ed by
magnetism on persons who surrender their will to the hypnotiser.
It seemed to interest her greatly, and next day she said to me:
"Your conversation yesterday did me so much good! How I long to be
hypnotised by Our Lord! It was my waking thought, and verily it
was sweet to surrender Him my will. I want Him to take possession
of my faculties in such wise that my acts may no more be mine, or
human, but Divine--inspired and guided by the Spirit of Love."

* * * * * *

Before my profession I received through my saintly Novice-mistress
a very special grace. We had been washing all day. I was worn-out
with fatigue and harassed with spiritual worries. That night,
before meditation, I wanted to speak to her, but she dismissed me
with the remark: "That is the bell for meditation, and I have not
time to console you; besides, I see plainly that it would be
useless trouble. For the present, God wishes you to suffer alone."
I followed her to meditation so discouraged that, for the first
time, I doubted of my vocation. I should never be able to be a
Carmelite. The life was too hard.

I had been kneeling for some minutes, when all at once, in the
midst of this interior struggle--without having asked or even
wished for peace--I felt a sudden and extraordinary change of
soul. I no longer knew myself. My vocation appeared to me both
lovely and lovable. I saw the sweetness and priceless value of
suffering. All the privations and fatigues of the religious life
appeared to me infinitely preferable to worldly pleasures, and I
came away from my meditation completely transformed.

Next day I told my Mistress what had taken place, and, seeing she
was deeply touched, I begged to know the reason. "God is good,"
she exclaimed. "Last evening you inspired me with such profound
pity that I prayed incessantly for you at the beginning of
meditation. I besought Our Lord to bring you comfort, to change
your dispositions, and show you the value of suffering. He has
indeed heard my prayers."

* * * * * *

Being somewhat of a child in my ways, the Holy Child--to help me
in the practice of virtue--inspired me with the thought of amusing
myself with Him, and I chose the game of _ninepins._ I imagined
them of all sizes and colours, representing the souls I wished to
reach. The ball was--_love._

In December, 1896, the novices received, for the benefit of the
Foreign Missions, various trifles towards a Christmas tree, and at