The next event he writes about was the arrival in England {278} of Father Dominic of the Mother of God (Passionist), and his staying at Oscott for some time in order to learn English and wait for an opening in Aston to begin the first retreat of the English province. Before we quote his account of Father Dominic, it may be well to give a rather characteristic remark of his which occurs in the letter to Mrs. Canning, who was a great promoter, in the letter-writing way, of Father Dominic's coming. He says, "Your accounts of yourself are always interesting, as they must be in all cases where a person knows how to delineate accurately his own interior; for, in seeing the picture of another well drawn, we always may discern little touches of our own portraiture which had before perhaps escaped us, and that gives all the pleasure of sympathy, which is one of the realest pleasures." Further on in the same letter he writes:-- "Padre Domenico has had his cross to bear with us, all this time; it is not like what usually makes crosses for people. He mourns over having plenty to eat, having windows which keep the weather out, having chairs to sit _on_, and tables to sit at, and longs to be in his house, which I suppose will not have much of all this to trouble him. I have to try to console him now and then, which I do by telling him that I never hear of anything brought about in our ecclesiastical arrangements without long delay, and yet all comes right at last, with patience. I tell him also that he must have known enough of the deliberativeness with which things of the kind are settled by the known slowness of all things at Rome. However, why should you have to bear this burden with us? You will, I hope, be consoled before long by hearing that they are settled, and going on, and have first a chair, then a table, then a kettle, and likely to have a smoke-jack, toasting-fork, and such like in due course, and, what will be not less interesting in its way, having good novices, and plenty of converts."