Now, my daughter (Péronne Marie), and my little one (Marie Aimée), do thus; this letter is for you both in common, for I know that your hearts hide nothing from one another. In future, as I have so little leisure, I will always write to you together, unless you tell me that, for some particular reason, you wish me to answer you individually, in which case I will willingly do so, for I am at your disposal. Believe me, I love you with all my heart, and I have to bear my fair share in the mortification of your absence, though indeed you are more than ever present to me in spirit; but the good God has arranged it so, and all is sweet in His holy will. You, my Péronne, and the little Sister, when you happen to be ill, receive relief willingly and graciously. And mind, in whatever form it comes, whether it be to rise, to go to bed, to eat, obey simply, and without making difficulties. My dear Péronne, walk manfully in your old way, both as to the interior, and the exterior. When you are asked what point of prayer you take, and the like, answer boldly as to what you have done or thought formerly in this way: "I have had such thoughts in prayer or done such things while walking about, or when in bed"; but do not say: "To-day, or at such an hour, I have done such a thing." It is not necessary to be so explicit, but simply say, "I have done or seen such a thing," and have no scruple in calling all your good aspirations and thoughts prayer, for they are prayer, and so, for the matter of that, are all our actions when done to please God. It is enough to salute your good Angel morning and evening. Attention to the presence of God and of Our Lady includes all, for the blessed Spirits are engulphed in the abyss of the Divinity, and it is more perfect to walk simply. When a novice says to you, "What are you thinking of?" answer frankly, "I am thinking of God," without saying (if it is not so), I was thinking of the Passion, and the like, for no doubt to mention a particular subject (if we were not thinking of it) would be an untruth. Say simply, "I was thinking of Our Lord," and you might, for example, add, "My God, how happy we should be if we could always have the Holy Passion or the Nativity before our eyes." This gives edification enough. I see nothing else to say.