The abbe employed one whole year in duly instructing the young girl, whose mind and heart, each well developed, yet judiciously balancing one another, needed a special spiritual nourishment.

The initiation into a knowledge of divine things which he gave her was such that Ursula grew into the pious and mystical young girl whose character rose above all vicissitudes, and whose heart was enabled to conquer adversity.

Then began a secret struggle between the old man wedded to unbelief and the young girl full of faith,--long unsuspected by her who incited it,--the result of which had now stirred the whole town, and was destined to have great influence on Ursula's future by rousing against her the antagonism of the doctor's heirs.
During the first six months of the year 1824 Ursula spent all her mornings at the parsonage.

The old doctor guessed the abbe's secret hope.

He meant to make Ursula an unanswerable argument against him.
The old unbeliever, loved by his godchild as though she were his own daughter, would surely believe in such artless candor; he could not fail to be persuaded by the beautiful effects of religion on the soul of a child, where love was like those trees of Eastern climes, bearing both flowers and fruit, always fragrant, always fertile.