHAPTER 23

Being now a widow, my crosses, which one would have thought should have
abated, only increased. That turbulent domestic I have often mentioned,
instead of growing milder, now that she depended on me became more
furious than ever. In our house she had amassed a good fortune, and I
settled on her, besides, an annuity for the remainder of her life, for
the services she had done my husband. She swelled with vanity and
haughtiness. Having been used to sit up so much with an invalid, she
had taken to drink wine, to keep up her spirits. This had now passed
into a habit. As she grew aged and weak, a very little of it affected
her. I tried to hide this fault, but it grew so that it could not be
concealed. I spoke of it to her confessor, in order that he might try,
softly and artfully to reclaim her from it; but instead of profiting by
her director's advice, she was outrageous against me. My mother-in-law,
who could hardly bear the fault of intemperance, and had ofte