The Holy Mountain of La Salette.pdf - the Catholic Kingdom!

32 THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF
years old when Melanie, not eleven, left Corps
and went to service. It must be observed
that thesechildrenneither spoke nor undermuch
of the French language. Their own is
a singular patois, having a resemblance to the
Italian, and some affinity with the Spanish.
Tl~us, they knew not the French for so common
an object as the potato.
To give the characters of the two children
more completely, I must anticipate a little.
Several months after the great event of their
lives, they were both placed at school, under
the care of the respectable Superioress of the
convent at Corps. After they had been there
a year, the Superioress was cnlled upon to
give her opinion of them before the commission
of enquiry appointed by the Bishop of Grenoble.
She said:
"Maximin has but ordinary abilities; he is
sufficiently obedient, but light, fond of play,
and always in motion. He never speaks to us
of the affair of La Snlette, and we avoid the
subject with him, that he may not take any
importance to himself. After undergoing
those long and frequent questioning8 to which
he is subjected, he never tells us, or the other
children, or any one, who it is that asks for
him, or what questions have been put to him.
After his visits to La Snlette, and after his
intlerrogations, he comes back as simple and aa
we 1 behaved as if nothing had passed which
concerned him. It is not my wish for him to
receive the money that some pilgrims offer
him. When at a chance time it has been
forced upon him, he brings it faithfully to me,