"Certainly," said she, "our little friend will tell you all about it.

Won't you, my darling?
You will tell us what the Blessed Virgin did for you ?" "Oh, certainly! madame-as much as you like," answered Sophie with her smiling, modest air, her eyes gleaming with intelligence.

Indeed, she wished to begin at once, and raised her right hand with a pretty gesture, as a sign to everybody to be attentive.

Plainly enough, she had already acquired the habit of speaking in public.
She could not be seen, however, from some parts of the carriage, and an idea came to Sister Hyacinthe, who said: "Get up on the seat, Sophie, and speak loudly, on account of the noise which the train makes." This amused the girl, and before beginning she needed time to become serious again.

"Well, it was like this," said she; "my foot was past cure, I couldn't even go to church any more, and it had to be kept bandaged, because there was always a lot of nasty matter coming from it.
Monsieur Rivoire, the doctor, who had made a cut in it, so as to see inside it, said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the bone; and that, sure enough, would have made me lame for life.