Life of St John Vianney.pdf - the Catholic Kingdom!

"28 THE CUR OF AES.him to occupy. The next morning his host, who was ayoung shoemaker newly married, told Jean Marie that hehad not means to maintain him, nor work for another pairof hands, but that he would show him a place in which hewould be perfectly safe. Jean Marie made no difficultyin trusting himself to his protector, who guided him to avillage called Noes, at the entrance of the great forest ofthe Madeleine, on the borders of the departments of theLoire and the Allier. Strange to say, the personhis friend the shoemaker took him was the Maire of theCommune ;a singular protector for a refractory recruit.The good man received him with the greatest kindness,to whomtold him he had nothing to fear, and found a safe lodgingfor him with a good widow, the mother of four children,who was loved and respected by the whole village."Ihave known many holy men and holy women,"the Cure of Ars used to say, when speaking of his protectress ;"but the two most beautiful souls I ever mewith were M. Bailey and the Meue Fayot."She received the fugitive as a mother would welcomea long-looked-for child.The more effectually to conceal him from the searchof the military,it was thought desirable that he shouldassume the name of Jerome, under which, being anxiousto do something to requite the kindness of his benefactors,he opened a little school, where he laboured from morningtillnight to instruct the children of the village. JeauMarie Fayot, the widow s eldest son, from whom M.Monnin learned most of the details here given of M. Vianneys residence at Noes, shared his room on his first arrival there, and relates that whenever he woke in the nightho always found him murmuring prayers. He communicated several times in the week, though he went to con-