,the ,legend of ,sister ,beatrix        
,charles ,nodier 7#aghj-ahdd7   ,not far
 from the highest peak in the ,jura1 but
 descending a little down its slope     
facing west1 one could still see1 going 
on for half a century ago1 a mass of    
ruins that had belonged to the church   
and the convent of ,our ,lady of the    
,flowering ,thorns4 ,it is at one end of
 a deep and narrow gorge1 much more     
sheltered to the north1 which produces  
each year1 thanks to its favourable     
aspect1 the rarest flowers of that      
region4  ,half a league from there1 from
 the opposite end of the gorge1 the     
debris of an ancient manor house is     
visible which has itself disappeared    
like the house of ,god4  ,we only know  
that it used to be lived in by a family 
renowned for its feats of arms and that 
the last of the noble knights to bear   
its name died in winning back the tomb  
of ,jesus ,christ for ,christians       
without an heir to propagate his line4  
,his inconsolable widow would not       

abandon a place so conducive to the     
upkeep of her melancholy1 but the rumour
 of her piety spread far and wide as did
 her works of charity and a glorious    
tradition has perpetuated her memory for
 future generations of ,christians4     
,the people1 who have forgotten all her 
other names1 still call her ,,the       
,,saint4  ,on one of those days when    
winter1 coming to an end1 suddenly      
relaxes its rigour under the influence  
of a temperate sky1 ,,the ,,saint was   
walking1 as usual1 down the long        
driveway leading to her castle1 her mind
 given over to pious meditations4  ,she 
came in this way to the thorny bushes   
that still mark its end1 and saw1 with  
no little surprise1 that one of these   
shrubs had taken on already all its     
springtime finery4 ,she hastened to get 
nearer to it in order to assure herself 
that this semblance was not produced by 
a remnant of snow that had failed to    
melt1 and1 delighted to see it crowned1 
in effect1 by an innumerable multitude  

of beautiful little white stars with    
rays of crimson1 she carefully detached 
a branch to hang it in her oratory      
before a picture of the ,virgin ,mary   
she had held in great reverence since   
childhood1 and went back joyfully to    
take to her this innocent offering4     
,whether this modest tribute really     
pleased the divine mother of ,jesus or  
whether a special pleasure1 which it is 
difficult to define1 is reserved for the
 least outpouring of a tender heart to  
the object of its affection1 never had  
the soul of the chatelaine been as open 
to more ineffable emotions than those   
she felt that mild evening4  ,she       
promised herself1 with a joy that was   
ingenuous1 to go back every day to the  
bush in bloom in order to daily bring   
back a fresh garland4  ,we may well     
believe that she was faithful to that   
promise4  ,one day1 however1 when her   
care for the poor and sick had kept her 
busy longer than usual1 it was in vain  
that she hurried to reach her wild      

flowerbed4  ,night got there before her1
 and it is said that she started to     
regret having let herself be taken over 
quite so much by this solitary place1   
when a clarity calm and pure1 like that 
which comes to us with daylight1        
suddenly showed her all her flowering   
thorns4  ,she stopped walking for a     
moment1 struck by the thought that this 
light might emanate from a camp fire    
made by bandits1 for it was impossible  
to imagine it having been produced by   
myriads of glow-worms1 hatched before   
their time4 ,the year was not far gone  
enough for the warm and peaceful nights 
of summer4  ,nevertheless1 her          
self-imposed obligation came to mind and
 gave her courage4  ,she walked lightly1
 holding her breath1 towards the bush   
with the white flowers1 seized in a     
trembling hand a branch which seemed to 
fall of itself between her fingers1 so  
little resistance it offered to her1 and
 went back to her manor house without   
daring to look behind her4  ,for the    

whole of the subsequent night1 the      
saintly lady pondered this phenomenon   
without being able to explain it1 and1  
as she was determined to solve this     
mystery1 no sooner than the following   
day1 at the same time in the evening1   
she went back to the bushes with a      
faithful servant and her old personal   
chaplain4  ,the gentle light shone there
 as it had the day before1 and seemed1  
as they drew near to it1 to grow        
brighter and more radiant4  ,they       
stopped then and knelt down1 as it      
seemed to them this light was coming    
down from heaven4  ,after they had done 
this1 the good priest got up by himself 
and took a few respectful steps towards 
the flowering thorns singing a hymn of  
the church and brushed them aside easily
 for they opened like a veil4  ,the     
spectacle that offered itself to their  
sight at that moment inspired such      
admiration in them that they stayed for 
a long time without moving1 totally     
filled with joy and gratitude4  ,it was 

an image of the ,virgin ,mary1 simply   
carved in common wood1 brought to life  
by colours given to it by a brush that  
was rudimentary and wearing clothes that
 gave a naive idea of luxury1 but it was
 from her that emanated the wondrous    
splendour that illumined these          
precincts4  ,hail ,mary1 full of grace1 
said the chaplain1 who had now          
prostrated himself1 at last1 and1 to    
judge by the harmonious murmur which    
promptly arose through all the woods    
thereabouts after he had uttered these  
words1 one could have thought them taken
 up by a choir of angels4  ,he then     
solemnly proceeded to recite those      
admirable litanies in which faith has1  
unknowingly1 spoken the language of the 
most elevated poetry1 and1 following on 
from new acts of worship1 he picked the 
statue up so as to take it to the       
castle1 where it was to find a sanctuary
 worthy of it1 while the lady and the   
servant1 hands joined together and with 
heads slightly bowed1 slowly came after1

 merging their prayers with his4  ,i do 
not need to say that the wonderful image
 was placed in an elegant niche1 that it
 was surrounded by odorous candles1     
bathed in perfumes1 laden with a rich   
crown1 and acknowledged1 till half way  
through the night1 by the hymns of the  
faithful4  ,but1 in the morning1 it     
could no longer be found and all the    
,christians who1 by gaining her1 had    
been filled with such pure happiness1   
were much alarmed4  ,what secret sin    
could have brought down this disgrace on
 the manor house of ,,the ,,saint8  ,why
 had the ,virgin ,mary left it8 ,what   
new resting place had she chosen8  ,we  
may doubtless guess4 ,the blessed mother
 of ,jesus preferred the modest shadow  
of her favourite bushes to the dazzle of
 an earthly dwelling4  ,she had gone    
back1 in the midst of the coolness of   
the woods1 to taste the peace of        
solitude and the sweet exhalations of   
the flowers4 ,all the people who lived  
in the castle went there at dusk and    

found her there1 even more resplendent  
than she had been the previous night4   
,they fell on their knees in respectful 
silence4  ,potent queen of angels6 said 
the chatelaine4  ,this is the abode you 
prefer4  ,your will be done4  ,and      
indeed1 not long afterwards1 a shrine   
embellished by all the adornments that  
an inspired architect could lavish on it
 in those centuries of feeling and      
imagination rose around that venerated  
image4  ,the great and good of the earth
 wanted to enrich it with their gifts4  
,kings endowed it with a tabernacle of  
pure gold4 ,the fame of ,our ,lady's    
miracles spread far and wide throughout 
the ,christian world and summoned to the
 valley a multitude of pious women who  
dwelt there according to a monastic     
rule4  ,the saintly widow1 more touched 
than ever by the light of grace1 could  
not refuse the title of mother superior 
of this convent4 ,she died there full of
 days after a life of good works1 good  
examples and sacrifices which rose up   

like a perfume from the foot of ,our    
,lady's altars4  ,such was1 according to
 the handwritten records of the         
province1 the origin of the church and  
convent of ,our ,lady of the ,flowering 
,thorns4  ,two centuries had passed     
since the death of ,,the ,,saint1 and a 
young virgin in her extended family was 
still1 according to custom1 the sister  
custodian of the holy tabernacle1 which 
means that she took care of it1 and that
 it was her job to open the tabernacle  
on feast days when the miraculous image 
was shown to the faithful4  ,she it was 
who had the care of maintaining the ever
 new elegance of ,our ,lady's ornaments1
 of removing the dust from them and the 
harmful insects1 of picking1 to compose 
her crown or to adorn her altar1 the    
most gracious flowers in the garden in  
their growth and the most chaste in     
their colour1 forming chains1 garlands  
and bouquets that attracted in their    
turn1 through the great stained glass   
window open to the rising sun1 a        

multitude of purple and azure           
butterflies1 aerial flowers indicative  
of solitude4  ,among these tributes the 
flowering thorn was always given        
preference when in season1 and1 imitated
 in lieu of all the others with an art  
that the good nuns had stolen the secret
 of from nature1 it rested on the breast
 of the beautiful ,madonna as a thick   
clump knotted with a silver ribbon4 ,the
 butterflies themselves might have      
slipped up sometimes1 but they did not  
dare to dwell on these celestial flowers
 which were not made for them4  ,the    
sister custodian at that time was called
 ,beatrix4  ,eighteen years old at most1
 she had scarcely been told how pretty  
she was1 for she had entered ,our       
,lady's house when she was only fifteen1
 as pure and unspoilt as her flowers4   
,there is a happy or disastrous age at  
which a young girl's heart understands  
that it was created to love1 and        
,beatrix had reached it4  ,but this     
need1 initially vague and anxious1 had  

only made her duties more dear to her4  
,unable to explain then the secret      
motions that agitated her so much1 she  
had taken them to be the symptoms of a  
pious fervour which accuses itself of   
not being ardent enough1 and which feels
 obliged to love enthusiastically and to
 the point of madness4  ,the unknown    
object of these loving tendencies eluded
 her lack of experience1 and among the  
objects that occupied the senses of her 
ingenuous heart1 if we can put it like  
that1 ,our ,lady alone seemed to her    
worthy of that deep adoration for which 
life itself could scarcely suffice4     
,this cult of every passing moment had  
become the one thing her mind dwelt on1 
the one thing that charmed her solitude4
  ,it filled even her dreams with       
mysterious languors and ineffable acts  
of worship4  ,she was often to be seen  
stretched out in front of the           
tabernacle1 breathing out to her divine 
patron prayers that were interspersed   
with sobs1 or wetting the space around  

the altar with her tears1 and the       
celestial ,virgin smiled no doubt1 from 
the top of her eternal throne1 at that  
happy and tender mistake on the part of 
the innocent1 for the ,holy ,virgin     
loved ,beatrix and liked to be loved by 
her4  ,besides1 she had perhaps         
discerned in ,beatrix's heart that she  
always would be loved by her4  ,about   
that time there occurred an event that  
raised the veil under which ,beatrix's  
secret had remained so long hidden to   
herself4  ,a young lord in those parts1 
having been attacked by murderous       
footpads1 was left in the forest for    
dead1 and1 though he had only preserved 
at most the feeble semblance of a life  
about to be extinguished1 the convent   
servants transported him to their       
infirmary4  ,as the daughters of        
chatelaines at that time were1 from     
their earliest years1 in receipt of     
formulas and recipes with respect to the
 healing art1 ,beatrix was sent by her  
sisters to the bedside of the dying man 

to help him4 ,she put into practice all 
she had learned of that useful body of  
knowledge1 but she counted more on the  
intercession of the miraculous ,virgin  
,mary1 and her long and laborious       
vigils1 divided between the cares of a  
sick nurse and the prayers of a servant 
of ,mary1 obtained for her all the      
success she had hoped for4  ,raymond    
re-opened his eyes to the light and1 in 
doing so1 recognized his benefactress4  
,he had already seen her occasionally in
 the very castle she had been born in4  
,what's this8 he cried4  ,is it you1    
,beatrix8  ,is it you ,i loved so much  
in my childhood years and that the too  
soon forgotten acknowledgement of that  
love by your father and mine had        
permitted me to hope for as a wife8     
,what grievous twist of fate has let me 
see you again1 chained by the links of a
 life which is not made for you1 and cut
 off1 without any going back1 from that 
brilliant world that you were the       
principal ornament of8  ,if you yourself

 chose this state of solitude and       
abnegation1 ,beatrix1 ,i swear to you1  
you have my word1 that it was because   
you did not yet know your own heart4    
,the commitment that you made in your   
then ignorance of those feelings that   
are natural to all that breathes1 is    
null and void before ,god as it is      
before men4  ,you have carelessly       
betrayed your destiny as a wife1 as a   
lover1 and as a mother6 ,you condemned  
yourself1 you poor1 dear child1 to long 
days of boredom1 bitterness1 disgust    
that no pleasure henceforth will be able
 to assuage the long sadness of6  ,it is
 however so sweet to love1 so sweet to  
be loved1 so sweet to live again through
 what one loves in the objects that one 
loves6 ,the pure joys of affection add  
to life twofold1 threefold1 fourfold4   
,what tenderness there is in having a   
friend who worships you1 who enhances   
each moment with ever new causes for    
pleasure1 who only lives to cherish you 
or please you4 ,the innocent caresses of

 pretty children1 so fresh1 gracious1   
happy to be alive1 and that a barbarous 
whim would then have sent into oblivion6
  ,this is what you have lost6  ,this is
 what you would have lost1 ,beatrix1 if 
blind obstinacy keeps you in the abyss  
you have plunged in6  ,no1 he continued 
even more exaltedly1 you will not be    
ignorant of the plans of your ,god and  
mine1 who has only brought us back      
together that we may be forever         
reunited6  ,you will willingly submit   
yourself to the vows of a love that begs
 to enlighten you6 ,you will be         
,raymond's wife as you are his sister   
and his beloved6  ,do not turn away from
 him your eyes full of tears6 ,do not   
pull back your hand that trembles in    
his6  ,tell him that you are willing to 
follow him and never to leave him again6
  ,beatrix did not answer4  ,she could  
not put into words what she felt4  ,she 
escaped from ,raymond's weakened arms   
and went away troubled1 trembling and   
distraught to fall at the feet of the   

,virgin1 her consolation and her        
support4 ,she wept as she had           
previously1 but now it was no longer    
with an aimless and obscure emotion1 but
 with a feeling stronger than piety1    
stronger than shame1 stronger1 alas1    
than that holy ,virgin whose aid she    
called upon in vain1 and her tears1 this
 time1 were hot and bitter4  ,many days 
in a row she was seen1 prostrate and a  
supplicant1 and no-one was surprised    
because all of them in the convent knew 
of her passionate devotion to ,our ,lady
 of the ,flowering ,thorns4  ,she spent 
the rest of her time in the sick room of
 the wounded man whose recovery now no  
longer depended on assiduous nursing4   
,one night when the church was closed1  
when all the nuns had gone back to their
 cells1 when everything1 including      
prayer1 was silent1 ,beatrix went slowly
 into the choir stalls1 put her lamp    
down on the altar1 opened the door of   
the tabernacle with a trembling hand1   
turned away with a shiver1 lowering her 

eyes1 as if she were afraid that the    
queen of the angels would strike her    
down with a look and threw herself on   
her knees4  ,she wanted to speak and the
 words died on her lips or were         
strangled by her sobs4 ,she drew her    
veil and her hands to her brow4  ,she   
tried to compose herself and calm down4 
,she made one final effort4  ,she       
managed to tear from her heart a few    
mixed up sounds1 without knowing if she 
was uttering a prayer or a blasphemy4   
,oh celestial benefactress of my youth6 
she said4  ,you that ,i have so long    
loved alone1 and who will always remain 
the sovereign of my soul1 whatever the  
unworthy sharing ,i involve you in6     
,mary6  ,heavenly ,mary6  ,why have you 
forsaken me8  ,why have you allowed your
 ,beatrix to fall prey to the awful     
passions of hell8  ,you know ,i have not
 given in without a struggle to the     
passion that devours me6  ,today the die
 is cast1 ,mary1 and cast forever6  ,i  
shall serve you no longer1 for ,i am no 

longer worthy to serve you4  ,i shall go
 far away to hide from you the eternal  
regret my sin fills me with1 the eternal
 bereavement of my innocence which you  
are unable to restore to me4  ,let me   
still now worship you6  ,have mercy on  
the tears ,i shed and which at least    
prove how remote ,i have been from the  
cowardly betrayals of my senses6        
,welcome the last of my tributes as you 
have welcomed all the others6 ,if zeal  
for your altars is worth some gratitude 
on your part1 send death to this wretch 
who implores you for it before she      
leaves you6  ,having spoken these words1
 ,beatrix got up1 and1 with fear and    
trembling1 approached the image of the  
,holy ,virgin4  ,she adorned it with new
 flowers1 seized those that she had just
 replaced1 and1 ashamed for the first   
time in her life of the pious use she   
made of them that she no longer had the 
right to1 she pressed them to her heart1
 in a scapular that had been blessed1 so
 as never to part with them4  ,after    

that she gazed one last time at the     
tabernacle1 cried out in terror and     
fled4  ,the following night a coach     
whisked away at high speed from the     
convent the handsome wounded knight and 
a young nun in breach of her vows who   
accompanied him4  ,the first year that  
succeeded this event was almost entirely
 given over to the exaltation of a love 
requited4  ,the world itself for        
,beatrix was a new experience of        
pleasures that were inexhaustible4      
,love multiplied around her all the     
means of seduction able to perpetuate   
her error and encompass her loss4  ,she 
only emerged from voluptuous dreams in  
order to awake amid the joy of banquets1
 among entertainments devised by        
strolling players and the concerts of   
minstrels4  ,her life was one long crazy
 feast in which the serious voice of    
reflexion1 stifled by an orgy's         
clamours1 could only have struggled to  
make itself heard4  ,and yet she had not
 quite forgotten ,mary4  ,more than     

once1 as she prepared to dress1 her     
scapular had opened at the touch of her 
fingers4 ,more than once she had let    
drop on the withered posy of the ,virgin
 a gaze and a tear4  ,prayer had come   
more than once to her lips1 like a      
hidden flame lurking under ash and      
embers1 but it had been extinguished    
there by the kisses of her abductor1    
and1 even in her ecstasy1 a voice still 
told her that a prayer might have saved 
her6  ,it was not long before she felt  
the only lasting love is that which is  
purified by religion1 that only the love
 of ,our ,lord and ,mary gives the lie  
to the ups and downs of our emotions4   
,alone among our affections1 it seems to
 grow and get stronger with time1 while 
other loves burn so brightly and are    
spent so quickly in our hearts of ash4  
,nevertheless she loved ,raymond as much
 as she could love anyone1 but a day    
came when she saw that ,raymond no      
longer loved her4  ,that day made her   
foresee the even more atrocious day when

 she would be quite abandoned by the man
 for whom she herself had abandoned the 
honours of the altar1 and that dreaded  
day also came4  ,beatrix now found      
herself1 alas1 with no-one to turn to on
 earth or in heaven4 ,she sought in vain
 to console herself with memories and to
 take refuge in hopes4  ,the flowers in 
the scapular had withered like those of 
her happiness4  ,the well spring of her 
tears and her prayer had dried up4  ,the
 fate that ,beatrix had made for herself
 had been realised4  ,the unfortunate   
woman accepted her damnation4  ,the     
higher the fall on the path to virtue1  
the more ignominious it is1 the more    
irreparable it is1 and ,beatrix had     
fallen from on high4  ,at first her     
opprobrium frightened her1 and then she 
ended up by getting used to it1 the     
spring in her soul having broken4       
,fifteen years went by like this1 and   
for fifteen years the guardian angel    
that baptism had granted to her cradle1 
the angel with the heart of a brother   

who had loved her so much1 covered his  
eyes with his wings and wept4  ,oh6     
,how many treasures those fleeting years
 carried away with them6  ,innocence1   
modesty1 youth1 beauty1 love1 those     
roses in life that only flower once1    
and1 in addition1 conscience that       
compensates for all other losses6  ,the 
jewels that had formerly adorned her1   
the impious tributes that debauchery    
pays to crime1 provided her1 for a time1
 with a resource too apt to dwindle4    
,she was left alone1 abandoned1 an      
object of contempt for others as for    
herself1 given over to the insolent     
disdain of vice1 and hateful to virtue1 
a repellent example of shame and misery 
that mothers showed their children to   
turn them away from sin6  ,she wearied  
of being a burden to pity1 of only      
getting alms that a pious repugnance    
often nailed to the hands of charity1 of
 only being helped on one side by people
 whose brows blushed to give her a piece
 of bread4  ,one day she wrapped herself

 in her rags1 which had been when new   
luxurious clothes4  ,she decided to ask 
for her daily bread or a bed for the    
night from those who had not known her6 
,she flattered herself that she could   
hide her infamy behind her wretchedness4
  ,she set out1 the poor beggar1        
possessing nothing but the flowers that 
she had formerly taken from the         
,virgin's bouquet1 falling now1 one by  
one1 into dust under her dried up lips6 
,beatrix was still young1 but shame and 
hunger had left on her brow the imprint 
of those hideous marks that reveal      
premature ageing4  ,when her pale and   
mute face timidly begged help from      
passers-by1 when her white and delicate 
hand opened jerkily to receive their    
gifts1 there were none who did not feel 
that her life must have been very       
different at some stage4  ,those who    
were the most indifferent to her halted 
before her with a harsh look that seemed
 to say3 ,oh my daughter6  ,how was it  
you fell from what you were8  ,and yet  

her own look could no longer reply to   
them1 for it had been a long time now   
since she had been able to weep4  ,she  
walked on and on1 on and on3 her journey
 seemed as though it would only ever end
 with her death4  ,one particular day   
she had been climbing since sun-up1 at a
 bare mountain's back1 a rough and      
rugged path1 without a single house in  
sight to assuage her weariness4  ,all   
she had eaten were some flavourless     
roots torn from cracks in the rocks4    
,her shoes1 worn to shreds1 had just    
come away from her bloodied feet4  ,she 
felt herself faint with fatigue and need
 when1 night having come1 she was all of
 a sudden struck by the appearance of a 
long line of lights that were indicative
 of a large building4  ,towards these   
lights she made her way with all the    
strength left to her1 but1 at the chime 
of a silvery bell1 the sound of which   
awoke in her heart a strange and vague  
memory1 all the lights went out at once1
 and all that now remained around her   

were silence and night4  ,she           
nevertheless took a few more steps with 
outstretched arms1 and her trembling    
hands rested on a closed door4  ,she    
leaned against it for a moment as if to 
catch her breath and tried to hold onto 
it so as not to fall4  ,her debilitated 
fingers let her down4  ,they gave way   
under the weight of her body4  ,oh holy 
,mary6 she cried4  ,why did ,i leave    
you8  ,and the unhappy ,beatrix passed  
out on the threshold4  ,may the wrath of
 heaven go easy on the guilty6  ,nights 
like this expiate a whole lifetime of   
sin6  ,the keen coolness of the morning 
had scarcely begun to bring back to life
 in her a blurred and painful sense of  
her own identity1 when she perceived    
that she was not alone4  ,a woman knelt 
at her side was raising her head        
carefully1 and staring at her with      
anxious curiosity1 waiting for her to   
come round completely4  ,god be praised1
 said the good sister at the convent    
gate1 for having sent to us so early in 

the day an act of mercy to perform and a
 sadness to alleviate6  ,it's a happy   
omen for the glorious feast of the ,holy
 ,virgin that we celebrate today6  ,but 
how is it1 my dear child1 that you did  
not think to pull on the bell or to use 
the knocker8  ,at no time would your    
sisters in ,jesus ,christ not have been 
ready to receive you4  ,well1 there we  
are6  ,don't answer me just yet1 you    
poor lost sheep6  ,fortify yourself with
 this beef broth that ,i warmed up in a 
hurry as soon as ,i saw you4 ,taste this
 full-bodied wine that will put the heat
 back in your stomach and help you move 
your sore limbs again4  ,let me see that
 you're better4  ,drink1 drink down all 
of it1 and now1 before you get up1 if   
you don't feel strong enough to yet1 put
 this cloak on ,i've thrown over your   
shoulders4  ,put those little1 oh so    
cold hands of yours in mine so that ,i  
can restore blood and life to them4     
,can you feel already the circulation   
coming back into your fingers as ,i     

breathe on them8  ,oh6  ,you'll soon be 
yourself again6  ,beatrix1 imbued with  
tender feeling1 grasped the hands of the
 worthy nun1 and pressed them several   
times to her lips4  ,i am myself again1 
she said1 and ,i feel well enough to go 
to thank ,god for the favour he has done
 me by guiding my steps to this holy    
house4  ,only1 so that ,i can include it
 in my prayers1 can you please tell me  
where ,i am8  ,and where could you be1  
the keeper of the gate replied1 if it is
 not at the convent of ,our ,lady of the
 ,flowering ,thorns1 since there is no  
other monastic building in this         
wilderness for more than five leagues   
around4  ,our ,lady of the ,flowering   
,thorns6 exclaimed ,beatrix with a cry  
of joy followed immediately by marks of 
the deepest consternation3 ,our ,lady of
 the ,flowering ,thorns6 she repeated1  
letting her head fall onto her bosom4   
,may the ,lord have mercy on me6        
,what's this1 my daughter8 said the     
charitable angel of mercy4 ,didn't you  

know8  ,it's true that you seem to come 
from far away1 for ,i have never seen a 
lady's clothing that looks like yours4  
,but ,our ,lady of the ,flowering       
,thorns does not limit her protection to
 those who live locally4  ,you must     
know1 if you have heard speak of her1   
that she is good to everyone4  ,i know  
her1 and ,i have served her1 answered   
,beatrix1 but ,i come from far away1 as 
you say1 reverend mother1 and you must  
not wonder that my eyes did not         
recognize at first this place of peace  
and blessing4  ,and yet here is the     
church and the convent1 and the thorn   
bushes where ,i gathered so many        
flowers4  ,even now they still flower6  
,but ,i was so young when ,i left them6 
,it was during the time1 she continued1 
lifting her forehead to heaven with that
 determined look that imparts           
self-denial to ,christian remorse1 it   
was during the time when ,sister        
,beatrix was the custodian of the holy  
basilica4  ,do you remember that time1  

reverend mother8  ,how could ,i have    
forgotten it1 my child1 since ,sister   
,beatrix has never stopped being the    
custodian of the holy basilica8  ,she   
has stayed among us till today1 and will
 remain for a long time1 ,i hope1 a     
subject of edification for the whole    
community1 since1 apart from the        
protection of the ,holy ,virgin1 we know
 of no surer support under heaven4  ,i'm
 not talking about her1 ,beatrix broke  
in1 sighing bitterly1 ,i'm talking about
 another ,beatrix who ended up living a 
sinful life1 and who occupied the same  
post sixteen years ago4  ,god will not  
punish you for those demented words1    
said the nun as she drew her to her     
breast4  ,the distress and the illness  
that have affected your mind1 have      
troubled your memory with these sad     
visions4 ,i have lived in this convent  
for more than sixteen years1 and ,i have
 never known anyone in charge of looking
 after the holy basilica apart from     
,sister ,beatrix4  ,being as you are    

determined to perform an act of worship 
for ,our ,lady1 while ,i'm making a bed 
up for you1 go1 my sister1 go to the    
foot of the tabernacle4  ,you will find 
,beatrix there already1 and you will    
recognize her easily1 for divine        
goodness has allowed her not to lose in 
ageing a single one of her youthful     
graces4 ,i'll come back for you         
presently and won't leave you then till 
you're completely well again4  ,having  
spoken these words the keeper of the    
gate made her way back to the cloister4 
,beatrix stumbled as far as the steps   
leading up to the church1 knelt down on 
the approach to them and banged her head
 against it4  ,then she grew a little   
bolder1 got up1 and1 from pillar to     
pillar1 went up to the grille where she 
once more fell upon her knees4  ,through
 the cloud that had darkened her vision 
she had discerned the sister custodian  
standing in front of the tabernacle4    
,little by little the sister drew nearer
 to her as she made her daily inspection

 of the holy place1 rekindling the flame
 in burnt-out candles1 or replacing the 
garlands of the day before with new     
garlands4  ,beatrix could not believe   
her eyes4  ,this sister was herself1 not
 as age1 vice and despair had made her1 
but as she must have been in the        
innocent days of her youth4  ,was it an 
illusion produced by remorse8  ,was it a
 divine punishment1 a foretaste of those
 reserved for her by a celestial curse8 
,racked by doubt1 she hid her head in   
her hands1 and rested it motionless     
against the bars of the grille1         
stammering from quivering lips the most 
tender of her prayers from time gone by4
  ,and yet the sister custodian kept on 
moving4  ,already the folds of her      
clothes had brushed against the bars4   
,beatrix1 overcome with emotion1 did not
 dare even to breathe4  ,it's you1 dear 
,beatrix1 said the sister in a voice for
 the dulcet tones of which there is no  
word in any language known to man4  ,i  
don't need to see you to know who you   

are1 for ,i hear your prayers now as ,i 
heard them then4  ,i've been waiting for
 you for a long time1 but1 as ,i was    
sure you would return1 ,i took your     
place the day you left me1 so that      
no-one would know that you'd gone4  ,you
 know now what they are1 the pleasures  
and happiness whose picture so seduced  
you1 and you will not go away again4    
,you're here1 between ourselves1 for the
 duration and for all eternity4  ,come  
back with confidence to the position    
that you occupied among my daughters4   
,you will find in your cell1 the way to 
which you have not forgotten1 the habit 
that you left there1 and you will put on
 with it your primordial innocence1 of  
which it is the emblem4  ,i owed to your
 love a grace that was out of the       
ordinary and which ,i have obtained for 
your repentance4  ,farewell1 sister     
custodian of ,mary6  ,love ,mary as she 
has loved you6  ,it was indeed ,mary1   
and when ,beatrix1 distraught1 raised   
towards her eyes flooded with tears1    

when she stretched out to her her       
trembling arms making to her an act of  
thanksgiving broken by her sobs1 she saw
 the ,holy ,virgin go up the steps of   
the altar1 re-open the door to the      
tabernacle1 and sit down again there in 
her heavenly glory under her golden halo
 and under her festoons of thorn        
flowers4  ,beatrix did not go back down 
to the choir without emotion4  ,she went
 back to see her companions whose faith 
she had betrayed1 and who had aged1     
immune to reproach1 in the practice of  
an austere duty4  ,she slid among her   
sisters lowering her head1 and ready to 
humble herself at the first shout to    
announce her fault4  ,her heart greatly 
troubled1 she lent an attentive ear to  
their voices1 and she heard nothing4    
,as none of them had noticed her        
departure1 none of them paid any heed to
 her return4  ,she threw herself at the 
feet of the ,holy ,virgin1 who had never
 looked so beautiful to her1 and who    
seemed to be smiling4 ,in the dreams of 

her illusory life1 she had grasped      
nothing that came anywhere near such    
happiness4  ,the divine feast of ,mary  
7,i think ,i have already said that this
 took place on the ,feast of the        
,assumption7 was celebrated in a mixture
 of of contemplation and ecstasy1 the   
finest moments of which far excelled    
past celebrations of the feastday by    
this community of virgins1 without stain
 or blemish like their queen4  ,some had
 seen miraculous lights emanating from  
the tabernacle1 others had heard songs  
of angels mixed in with their pious     
canticles1 and had1 out of respect1     
stopped their singing so as not to      
disturb the celestial harmony4  ,it was 
said that there had been that day a     
feast in ,paradise as there had been in 
the convent of the ,flowering ,thorns1  
and1 due to a phenomenon foreign to that
 season1 all the thorn bushes in the    
area had burst into flower again so     
that1 outside as well as inside1 there  
were only the scents of spring4  ,it was

 because a soul had come back to the    
bosom of the ,lord1 shorn of all the    
defects and ignominious shortcomings of 
our human condition1 and there is no    
feastday in heaven more agreeable to    
saints there4  ,only one thing disturbed
 for a moment the innocent joy of this  
flock of virginal doves4  ,a poor woman1
 sickly and ill1 had been sitting in the
 morning on the threshold of the        
convent4  ,the nun at the entrance had  
seen her and had partially relieved her 
suffering by making up for her a nice   
warm bed for her to rest her weary limbs
 in1 weakened by privation1 and1 since  
then1 she had looked for her in vain4   
,this wretched creature had disappeared 
without a trace1 but it was thought that
 ,sister ,beatrix might have seen her in
 the church where she had gone to pray4 
,have no fear1 my sisters1 said         
,beatrix1 moved to tears by this tender 
concern on their part4  ,have no fear1  
she went on1 as she pressed the         
gatekeeper sister to her bosom1 ,i have 

seen that poor woman and ,i know what   
has become of her4  ,she is well1 my    
sisters1 she is happy1 happier than she 
deserves1 and happier than any of you   
could have hoped for her to be4  ,this  
answer allayed all their fears1 but it  
was noted because it was the first      
severe word to come from ,beatrix's     
mouth4  ,after that1 the whole of       
,beatrix's life went by like a single   
day1 like that day in the future that is
 promised to the ,lord's elect1 without 
boredom1 without regret1 without fear1  
without any emotions1 for sensitive     
hearts cannot wholly do without them1   
other than those of piety towards ,god  
and charity towards ,man4 ,she lived for
 a century without seeming to have aged1
 for only the soul's bad passions add   
years to the body4  ,the life of the    
good is an eternal youth4  ,beatrix died
 nevertheless1 or rather calmly fell    
asleep in that ephemeral sleep of the   
tomb that separates time from eternity4 
,the ,church honoured her memory by     

crowning her with a posthumous glory4   
,it made her a saint4  ,bzovius1 who has
 examined this story with that solemn   
critical spirit that canonical writers  
offer so many examples of1 is quite     
convinced that she was worthy of this   
honour by reason of the tender fidelity 
she showed to ,our ,lady1 for it is1 he 
said1 purity of love that makes saints1 
and ,i would affirm1 not with much      
authority admittedly1 but in the        
sincerity of my mind and heart1 that1 as
 long as the school of ,luther and      
,voltaire cannot offer me a more        
poignant story than hers1 ,i will agree 
with the opinion expressed by ,bzovius4