t her mother, shut up in her own intellectual but
poor world, could neither bring her out or push her into prominence, she
decided that she herself would seek the best means of winning a husband.
At once calm and obstinate, without dreams or illusions, and regarding
marriage as but a ticket of admission or a passport, she kept before
her mind a clear notion of the hazards, difficulties, and chances of her
enterprise. She had the art of pleasing and a coldness of temperament
that enabled her to turn it to its fullest advantage. Her weakness lay
in the fact that she was dazzled by anything that had an aristocratic
air.

When she was alone with her mother she said:

"Mamma, we will go to-morrow to Father Douillard's retreat."

II. THE CHARITY OF ST. ORBEROSIA

Every Friday evening at nine o'clock the choicest of Alcan society
assembled in the aristocratic church of St. Mael for the Reverend Father
Douillard's retreat. Prince and Princess des Boscenos, Viscount and
Viscountess Olive, M. and Madame Bigourd, Monsieur and Madame de La
Trumelle were never absent. The flower of the aristocracy might be seen
there, and fair Jewish baronesses also adorned it by their presence, for
the Jewish baronesses of Alca were Christians.

This retreat, like all religious retreats, had for its object to procure
for those living in the world opportunities for recollection so that
they might think of their eternal salvation. It was also intended to
draw down upon so man noble and illustrious families the benediction
of L. Orberosia, who loves the Penguins. The Reverend Father Douillard
strove for the completion of his task with a truly apostolical zeal. He
hoped to restore the prerogatives of St. Orberosia as the patron saint
of Penguinia and to dedicate to her a monumental church on one of the
hills that dominate the city. His efforts had been crowned with great
success, and for the accomplishing of this national enterprise he had
already united more than a hundred thousand adherents and collected more
than twenty millions of francs.

It was in the choir of St. Mael's that St. Orberosia's new shrine,
shining with gold, sparkling with precious stones, and surrounded by
tapers and flowers, had been erected.

The following account may be read in the "History of the Miracles of the
Patron Saint of Alca" by the Abbe Plantain:

"The ancient shrine had been melted down during the Terror and the
precious relics of the saint thrown into