day; and my three friends, Messieurs Nicolas, Alain,
and Joseph, would no more fail in that practice than they would fail in
getting up and going to bed. Do as they do for love of God, for love of
me," she said, with a divine serenity, an august confidence.

Godefroid turned over the book and read upon its back in gilt letters,
IMITATION OF JESUS CHRIST. The simplicity of this old woman, her
youthful candor, her certainty of doing a good deed, confounded the
ex-dandy. Madame de la Chanterie's face wore a rapturous expression,
and her attitude was that of a woman who was offering a hundred thousand
francs to a merchant on the verge of bankruptcy.

"I have used that volume," she said, "for twenty-six years. God grant
its touch may be contagious. Go now and buy me another copy; for this is
the hour when persons come here who must not be seen."

Godefroid bowed and went to his room, where he flung the book upon the
table, exclaiming,--

"Poor, good woman! Well, so be it!"

V. THE INFLUENCE OF BOOKS

The book, like all books frequently read, opened in a particular place.
Godefroid sat down as if to put his ideas in order, for he had gone
through more emotion during this one morning than he had often done in
the agitated months of his life; but above all, his curiosity was keenly
excited. Letting his eyes fall by chance, as people will when their
souls are launched in meditation, they rested mechanically on the two
open pages of the book; almost unconsciously he read the following
heading:--

CHAPTER XII.

THE ROYAL WAY OF THE HOLY CROSS

He took up the book; a sentence of that noble chapter caught his eye
like a flash of light:--

"He has walked before thee, bearing his cross; he died for thee,
that thou mightest bear thy cross, and be glad to die upon it.

"Go where thou wilt, seek what thou wilt, never canst thou find a
nobler, surer path than the royal way of the holy cross.

"Dispose and order all things according to thy desires and thine
own judgment and still thou shalt find trials to suffer, whether
thou wilt or no; and so the cross is there; be it pain of body or
pain of mind.

"Sometimes God will seem to leave thee, sometimes men will harass
thee. But, far worse, thou wilt find thyself a burden to thyself,
and no remedy will deliver thee, no consolation comfort thee:
until it pleases God to end thy trouble thou must bear it; for it
is God's will that we suffer