entire life of our Saviour, but now it is no longer possible for me to
do so.' These words were the more incomprehensible as she did not appear
to know even which year of the public life of Jesus she was then
contemplating in spirit. In 1820 she had related the history of our
Saviour down to the Ascension, beginning at the 28th of July of the
third year of the public life of Jesus, and had continued down to the
10th of January of the third year of his public life. On the 27th of
April 1823, in consequence of a journey made by the writer, an
interruption of her narrative took place, and lasted down to the 21st
of October. She then took up the tread of her narrative where she had
left it, and continued it to the last weeks of her life. When she spoke
of a few days being wanted her friend himself did not know how far her
narrative went, not having had leisure to arrange what he had written.
After her death he became convinced that if she had been able to speak
during the last fourteen days of her life, she would have brought it
down to the 28th of July of the third year of the public life of our
Lord, consequently to where she had taken it up in 1820.4

Her condition daily became more frightful. She, who usually suffered
in silence, uttered stifled groans, so awful was the anguish she
endured. On the 15th of January she said: 'The Child Jesus brought me
great sufferings at Christmas. I was once more by his manger at
Bethlehem. He was burning with fever, and showed me his sufferings and
those of his mother. They were so poor that they had no food but a
wretched piece of bread. He bestowed still greatest sufferings upon me,
and said to me: "Thou art mine; thou art my spouse; suffer as I suffered,
without asking the reason why." I do not know what my sufferings are to
be, nor how long they will last. I submit blindly to my martyrdom,
whether for life or for death: I only desire that the hidden designs of
God may be accomplished in me. On the other hand, I am calm, and I have