The other masses of the novena I sang in another chapel
large enough to hold about 300 persons, and I do not remember
ever in my life to have experienced greater consolation than on
these last days of this novena. Besides whole days, I was
obliged to spend the nights in the confessional until two, and
even four o'clock in the morning. The day of the closing of
the novena, when I saw coming up to the sanctuary many an
old sinner who had long abandoned the practice of religion, and
even some of the leaders in the late mutiny, I was so moved that
I could hardly speak. I wanted to liken this occasion to the
feast prepared by the father at the return of the Prodigal Son,
but my voice failed me. My emotion choked me, and the
sobbing of the people forced me to stop three different times,
while men and women shed tears of repentance and devotion.
When I announced to them that I would be obliged to leave
them and go to live at Santa F^ while the Bishop was away,
the entire audience burst into tears again and would not be
comforted until I promised to come one Sunday in the month
during his absence. It was a hard parting for me, but a soft-
ening feature came into it when many of the hitherto neglectful



UFE OF BISHOP BiACHEBEUF. 197

ones eame to tell me that they would prepare themselves for the
sacraments at my next coming.
