The remembrance of her frail health now made Jeanne recoil before such
a responsibility. Still, though she feared that she could not be of
much service in this regard, she left herself in the hands of God.
Nothing more was then settled. Jeanne was still determined to reach
the vessels soon about to start for New France, and on calling on
Madame de Bullion to take leave before departing to embark this good
lady gave her a purse of 1200 _livres_ to help her in her good work,
with a pledge of more to come, when Jeanne should have arrived at her
destination and had written an account of the state of affairs, as
she found them, regarding the foundation of a hospital. For many years
Madame de Bullion's name remained a secret to the colonists. Jeanne
Mance was even instructed to write to her, under cover of the name of
Père Rapin.
Neither Jeanne nor her benefactress then knew of the venture of
Montreal. This she did not learn till visiting the Jesuit La Place
at Rochelle, where she met the Baron de Fancamp who told her of its
details. The following day, Jeanne Mance met M. de la Dauversière,
whose enthusiasm made her resolve to accept his offer and that of the
Associates, to join the Montreal expedition. While they were waiting
to sail she begged M. de la Dauversière to put the plan of the new
venture into writing and to give her copies so that she might send one
with a letter in her own handwriting to Madame la Princesse de Condé,
to Madame la Chancelière, and, above all, to Madame de Bullion. These
parcels M. de la Dauversière took with him back to Paris, with fruitful
result.
All was now ready, and one of the ships had set sail. The carpenter,
upon whom they relied so much, had deserted, but on putting the vessel
back, luckily another was found on shore willing to go.
Jeanne Mance was now on her vessel.[41] Her only anxiety was that she
should be the only woman at the new settlement of Montreal, among a
good-hearted but rough body of men. Shortly before this a circumstance
occurred at Dieppe, whence the other ships of the expedition were
embarking, which gave her great joy. Two of the workmen engaged were
found to be married men, and on their refusing to go without their
wives, their condition had been accepted. In addition a young and
virtuous girl of Dieppe, seized with a sudden desire to join the
expedition, had forced her way on to the ship, against all opposition.
She too was accepted for Montreal, and Mademoiselle Mance not only
would have companions but she would find in the young girl a faithful
assistant to nurse the sick at Ville Marie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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