heaped upon her from all sides. Mademoiselle
Lamierlière also wrote a letter to
Monsieur Pellitan containing a half confession,
which was turned into a powerful weapon
against her upon a subsequent trial.

After a long speech from Monsieur Morel,
on behalf of Mademoiselle Lamerlière, the
defence of Monsieur Deleon, presented by
himself, and a few explanations on behalf of
the Abbé Cartellier and Monsieur Rendon,
the court gave a verdict for the defendants,
but condemned them to pay all expenses.

Mademoiselle Lamerlière appealed against
this decision, except as regarded Monsieur
Rendon, and all parties had to prepare for a
new trial.

In April, eighteen hundred and fifty-six,
Monsieur Deleon published another work
against La Salette, entitled, The Conscience
of a Priest and the Power of a Bishop: and
in it he brought to light some new details
respecting the miracle and Mademoiselle
Lamerlière.

The reception of the children's secret by
the Pope is thus described by Monsieur
Deleon. In the month of July, eighteen
hundred and fifty-two, many cardinals and
Roman prelates were passing the evening at
the Vatican. The Pope deigned to entertain
them with an account of the mysterious
embassy of the morning, calling the first
secret a silly stupidity, and the second a
monstrosity, and saying that those absurd
documents had been brought to him on that
day by two fanatical priests, and had been
immediately thrown among the waste paper.

Mademoiselle Lamerlière's appeal against
the decision of the first court came on for
hearing upon the twenty-seventh of April,
eighteen hundred and fifty-seven. Orders
were given to prevent women from attending
the court, but Mademoiselle Lamerlière
insisted upon being admitted with her
companion, Mariette Bertin, good-humouredly
observing: "As I have to pay for the dinner,
I have a good right to sit down to table."
And she accordingly took her seat beside
her advocate. She is described as a little
woman, neatly dressed, about sixty years of
age, and rather stout, with bright eyes and a
lively disposition. Monsieur Deleon, who is
tall, with a severe and expressive
countenance, announcing great energy of
character, sat by the side of Monsieur Bethmont,
and Monsieur Cartellier did not appear.

The court was so crowded with barristers
and priests, that the judge found it necessary
to send for a body of troops to keep order in
the room. Upon the opening of the sitting
the Attorney-General demanded that the
French newspapers should be forbidden from
publishing any accounts of the proceedings.
This request was granted by the court, with
a view, it was said, of preventing public
disturbances.

The principal points which Monsieur Jules
Favre, for the fair plaintiff, tried to prove,
were,—that the apparition of La Salette was
not a human one, because nobody except
shepherds could climb such steep mountains.
Monsieur Bethmont answered, that the
lady, with her strong constitution, was well
able to climb the mountain. With regard to
the accounts given by the children, that the
lady was in an aureola of light, and
disappeared gradually, head first, and feet last,
Monsieur Bethmont declared them to be
merely optical delusions. In the first place,
the lady had on a yellow silk apron, and
yellow silk stockings, and all her costume
was spangled over with gold and silver:  the
sun shining upon her would therefore strike
upon everything bright, and produce the
effect of rays of light. In the second place,
upon the tops of mountains, especially in the
autumn time, there are often thick mists, and
as the lady is described as disappearing on
going up the side of the mountain, she
probably became more and more covered in
mist, until she vanished entirely from the
gaze of the bewildered shepherds.

Monsieur Jules Favre having replied
without adducing any new facts, Monsieur
Farconet made a short speech in favour of
the Abbé Cartellier. In it he said, it was
not in fact Mademoiselle Lamerlière, but the
miracle, which was in cause, and that if the
court decided in favour of Mademoiselle
Lamerlière, it would be remaking the fortune
of La Salette.

At length, after a few explanations made
by Monsieur Deleon, and the summing up of
the Attorney-General, the court confirmed
the decision of the first tribunal, and
condemned Mademoiselle Lamerlière to pay all
expenses, and the fine which is always imposed
upon unsuccessful appellants.

TOO WEAK FOR THE PLACE

THE boy was never strong enough for the
place. His age must have been about fourteen
when he went there. He was inclined
to be spiderish about the legs, and his memory
was weaker than his body.

His parent (a mother, his father being
dead) had asked him several times what he
would like to be? She might also have asked
him what he would like to do and to suffer?
What could he say? They were poor, and
he could not be apprenticed to any trade;
and yet it was necessary that he should go
to work. He made several inquiries about
employment, without success, and in an evil
moment he saw a bill stuck up in the window
of a city tavern, "A strong, sharp, active lad
wanted." He did not quite come up to the
description, but he thought he would try.
He was always a willing boy.

They engaged him upon trial at a few
shillings a week, much to the delight of
himself and his mother.

He began work on a Monday at seven in
the morning; his duty being to assist in