"(Narrator) Shortly before she died," "Bernadette said, "Whatever is said about me, the simplest will be the best. "" "This has been tak en from recorded history." "Nothing has been invented." "I told you not to get too tired." "Don't fret, Mama." "I'm feeling better already." "Now I don't want you to exert yourself." "You know what the doctor said." "Ready to move on?" "Bernadette is exhausted." "tell her to stop." "No, Mama, no." "Bernadette, I forbid you to push it." "climb up with Justin." "We're going downhill now." "No, I want to help you." "So you're moving again, Francois?" "Yes, Duran." "We were a bit crowded at the Rives." "Won't you come in and have a glass of water?" "Thank you but we're expected." "Besides, we're almost there." "Let's go." "A bit crowded - Did you hear that?" "They were thrown out." "They're always penniIess." "Poor, wretched people, with four children." "Do you know where they found shelter?" "The old jail." "At Sajous?" "In one cell..." "for the six of them." "Can you imagine?" "Good heavens." "Too bad." "Soubirous was a fine miller." "Come on in." "The door isn't locked, come on in." "You'II see." "It's not too large, but things will work out." "Are you still here?" "I told you to clear out before 9 o'cIock." "[ replies in Spanish ] You old thief, rat, bIood-sucking-- [in Spanish ] I never want to see you here again, or I will have you thrown in jail." "[in Spanish ] jail, jail, jail." "You know nothing but jail." "Don't pay any attention to them." "These Spaniards are like flies." "The more you chase them away, the more they seem to return." "But this one is the Iast." "Do come in." "please." "Do come in." "Our Father, which art in heaven, bless us in these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty through Jesus Christ, our Lord..." "Amen." "Eat slowly children, and dunk your bread deep in the broth." "Jean-Marie has already eaten all his bread." "Too bad for him if he can't behave." "Why isn't there any mush?" "Corn is much too expensive." "In three months time the price has increased from 1 3 to 27 francs." "But tomorrow when I start at the bakery we'II have wheat, flour and white bread." "Do you think you'II get the work?" "In the past I was his favorite miller." "In the past." "No, Jean-Marie!" "That's Bernadette's portion." "You have no right to eat her bread, especially whole wheat bread." "Just a small piece, mama." "I'm not very hungry." "Your mother said no." "What are you doing there?" "You're eating candle wax now?" "You've gone crazy!" "It's not so bad, you know." "You should be ashamed of yourself - inside the church." "You've offended the Lord." "I'm hungry, you know." "No, that's yours." "I've eaten my portion." "truly?" "truly." "Eat slowly children..." "slowly." "You know you're becoming quite a big girl." "You're joking, Antoine." "Don't fill the glasses so full." "There shouldn't be more than this." "You understand?" "Yes, Auntie." "When you've washed the glasses, put the boiler on the stove and darn the linen." "Don't forget to feed the children at noon." "You can eat with them." "Tonight you can take your parents a piece of lard, four pieces of sugar and a bottle of wine." "And tell Louise to lock up the bottle." "You know your father." "We don't have any locks at home." "well, you know what I mean." "Yes, Auntie." "half a quart only." "Are you taking this home?" "No, it's for the old Mother Barren." "I was going to say, five of you could hardly get tips y on this." "Drink it, BaIoune." "It'II make you feel good all over." "Don't worry my Bernadette, I have not stolen their sack of flour." "And they will surely acknowledge it." "They must have made a mistake." "If you've done nothing, they can do nothing to you." "We'II see about the sack of flour." "As for the plank, your father has openly admitted to that." "What plank?" "The one that was in the courtyard behind the dung heap." "I thought we could use it to make a fire." "We're going to compare these boot prints with those of the thief's." "Go back inside my child." "You mustn't catch cold." "Jean-Marie, come here." "What are you chewing?" "A cherry." "Do you want to go to prison?" "It wasn't ripe." "That's no excuse." "You could come down with the colic." "Here, take this." "Noon." "Ready?" "Is papa coming out soon?" "The mayor said Friday." "At what time?" "That he didn't say." "He only said Friday." "Where's Bernadette?" "She's in Bartres." "She wasn't at all well after you left." "She was choking and coughing all the time." "So with my sister we decided to send her to her foster mother." "At least there she'II get some fresh air and eat her fill." "Yes, you were right." "And you?" "How are you?" "I'm all right." "The mayor decided to drop the charges." "He agreed that it was not me who stole the sack of flour." "Hear that, children?" "Your father never stole anything." "And you, Louise?" "How did you manage everything?" "Very well." "I do laundry for two more people:" "Madame MiIhet, and Antoinette Peiret." "And mama will have work during the harvest." "[Man greets Bernadette in italian ]" "[Bernadette responds in French ]" "The Soubirous family all send you their love." "You've seen my parents?" "only your father." "He said to me that if you see Bernadette, kiss her for me." "Is that all he said?" "He also said that times are bad and that Bernadette should stay in Bartres." "Has he got any work?" "He has a job at the stables." "I must go." "farewell." "farewell, Payrot." "BIancou!" "!" "Your little one - what have you done with it?" "BIancou!" "BIancou!" "BIancou!" "BIancou!" "BIancou!" "BIancou!" "St. Joseph, St. Savin, return him to me." "He's so little." "Jesus and Mary, my little BIancou." "BIancou." "Ooh, you naughty" "little rascal." "Poor little thing." "Ahh, BIancou." "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord." "Who was conceived by the holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius PiIate." "Repeat." "Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius..." "Oh, you're just too dumb!" "You'II never be able to make your first communion!" "Marie." "If only I couId learn how to read," "I wouldn't have to bother anyone." "Father Pomian in Lourdes promised he'd teach me." "well, then, what are you waiting for?" "Go back to Lourdes!" "I'm doing my best, but you don't remember anything." "I'm sleepy, Marie." "hall Mary you know, and also Our Father, but you always make mistakes in I believe In God." "I believe in God is so long." "Tomorrow is Thursday." "Maybe I couId ask the priest here." "And the sheep?" "Sheep also eat on Thursdays." "Don't forget to do the dishes." "Have you understood?" "( all) Yes." "Who composes the holy Trinity?" "No, not everyone at once." "You." "The Father." "Good." "You." "The Son." "Good." "You." "The holy Ghost." "Good." "And how many Gods are there?" "( all) Three." "Give me that back." "Give it back." "Give me that back." "AII right, out." "Three Gods." "I ask you." "Father, I'd Iike to speak with you." "Bernadette, I would be happy to teach you the great mysteries of our religion..." "but I'm leaving Bartres on Sunday after mass." "You're leaving?" "Yes." "Far away?" "Very far away." "To Normandy." "I've asked Monsignor Laurence to allow me to retreat into a monastery." "You should go back to Lourdes." "There you can learn to read and then you can make your first communion." "If you Iike, I'II write to Father Pomian." "Thank you, Father." "You're not familiar with the holy Scriptures." "That's true, Father." "What I do know I know well." "Can you explain to me what is the holy Trinity?" "The Father, the Son and the holy Ghost." "The Father, the Son, of course." "But what is the holy Ghost?" "It is called holy because it is the source of all holiness... and ghost because it comes from the Father and the Son and is the source of all life and love." "Do you understand?" "It's a dove." "It is also the s ymbol of purity, and the holiness of the Father and Son." "And so, the holy Trinity is?" "One God in three persons." "You know nothing, but you understand everything." "Poor little thing." "Do you really think she'II be back on Monday?" "She said that to make us happy." "But I have a feeling she has left forever." "We'II have to pay a shepherd." "The one who does not believe in God is..." "Is an a?" "A?" "Is an a... a?" "The one who does not believe in God..." "Do you all have colds?" "No, Sister, it's her." "She gave us tobacco to sniff." "You have tobacco?" "Who gave you that?" "Dr. Dozous, for my asthma." "Keep it to yourself." "Not everyone has asthma, thank the Lord." "The one who does not believe in God is an atheist." "One, two, three, four, five." "Bernadette Soubirous..." "I hear you want to make your first communion." "Father Ader wrote me and had very nice things to say about you." "I've entered you in a preparatory catechism class." "Thank you, Father." "Thank you!" "There, there, baby." "For the love of God, stop coughing." "You'II wake everybody up." "Your father must get up early to go look for work." "I can't help it, mama." "It's as if I'm being ripped apart here." "I know, darling." "I wish I couId take your illness away from you." "You should have stayed in Bartres." "You must go back there." "No, I want to make my first communion." "The priest promised me." "You see, I'm already feeling better." "Sounds like you girls are having fun." "We're off to fetch some wood." "You should go by that way." "There's plenty of wood over there." "Bernadette won't go there." "Mr. Lafeet would be displeased if he found out." "tell him I gave you permission." "Uh, no we shouldn't." "But what is the one thing he doesn't lack?" "He has more trees than a dog has fleas?" "What are you doing?" "I'm dressing the millstone." "Dressing it?" "I'm giving it a new line." "so that it will function better." "With a hammer?" "This is a pick ax." "Are these its teeth?" "Yes." "Oh, it's an old stone, but they still chew the grain." "My father never did that." "Oh, you just didn't see him." "But your father always reaIigned his stones." "He was a fine miller, your father." "Good luck, Antoine." "Why don't you go over to Lafeet's?" "No problem at all, you know." "No, it's really not possible." "Thank you, Antoine." "Hi, Samson." "Look over there, lots of bones!" "And driftwood." "help me." "Throw some rocks into the water so I can cross over." "You only have to do like we did." "Ma doesn't want her to." "She's afraid she'II catch cold." "That's why she's wearing stockings." "You want me to carry you on my back?" "No, you're too small." "Maybe you could, BaIoune, if you would." "We have no time." "Just pick up what you find over there." "The basket." "Look at this." "Do you see that?" "She's as white as a ghost." "It's the cold." "Bernadette!" "Maybe she's dead." "If she were dead, she'd have collapsed." "Hey, Bernadette!" "You see, stupid?" "You could come and give us a hand instead of saying your prayers." "We're not in church." "Why make such a fuss?" "The water isn't cold at all." "You're not putting on your stockings?" "Bernadette warms herself by saying her prayers." "Didn't you see anything?" "See what?" "AII I see is you haven't gathered anything." "Give me that." "Hurry up!" "Oh!" "Poor me!" "She hasn't her asthma anymore." "What did you see?" "tell me." "What did you see?" "She saw nothing." "I saw" "What?" "Just me, I promise not to tell anyone." "What about me?" "Just the two of us." "I'm willing to tell you, but I don't want anything said at home because Ma will scold me." "Cross my heart and hope to die." "I saw a woman dressed in white, with a blue sash and a yellow rose on each foot." "You're trying to scare us." "I'd so much like to see her again." "She's so beautiful." "Liar, liar!" "believe me." "It's true." "I saw her." "I couldn't even make the sign of the cross, then she showed me that I couId." "A daydream." "She saw nothing at all." "AIexine gave me eight bits for the basket of bones, which is one big loaf of bread." "Can I have a piece now?" "Not until you explain to me what you saw at MassabieiIIe." "Judas!" "That's enough!" "Now, will you tell me what you saw?" "I saw something white." "Ouch!" "I didn't do anything." "I swear to you that it's true." "I saw her as I'm seeing you now - a beautiful young woman." "Poor me." "What did I do to deserve this?" "Ma, she had such a beautiful face." "Be quiet." "You saw a white stone, that's all." "Oh, no." "I want so much to see her again." "I forbid you to return there." "children!" "Happy days!" "We eat again." "Are you pleased?" "Very pleased." "You're a good man, Soubirous." "Do you wish to confess?" "No." "What do you want then?" "To speak to you - alone." "I'm listening." "I saw something white." "It had the form of a lady." "Where?" "At the pigs' grotto." "Is that going to be enough?" "Oh, yes, Father." "It'II do for two days." "And this is for the doctor." "Your EmiI should take care of himself and regain all his strength." "I'II never be able to" "Oh, no, no." "Don't mention it." "I am intruding, please excuse me." "They told me that you were here." "I need to talk to you." "No problem." "But I must still drop by the next farm." "little Jean-Marie is not well." "We can talk on the way." "See you soon, Honorine." "I shall ask Dr. Dozou to come by and have a look at EmiI." "I don't know how you manage." "You have nothing and you give everything away." "I am enriched by everything I give." "There is no end to it..." "after La SaIette, Betharram," "Garasion, now Lourdes has a visionary." "Listen Father, I hardly know this little" "Soubirous girl, but I warn you :" "poverty is not always a guarantee of a pure soul." "It was that sudden rush of wind that impressed me." "Remember the Acts of the apostles and Pentecost?" "And the tongues of fire that sat upon each of them." "Yes, yes." "They were all filled with the holy Ghost and began to speak other languages." "admirable, I agree." "But that is the bible, and your protégée is a little girl from Lourdes," "like all the others, who mistook a mountain breeze for a saintly spirit - nothing to make such a fuss about." "well, this is it." "I'II leave you here." "A word of advice, Father - don't get too worked up about this matter." "It's disgraceful, an insult to our Lord." "And to our holy church." "What impudence." "Hey, you." "Come here a minute." "So it's you who goes to MassabieiIIe." "If you return to that place, you will be locked up." "You hear me?" "Locked up." "Louise, don't leave without seeing me." "Of course, madame." "Do you think she'II do it?" "She'II do it." "She needs work badly." "Let's see, 7 5 centimes for the laundry, 25 centimes for the quality of the work." "Oh, yes, yes, yes." "And 25 centimes for your kindness." "Thank you, madame." "really, I" "Shhh." "My dear Louise," "I would Iike you to ask your little Bernadette to take me with her to MassabieiIIe." "To MassabieiIIe?" "But I forbid her to return there." "It's no good for her, madame." "She's in very poor health." "Louise, your little Bernadette is a genuine visionary." "Visionary?" "Even if she alone can see it, she sees it." "And what does she see?" "I'II find out." "If Bernadette is Iying, we will know it immediately." "My daughter never lies." "precisely." "No one will know." "slow down!" "I can't keep up with you." "God will punish you if you've been telling tales." "help me." "Be careful, madame." "Don't slip." "There she is." "Quick, the paper and pen." "Ask her to write her name." "Ask her." "But I did ask her." "And?" "She started to laugh." "Ask the lady if our presence is unpleasant for her." "She said no." "You may stay." "She said it is not necessary for me to write down what I have to tell you." "Is that all?" "She also said, "would you do me the favor of returning here for 1 5 days?"" "She said, "would you do me the favor?"" "And then she said, "I can not promise that you'II be happy in this life, but you will be in the next."" "The holy Virgin has appeared to a young girl in Lourdes." "That's what we read in the town newspaper." "That's what a paper dares to print in the second half of the 1 9th century." "That paper has only picked up on my article in Lauvadaunt two days ago, but I added that there is no supernatural happening which can not be explained scientifically." "Yes." "Quite right." "Doctor, what do you think of these hallucinations the young Soubirous girl is having?" "Nothing indicates that the child is hallucinating." "Even if she believes that she is seeing something and that she is hearing someone, that is in no way a sign of cerebral derangement." "It's one of the characteristics of hysteria." "The diagnosis should never be made before an examination." "I would Iike to look into this much closer." "well, if you don't mind, Doctor, I'd really like to come." "You want to get mixed up in this nonsense - you, a civil servant?" "One can be a tax collector and also a sensitive man." "Sorry, sir." "Thank you, officer." "gentlemen, the danger is greater than we thought." "Right now there are hundreds of people at the grotto." "What does the imperial prosecutor think?" "well, I'm a judge and I ask myself, to whose advantage is it?" "In our time, nothing is done without a political motive." "When the holy Virgin appears to the daughter of a simple laborer, it is a political act for whose profit?" "The church, which is to say the clergy, which is to say the royalists." "The visions of MassabieiIIe undoubtedly benefit the Bourbons and their hopes of restoration." "exactly." "I know several republican priests." "Oh, what a beautiful picture." "When the holy Virgin sees the way you look right now, she will no Ionger say that you won't have happiness in this world." "The holy Virgin?" "I never said she was the holy Virgin." "This little one is wonderful, don't you think Antoinette?" "You'd say she dined out all her life." "Good wine can never hurt you, my child." "Yes, I know, madame." "Wine is good for asthma." "My mother gives it to me from time to time." "Good night, my child." "Tomorrow after Mass we'II go together to the grotto." "Again." "My daughter's not here." "She won't be coming home tonight." "I'm sorry." "please give her this anyway on behalf of CeIestine Labarue." "No, no." "I mustn't." "You must not give us anything." "Why didn't you accept the basket?" "There were eggs and chestnuts." "That's enough." "Bernadette wouldn't want it." "She's eating at Madame MiIhet's." "Madame MiIhet gives me two washes a week." "I can't refuse her." "And since Bernadette eats with her, we have more at our table." "Let us pray." "children, Iet us praise the Lord." "( all) Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." "You'II burn me." "Penance!" "Penance!" "If I have understood you, you are blaming me for my lack of comprehension." "I am considered harsh, doctrinaire and strict, I know." "My dear Pomian," "I know how you feel about the Soubirous girl." "You were an immediate believer." "And you, Father Serre, you are being pestered by your parishioners who want to publicize these visions." "Am I right?" "Above all, they must be comforted in their faith, and their faith tells them that the visions are real." "And you, dear friend, you didn't hesitate, and you were the only one to join the crowd with the faithful at the grotto." "If you had seen, as I saw, the transfiguration of the child while she was conversing with the holy Virgin." "The holy Virgin!" "Nothing less than that!" "And what's more, she converses!" "And what does she say, this fine holy Virgin?" "Penance." "Penance." "My friends, I'm responsible for this parish." "You are my vicars, and I have complete confidence in you." "But we must be very cautious in examining these events." "If this is some kind of a trick and we fail into the trap, the entire church will be discredited." "Now either this child is having hallucinations, or we must admit the presence of the supernatural." "The church was born from miracles." "It grew because of miracles." "Our cassock represents humility." "Right now, everything is very mixed up: piety, devotion, exuItation, hysteria." "We must clear up these muddy waters." "well, what did she say?" "What did you ask her?" "Is it true she said, "Penance, penance?"" "Yes, it's true." "And when you kissed the ground?" "The lady asked me to." "She said, "Pray to God to convert the sinners."" "Let me through." "Are you Bernadette Soubirous?" "Yes, sir." "You're to come with me." "Yes, sir." "Wherever you Iike." "Poor Bernadette." "They're going to put you in jail." "I'm not afraid." "If they put me in, they'II let me out." "You are through making faces now." "(kids ) Serves you right!" "Serves you right!" "There's no business for you here!" "Go home!" "So it seems you see the holy Virgin." "I never said she was the holy Virgin." "well, then, you saw nothing." "Oh, yes." "I definitely saw something." "And what did you see?" "Something white." "Something or someone?" "It had the shape of a girl." "Everywhere in town they say that she is the holy Virgin, even the newspaper has printed it." "And this young woman, is she pretty?" "Oh, yes." "Pretty like Madame PaIhasson or Madame Dufo?" "They don't even come close." "May I?" "By all means, my friend." "And the nuns - did you talk to the sisters?" "To the Mother Superior and to the sister who teaches us sewing." "And what did they say?" "That I had a dream." "well, you see you had a dream." "No, I was wide awake." "You thought you had seen something." "But I saw her several times." "I couldn't make a mistake every time." "Oh, yes, your imagination was working overtime!" "You said that the first time no one else saw anything." "Not your sister nor your friend BaIoune." "I can't explain it, but I'm positive that I saw the lady." "Bernadette, listen." "Everyone is laughing at you." "Everyone is saying that you're lying, that you're crazy." "Isn't that right?" "For your own good, you must not return to the grotto." "I promised to go for the next 1 5 days." "But you have made a mistake." "Be reasonable, and do not go back again." "I promised." "Quick!" "!" "To the police for Bernadette." "Hey, men!" "Listen, all of you!" "They've arrested Bernadette!" "We must get her out of jail!" "Let's go!" "I must have Francois." "Her father must defend her." "He's at the stables." "I'II go." "I'II go with you." "Just tell me who made you wonderful promises if you agreed to spin this yarn." "Nobody." "You'd do better to admit it since I already know." "I'm only trying to find out if you're telling the truth." "I told the truth." "No, you're lying." "If you'II admit that," "I'II work everything out quietly and nothing more will be said." "But if not, you will be in serious trouble." "Do as you wish, sir." "How much money did Madame MiIhet give you?" "Money?" "She took you into her home and told you what to do." "She wanted me to stay with her, but I went home." "So, you're not even capable of keeping order!" "Go and get reinforcements!" "Use the back entrance!" "She's in there, locked up like a thief!" "We must rescue her!" "Wait!" "We must find out what's what, so that we don't do anything illegal." "To summon, my name is Bernadette Soubirous, etc." "On the 1 1 th of February, at MassabieiIIe, the holy Virgin appeared to me." "I did not say the holy Virgin." "AII right." "A 1 9-year-oId girl appeared." "No." "I said 1 6 to 1 7 years old." "If you Iike." "This young lady was wearing a blue dress with a white sash." "You've misunderstood." "You should write a white dress with a blue sash." "This young woman, as beautiful as Madame PaIhasson, had hair which fell down her back like a veil." "No, sir." "You've changed everything." "I said...more beautiful than all the ladies, and I barely saw her hair." "But you did tell me all that!" "No, sir." "Yes!" "No." "Liar." "Everybody is running after you." "I never asked anyone to follow me there." "You like to show off before everybody, huh?" "No." "I'm tired." "So, if you're tired, just say you saw nothing." "But I did see something." "If you keep it up, you all will be arrested and brought to court!" "Let Bernadette go!" "Bernadette!" "Bernadette!" "Bernadette!" "Francois, get her out of there!" "The police chief is wrong." "Francois, he has no right to question your daughter without your consent." "For the Iast time, will you confess?" "Sir, I told you the truth." "Listen carefully, Bernadette." "I can arrange all this between us on one condition :" "admit that you saw nothing!" "Sir, the girl's father is here." "AII right, show him in." "Soubirous, I'm glad to see you." "I was going to send for you." "Bernadette, you may leave." "Soubirous, this fiction can not go on." "You are attracting people to your house." "Me?" "I know everything." "The little one herself is tired of all these people running after her." "She's fed up with being compelled to go out there." "But we tried to stop her." "Soubirous, I'm willing to believe you." "But please don't send your daughter out there again." "You don't want to go back to prison, do you?" "Sir, all I want is to follow your orders." "It's true that my wife and I are tried of being harassed on account of our daughter." "We would prefer that Bernadette doesn't return to MassabieiIIe." "Perfect." "Your word is good enough for me." "That girl is quite capable of defending herself." "She's sincere, that's all." "It's obvious she's fabricating." "No one could fabricate such a tale in such a straightforward way." "My dear friend, you'd make a very incompetent policeman." "Hooray for Bernadette!" "Hooray!" "Hooray!" "How did Jacqueomet treat you, Bernadette?" "He was shaking, and the tassel on his cap went to and fro - ding, ding." "These dreary incidents in Lourdes demonstrate the material and spiritual inferiority to which the population of the southern provinces seem condemned." "And they are not alone." "AII the local newspapers are attacking us." "I can't help it." "Seeing this young girl has given me food for thought." "I don't care." "Ask them to wait." "After all, if they've waited 4 5 years to get married, they can wait another five minutes." "In this memo, the Prefect wants me to report what measures are being taken to put an end to these disturbances." "well, after all, I can't put the holy Virgin in jail." "According to the Iaw, having supernatural visions is no crime, even if the holy Virgin is involved." "Let me remind you that we could get rid of the Soubirous girl by establishing that she's play acting, or she's insane." "Bernadette Soubirous is absolutely sane." "As to play acting, what I have seen in person rules out any possibility of faking." "You have only to see the child in her ecstas y to believe that she is utterly sincere." "I saw Madame RocheIIe in the theater in Bourdeaux." "She was superb but much less convincing than Bernadette." "She's Madame RocheIIe now?" "I read your report, doctor." "The business of the flame which didn't burn - we've already seen that trick with magicians." "Bernadette Soubirous is no magician." "She's a poor child, perfectly genuine." "When I examined her hand after it had been in contact with the flame for two minutes, there was absolutely no trace of a burn." "That's all very well." "But the future of our city is at stake." "I have done all that is possible to modernize this town, and all my efforts are going up in smoke." "Mr. Mayor?" "Yes, I'm coming." "I agree that it is difficult to forbid visions, but isn't there some kind of action we can take?" "gentlemen, you know that the French empire has signed a treaty with the holy See." "article IX states that the church can not create new sanctuaries without the specific authorization of the imperial Minister." "I also am told that the parish priest responsible for Lourdes is not terribly happy about the visions at the grotto." "That's true." "He has spoken about it from the pulpit." "gentlemen, I ask you this question :" "when the revelations of this little girl are known, who is going to vote for the extension of the railroad, or the new waterworks, and the hotels for tourists from Paris?" "That is the real problem." "His honor, the mayor." "There's somebody waiting for you upstairs." "Who is it?" "You'II soon find out." "My name is Bernadette Soubirous." "Oh, it's you." "Of course." "What do you want?" "Father, the lady at the grotto gave me a message for you." "For me?" "What lady?" "A very beautiful lady who speaks to me at MassabieiIIe." "She's in a niche just above some wild primroses." "Do you know her name?" "No, Father." "well, didn't you ask her?" "Yes." "But she began to laugh." "The newspaper says it is the holy Virgin." "I never said that she was the holy Virgin." "Everyone believes it, which amounts to the same thing." "AII of those who follow you out there." "I never asked anyone to follow me there." "What does she want, your beautiful lady?" "She said to me, "Go tell the priests that they should build a chapel."" "A chapel?" "Where?" "At the grotto." "Hah!" "Not a Iarge one." "Just a small chapel, very simple." "Do you have any money?" "No, Father." "Nor do I." "Listen to me Bernadette, those who are so blindly following you believe that it is the Virgin Mary." "I don't know if she is the Virgin Mary, Father." "But I see her as I'm seeing you now." "If you wish me to believe you, you should first ask this beautiful lady her name." "Yes, Father." "And if she believes she's entitled to a chapel, tell her for me that she should prove it by producing a miracle." "And since there is a briar patch in your grotto, tell her to make it bloom, in the middle of February." "That should be something to see." "I'II ask her, Father." "Now get out." "I have more serious things to do." "Did you come alone?" "No, Father, with my Aunt Castero." "Where is she?" "She's waiting for me outside." "Madame Castero?" "Are you this poor" "little girl's Aunt?" "I regret that you are a member of a deceitful and troubIe-making family." "A word of advice, madame, keep your niece at home." "And stop her from disturbing this town." "If not, you will have to answer to me!" "I told you he was a stubborn and crabby man." "You should have talked with Father Pomian first." "If he doesn't want to believe me, he doesn't have to." "I've passed on the message." "I must go back!" "I forgot to mention about the procession!" "Father, I forgot to tell you something!" "The lady also asked that the people come to the grotto in a procession." "So that's the one who sees the Virgin?" "I never believed in her visions." "ridiculous!" "We could have slept another hour." "Ha, ha, RocheIIe." "Ha!" "What a pity." "tell me, what made you do such things?" "The lady told me to drink from the fountain and to wash myself." "I thought she meant the river, but then she signaled me to dig under the rocks." "It wasn't eas y to swallow that dirty water." "I didn't think I'd be able to." "And those weeds that you ate?" "She told me to." "people think that you're crazy, you know." "The lady told me, "Pray for the salvation of the sinners."" "What's wrong with that girl?" "I don't know." "She's not from Lourdes." "Where do you come from?" "From Luz." "I came on today's coach." "I wanted to see the saint, but I'm afraid it's too late." "When I say see, it's just a manner of speaking." "I can't bear the light." "I see a little bit at night..." "like a cat." "What is your name?" "Eugenie Trois." "And yours?" "Go with God, Eugenie." "And your name?" "She isn't well!" "please, don't upset her." "One person at a time." "These are my little MatiIde's beads." "I walked here from Ibarat." "But I'm not a priest." "I have no right!" "No, no, you mustn't!" "Thank you." "Thank you very much." "Take a deep breath." "I can see doctor!" "I can see through this eye!" "What are you saying, Bouriette." "Have you gone mad?" "I tell you." "I can see out of my bad eye!" "I've been cured!" "My friend, that is not possible." "It's the water at MassabieiIIe." "I washed my face in it, and half an hour later" "I couId see with this eye as well as with the other." "It wasn't you who cured me, Doctor." "It was the holy Virgin." "Give me a minute, please." "I can see everything, as I see you." "You, your green tie, your gold ring - even that little mole you have on your cheek." "Can you read, Bouriette?" "A" " A little, not too much." "well, if you can read this, I'II believe you." "Uh, Bouriette, has an amo-- amorosis, which is incurable." "His left eye is useless." "I figured out all the letters." "Good day, Doctor." "Good day, Sajous." "What do you think of this, Doctor?" "Croisine!" "Let me go!" "please, please!" "Croisine, what are you doing?" "Let me go!" "She'II kill the child, Doctor." "The water's icy." "You know very well he can't be cured, Croisine." "He's a dead boy!" "No, he's not dead!" "He's not going to die!" "The Virgin will save him!" "Croisine, please!" "Oh, My God!" "My God!" "!" "hall Mary, full of grace." "Tender and loving Mother," "incomparable Virgin, morning star flowering with the Spring roses, haven for sinners." "Mary, Mother of God, pray for us." "hall Mary, full of grace." "Tender and loving Mother" "I am the immaculate Conception." "[ repeats several times ]" "I am the immaculate Conception." "What are you saying?" "I asked the lady who she was and she said," ""I am the immaculate Conception."" "But this lady cannot say such a thing." "You are deceiving yourself, or you are deceiving me." "I've repeated it over and over." "Do you know what immaculate Conception means?" "No, Father." "No one has ever talked to you about it?" "Think hard." "Your confessor," "Father Pomian?" "Or Father Ater at Bartres?" "No, Father." "No one ever." "Mother AIexandrine Rocque?" "Or that silly Madam MiIhet?" "No." "I'm sure about her." "I asked her about making the briar bloom." "I told her that you wanted it to flower." "She just smiled but didn't answer." "I felt that she was laughing at me." "immaculate - do you know what that means?" "Something clean." "And conception?" "Come along." "We'II clear this matter up." "Good day, Croisine." "I brought Dr. Lacrampe with me, whom you already know." "Don't you remember?" "He's the one who took care of your little boy when he first fell ill two years ago." "I told him what I saw at the grotto, and he and I would Iike to examine your child." "My son is cured." "He no Ionger needs any doctors." "julian." "Come here a minute, my lamb." "Since yesterday he's been hopping about like a rabbit." "He thinks of nothing but food." "In the past he could hardly open his mouth." "This morning he drank a Iarge glass of milk." "Excuse me, I have soup boiling on the stove." "There you are." "The fusions in cold water, especially if repeated frequently, can be very helpful in the treatment of certain disorders." "But, in general, they should not last more than a few minutes." "A quarter of an hour - That woman held her dying child in that icy water for 1 5 minutes." "In april of '56, I diagnosed ricketts." "In August, high fever, no reflexes, progressive paralysis of the limbs." "I even wrote, death might occur any minute." "Three weeks ago the paralysis in his thigh was unchanged." "Moreover, the nerve endings were dead." "So?" "So, I don't get it." "AII I know is that the child has never walked since he was born." "And a week ago he was so close to death that his uncle, the carpenter, had already made his little coffin." "And today - well, you saw the boy." "The holy Virgin was absolved from the guilt of original sin the first minute of her existence in her mother's womb." "It was a special favor, granted by God, in recognition of His future son, our Lord Jesus Christ." "That is the immaculate Conception." "Do you understand?" "Not very well, Father." "Of course." "It's difficult to understand, even for the initiated." "But understand one thing :" "the holy Virgin cannot say," ""I am the immaculate Conception."" "She could say, at the most, "I am the immaculate Virgin,"" "or, "I am immaculate Mary." But, she cannot be at one in the same time the fruit and the tree." "I'd Iike to know, how did she tell you that?" ""I am the immaculate Conception."" "Bernadette, in a few weeks you are going to make your first communion." "For the first time you are going to approach the holy altar." "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" "I would prefer that you own up and confess that you made a mistake - that someone whispered these words to you." "I won't hold it against you." "I can't say that, Father." "It would be a lie." "well...all right." "Finish your milk." "I'm not thirsty anymore." "Father, the lady still wants her chapel." "She told me so again." "I will think about it." "I promise." "Go with God, Bernadette." "And thank you for the message." "And having prepared your soul, turn yourself toward meditation." "Stop." "What is meditation, Bernadette?" "It is composure to reflect on ones own conduct." "It is asking oneself why one makes errors, and looking for ways to prevent making them." "Very good." "Continue." "Sister, excuse me for interrupting your class." "I need to talk to Bernadette Soubirous." "Where are we going?" "To the infirmary" " Dr. BaIencie is waiting for you." "Is it for my asthma?" "No doubt." "But Dr. Dozous is looking after me." "Dr. Dozous is an excellent doctor, but he's not a specialist in respiratory diseases." "I'II leave you here." "Come in." "Come in my child." "gentlemen, this is Bernadette Soubirous." "This is Dr. Lacrampe, and this is Dr. Peyrus." "They're your friends." "They only wish you well." "Sit down, Bernadette." "I'm feeling much better now." "I hardly cough at all." "Do you have headaches at times?" "No." "When did you have your last nervous breakdown?" "I've never had one." "Your health is rather poor, is it not?" "I eat and drink well, and I sleep pretty well." "How much is 7 times 5?" "35." "And 1 7 times 38?" "That you must have calculated already, sir." "Here...touch this." "Do you feel it?" "A bump." "honestly, I don't feel anything." "Perhaps here, a little bit underneath." "That's from when I fell down the stairs." "This protuberance is almost always found in cases of congenital alienation." "In ps ychiatry we call it, informally, the bump of - if you see what I mean." "You see a lady in the grotto?" "Like I'm seeing you now." "Why is it that you are the only one who can see her?" "I don't know." "When one can see a lady who nobody else sees, that is a sign of illness, my child." "I don't see her anymore." "She's gone." "You can no Ionger say that I'm sick." "Aren't you afraid when you see all those people around you at the grotto?" "At the grotto I don't see anyone." "Don't be afraid." "You will feel a little prick." "Ouch!" "Did it hurt you?" "Yes!" "If I did that to you you'd feel it, too!" "Bernadette, why don't you take a little walk." "We have things to discuss." "Why don't you come back in 1 0 minutes." "You're not in class?" "No, Father." "In fact, I have come to see the Mother Superior about you." "Are you being punished?" "No." "I was told to come back in 1 0 minutes." "Who told you that?" "Dr. BaIancie and the other doctors." "What do they want with you?" "To cure my asthma." "For that they rubbed my head as if they were looking for lice." "Where are they?" "In the infirmary." "Come with me." "We can't possibly lock up this child when we know she's not crazy." "The authorities want a certification of madness." "Our domain is medicine, not administration." "They already have a voluminous file on the mental health of this child." "Come in." "Good morning, gentlemen." "This young lady tells me you are considering a cure for her asthma." "I think that is an excellent initiative, but may I remind you that her own doctor," "Dr. Dozous, has been treating her until now." "To tell the truth Father, we have been instructed to examine not only her physical health, but also her mental health." "Instructed by whom?" "Prefect Mass y." "At whose request?" "The imperial Prosecutor." "Under the Iaw of June 30th, 1 838, which authorizes him to investigate all possible cases of mental disease." "And to lock them up in the event of a positive diagnosis." "Is that right?" "Who is talking about internment?" "It's simply a question of observation for the good of the sick person." "But Bernadette is not sick!" "Come here." "Look closely at this child, gentlemen." "She's in perfect health, apart from the asthma, and I defy you to find even the slightest trace of mental disease." "We're not saying that." "But she is an unusually sensitive young girl." "It's possible that a ray of sunlight glancing off a niche in a rock gives the illusion of human form." "Are you a specialist in mental disease, Doctor?" "Professor with the Academy of Science in toulouse." "well, Professor, I am pleased to inform you that Bernadette is of absolutely no interest to you." "We are acting in the name of the health authorities of this region." "The Prefect wishes that" "Miss Soubirou be placed under observation." "gentlemen, you have examined Bernadette." "Is she raving mad?" "Is she a menace to the public?" "No one is talking about madness, nor a menace to the public." "well, then please tell the honorable imperial Prosecutor that Bernadette will not enter a mental as yIum." "He knows her as well as I do." "Anyone who thinks she's crazy is mad himself!" "Or a rascal!" "Your 1 838 law is aimed at violent people who are foaming at the mouth." "would you dare to invoke it?" "If you do, know that as of today, this child is under my protection." "You can go to the police for help, but tell them to be well armed, for they will have to walk over my dead body first." "Come, my little crazy one." "And these gentlemen conclude - listen to this my friend - the illness which Bernadette might have in no way threatens her health." "Sounds like MoIiere." "And it took three of them to write this." "During all this time, the grotto is becoming more and more crowded." "There's hardly any room for all the candles and such." "Three separate spouts are pouring out 360 cubic feet of water a day." "There is even an altar." "How long before they start holding Mass?" "I am a good Christian, but we must quell this superstition in the name of religion itself!" "Attention!" ""By the order of the Prefect of the Pyrenees, the mayor informs the population of Lourdes that it is forbidden to everybody, in whatever manner, to visit the MassabieiIIe grotto, to pray there, or to take the water in whatever form."" "gentlemen, I have the honor to inform you that the miraculous power of the water from MassabieiIIe has been discovered." "An analysis made by our friend" "Piassone has revealed that this water has puritive qualities indeed, but faith has nothing to do with it." "It's in the components of the water itself." "It is rich in carbonates, chloride, silicate, magnesium, and phosphorous." "I have asked the illustrious" "Professor PhiIo, an expert in hydrology, to confirm this analysis." "But gentlemen, we can already celebrate the water from Lourdes without hesitation." "Greetings Mr. Mayor." "The barriers which were put up by the grotto this morning..." "You should have stopped them!" "well that's what I tried to do, Mr. Mayor." "They didn't dare!" "Were there a Iot of them?" "Everybody was there!" "AII of the quarry workers, the slate miners, the peasants." "NicoIo the miller led the attack." "Lord, I'm not worthy that you should enter into my heart." "You will find in me only weakness and misery." "Say only one word and my soul shall be healed." "[Father speaking Latin ]" "Bernadette is a girl born among our people." "She belongs to us." "The bourgeoisie is persecuting her with the police, with the prosecutor, with the doctors!" "And why?" "Not only because she has seen the holy Virgin, but because she's poor!" "( all) Yeah!" "What they want is to forbid the poor access to the water, which could cure them, so that they may sell it and fill their pockets." "We won't let them do it!" "( all) That's right!" "Ten hut." "Fix bayonets." "Let's go." "halt!" "I have orders to shoot." "Stop this." "Antoine, you ass." "Can't you see they'II open fire?" "What are you risking your necks for?" "Water?" "Water that can be found everywhere in these mountains." "It's Bernadette we're fighting for!" "We have the right to pray to the holy Virgin in the grotto." "The water from the spring healed me." "And it has cured others :" "IIIam Bouse, Bernadette Soube, Fabio Barrone." "When this water runs red with your blood, it will not be healing anyone." "Go home." "Go back to work." "If you compel these men to open fire on you, they will repent for the rest of their lives, and they will have killed Bernadette." "Is that what you want?" "The holy Virgin has asked for a chapel to be built here - and it will be done." "I herewith take the pledge before you." "No one will stop me." "Antoine, you are a good man." "That'II be 500 francs." "500 francs?" "That's the Iaw." "I never carry money." "What's going on here?" "Madam cannot pay the fine." "In that case, take her to the police station." "To whom do I have the honor of speaking?" "Jacqueomet." "Chief of police." "I'm the admiral's wife, Governess to his" "imperial Highness, Prince Louis napoleon." "Sir, the little prince is quite ill." "Her Majesty's counting very much on the water from Lourdes to cure her son." "would you refuse this last chance to the Emperor's son?" "The law is the Iaw." "Good evening, Countess." "The Empress is impatiently waiting for you." "How is the little imperial Highness?" "Oh, he's not well." "At last!" "How is he?" "I'm beside myself." "For the Iast two days he's been running a fever, and he has a terrible cough." "Madam, here is the water from MassabieiIIe." "May the Lord be blessed." "quickly, a glass and a handkerchief." "MademoiseIIe, it has only been three days since you left, and you are back already." "I was able to get the first train out of town." "almost 7 0 miles in 6 hours, it's fabulous." "You're sure this water is from the grotto?" "I myself filled the bottle, Madam." "Thank you." "Your cigarette." "Oh, sorry." "His face is still very flushed, don't you think?" "Is he coughing a Iot?" "Yes." "But after he drinks this," "I'm sure that he'II be much better." "What is it?" "Water." "What kind of water?" "Water from MassabieiIIe." "You should have asked my advice, Madam." "Louis, given the urgency of the situation," "I have the right to try everything." "The baby has diphtheria, and a membrane infection." "Every day hundreds of people have been cured by this water." "people will laugh at us." "I'm a liberal." "Don't forget that." "Since the beginning of these happenings at Lourdes, my government has taken the position of opponents." "My liberal friends are going to scream bloody murder when they learn I treat my son with water from MassabieiIIe." ""Open immediately to the public, the grotto situated to the west of Lourdes." "The order of the 8th of June, 1 858, is cancelled." "Signed, napolean III, Emperor of France."" "The coward." "Come in." "Are you all alone?" "My parents have gone with the procession." "Justin is looking after me." "I hear you are sick." "The usual thing." "Maybe a little worse this time." "When I hear all these people..." "No, don't try to get up." "The lady was right when she said I wouldn't be happy down here." "But just wait until you get up there." "What a revenge?" "Surrounded by angels." "I have good news for you." "Monsignor Laurence has decided to appoint a commission to investigate your case." "And I am to be part of it." "What do they want to know?" "Oh, they're going to ask exactly what happened at the grotto." "Again?" "I've already told it." "Not everything." "There are things which are only for me." "The lady said so." "The holy Virgin." "The chapel she requested of you will be built." "Work is to begin soon." "We owe that to you." "I've done nothing." "I just passed on the message." "would you Iike to join the sisters at the hospice?" "I'd love to." "I'm very tired, and all this noise." "But the sisters would never take me." "I'm too poor and I'm not good for anything, except to be sick." "As soon as you are feeling better, you will be admitted as a postulant with the sisters." "It's been arranged with Mother AIexandrine Roque." "My parents." "I can't leave them." "I Iove them too much." "My mother needs me to help with my two brothers." "I have managed to rent the ground mill for them." "They can live there." "And your father can work at his trade." "Your mother will not have to go out to work." "Thank you, Father." "I've done nothing." "It's simply another miracle from the holy Virgin." "( council) Are you proud that you had the privilege of seeing the holy Virgin?" "Oh no." "I'm only her servant." "Why you?" "So uneducated and so poor?" "Perhaps that's why." "If the holy Virgin had found somebody poorer than me, she might have chosen her." "The holy Virgin apparently confided some secrets to you." "What are they?" "If I tell you, they'II no Ionger be secrets." "well tell us at Ieast is these secrets concern the church, or France, or the Pope." "No." "They have nothing to do with the church, nor France, nor the Pope." "They concern only me." "will you tell them to the holy Father, if he asks you?" "The lady told me not to tell them to any person." "The Pope is a person." "He is the Vicar of Jesus Christ." "That's true." "The Pope is powerful on earth, but the holy Virgin is in heaven." "Did the holy Virgin tell you the hour you would die?" "Do you know the hour of your death?" "would you Iike to rest for a moment, my dear?" "No Monsignor, I can talk." "You are aware MassabieiIIe's spring water has already miraculously healed sick people who were considered incurable by their doctors?" "That I have been told." "But I haven't seen it for myself." "You have drunk this spring water." "How do you explain that it has not cured you?" "Perhaps the holy Virgin wants me to suffer." "Why?" "Perhaps I need to suffer." "Why?" "That, only God knows." "Did the holy Virgin have a halo?" "well, you know, a golden ring circling the head," "like the statue of St. Savin in the church." "No, Father." "She stood only in a white light that shone before she appeared, and stayed on a while after she'd gone." "It does not seem to be a very suitable suggestion by the holy Virgin to ask you to eat weeds." "Everyone eats salad." "This story about the weeds, it's a bit difficult to believe, my child." "I haven't been asked to make you believe it." "I've only been asked to tell you about it." "She was beautiful, wasn't she?" "Oh yes." "Much more than just beautiful." "What color were her eyes?" "blue." "And her hair?" "I didn't see it because of the veil." "How did the holy Virgin stand when she wasn't saying her rosary." "Don't move." "You moved again!" "My knees hurt." "only three minutes without moving." "Three minutes!" "I'm not asking the impossible." "I'd Iike to see you in my place." "It's this thing on my back." "AII right, Iet's try again." "Look up - higher, as if you were seeing the Virgin." "Except that she's not there." "Don't move." "Bernadette, you are expected in the parlor." "Again?" "Excuse me, Father." "You can continue this session a bit later." "I'm sure you will turn out masterpieces for us." "The model deserves it." "I was told that I would be left in peace here." "It's not my fault that you are so popular with the people." "I'm being shown off like a circus freak." "I would much prefer a boarder who spent her time in her room meditating." "I don't know how to meditate." "Don't look bored when they question you, and don't refuse any gifts from the visitors." "It's not honest money." "You must accept it for our charitable work." "Yes, Mother." "bless me, Sister." "please take it." "It comes from Rome." "In exchange give me anything :" "a pebble which you have touched, a glance from the eyes which have seen the Mother of Christ." "You will see that I have done exactly what Bernadette has asked of me." "It's the holy Virgin as described to me by her in every precise detail." "It's wonderful." "This is a masterpiece." "She never raised her head that high." "The holy Virgin always looks toward heaven." "When I saw her she always looked down to me." "But you do find her beautiful?" "Yes...but it's not the lady of MassabieiIIe." "well, finally, is this it, or is it not?" "This is it..." "but it's not it." "She has a goiter." "Thank you." "You can go back to your sewing." "Thank you, Mother." "Enough." "Enough!" "Monsignor Laurence has just published the conclusions of the commission." "He recognizes that Bernadette Soubirous really saw the immaculate Virgin in the MassabieiIIe grotto." "I realize, Monsignor, you are most eager to meet the child." "But in case she should be tempted by some vein glory," "I suggest you wait for a favorable occasion." "That's her." "Mother Superior, could I have a few minutes alone with Bernadette?" "Of course, Monsignor." "Bernadette Soubirous, Monsignor." "And now, my child, what will you do?" "Nothing." "What do you mean, nothing?" "There are things to be accomplished down here, in this life." "I'm with the sisters." "Of course, but momentarily." "I'd Iike to stay here." "That's eas y to say." "You have been taken in temporarily by charity, but you cannot stay here." "Why?" "Because you are not a nun." "And it is indispensable to become one if you wish to continue this life." "Perhaps you wish to enter into the world?" "Oh, no." "Then why don't you become a nun?" "It's not possible." "I'd never be able to bring the dowry." "When we recognize a true vocation, we welcome that person, even without a dowry." "But I don't know anything." "I'm good for nothing." "I know very well that you are good for something." "What is that?" "To peel carrots!" "And there is another thing that you can do: ring bells." "Enough." "Enough!" "You see - we'II find many uses for your abilities." "I'II think about it, Monsignor, but I can't yet decide." "Think about it very seriously." "Twenty drops - in the morning and in the evening." "And don't force me to come here and count them." "I realize that you are angry at not being able to attend the inauguration of the crypt, but that is no reason to make yourself even sicker." "Are you going to attend?" "I don't have the time." "ScoundreI" " I was hoping you would tell me all about it." "A visitor for you, Father." "I can see no one!" "I think you'II see her." "Oh, it's you." "Don't stay too long." "Who dressed you Iike that?" "The sisters - so no one would recognize me at the grotto." "And did anybody recognize you?" "Yes." "They even ripped my veil." "The soldiers had to protect me." "pull up a chair, sit down." "How are you, Father?" "Not too well." "I was told that you're very tired." "Tired, yes." "But soon I will rest." "You know, what bothers me is my bad temper." "I'm not sure that I'II go to the right place." "It's possible that they'II want to warm me up for a time in hell." "In any case, before going up to heaven you must wait for me." "Why?" "So that I can open the door for you." "Because you're sure you're going to heaven?" "The holy Virgin told me I would be happy in the next world." "Father..." "I think I am going to become a nun." "But I don't know yet which order I want to join." "Everybody is giving me advice." "Let them talk." "Do you know how to read now?" "Yes, even the small letter." "Do you still make so many spelling mistakes?" "Not so many as before." "You can write to me then." "Oh, yes." "You're going to have your chapel." "You will come back to visit us?" "Never." "Is...this..." "Tomorrow?" "My little brother is well?" "And father?" "How much is your flour, miller?" "Ten bits." "And the cracked wheat?" "Five." "Is it really pure white?" "Pure white, and as fine as powder." "The secret of pure flour is the slow rhythm of the grindstone, the fineness of the sifting, and the heart of the miller." "well, then I know that your flour is good." "You'd better believe it." "The bakers tell me so every morning, "Francois, you've done it again." "You're giving us cake flour." But they buy all right." "And they often leave a little something extra on the counter." "Are you happy?" "Yes." "Do you know that I have two pair of boots?" "And the other day at church, the ladies made a place for your mother." "They even wanted her to use a prayer stool, which had a velvet cushion." "But she refused." "She was right." "The only laundry she does is for us." "Have you seen her hands?" "They aren't chapped any more." "And when I Iook at her every night as she picks up her knitting I..." "Father." "I'II never see you again." "It's not true." "No." "I will never see you again." "Besides, you left us a Iong time ago." "Nevere is not the end of the world." "You'II come and visit me." "You know very well we can't." "I should have stopped you from going to the grotto." "Here." "This is for you." "What is it?" "A stone." "I found it in the grotto this morning." "I shall treasure it always." "Now it is understood." "She will recount all the details in private, and then it will never be talked about again." "Never." "( all) Yes, Mother." "She's coming!" "Here she is!" "!" "Step back, quickly." "quickly!" "That's Bernadette?" "Yes, I'm Bernadette." "That's all." "Here died on the 1 6th of April, 1 87 9, in her 36th year of age and the 1 2th year of her vocation, Sister Marie-Bernard." "Overcome by an illness, which k ept her more and more frequently in her white chapel, and which left her crushed lik e a k ernel of wheat." "She waited 1 2 years until the" "Lady of Massabieille called her to her promised heaven." "The little sheperdress from Bartres was sanctified on December 8, 1 9 3 3 - the day of the Immaculate Conception." "When her body was exhumed it was found to be intact, and so it reposes in the Chapel of the Sisters of Nevere."