The last year of her residence at Maubuisson was, if possible, more
unpleasant than the rest had been, for the title of abbess was given to
a lady of high birth whose views were far more worldly than those of
Angelique. She was very angry at the presence of the thirty poor nuns
who had been added to the community, and declared she would turn them
out. So Angelique begged them to come with her to Port Royal, small
though her abbey was, and had them taken there in a number of carriages
sent by madame Arnauld.
* * * * *
After this Angelique, or some of the nuns chosen by her, was often sent
to reform other convents, and very hard work it was. She had, besides,
her own cares at Port Royal, for the abbey, always unhealthy, was made
worse by overcrowding and underfeeding, and the income and the
dormitories which had been held sufficient for sixteen now had to do for
eighty. A low fever broke out, of which many died, and soon it became
clear that the rest would follow if they did not leave. At length, at
the entreaty of her mother, Angelique applied for permission to move
into Paris, where madame Arnauld had taken a house for them.
It is not easy, of course, even in a big town, to find a ready-made
building large enough to hold so many people, and, though Angelique
added a sleeping-gallery, the refectory or dining-room was so small that
the nuns had to dine in parties of four. Her father was dead, and she
does not seem to have thought of consulting any of her brothers; more
space appeared a necessity, and, much as she hated debt, in her strait
she made up her mind that she must borrow money in order to build fresh
dormitories, and, breaking her rule, accepted a rich boarder, who became
the cause of infinite trouble.
Just at this period the king's mother, who was in Paris, paid a visit to
the famous abbess, and inquired if she had nothing to ask for, as it was
her custom always to grant some favour on entering a convent for the
first time.
Angelique replied that she prayed her to implore the king's grace to
allow a fresh abbess to be chosen every three years, and leave being
granted, she and her sister Agnes, who was her coadjutor, instantly
resigned. She meant the change to be a safeguard, so that no one nun
should enjoy absolute power for long; but as regarded her own abbey it
was a great mistake, for she had a gift of ruling such as belonged to
few women, and often when a mean or spiteful sister was elected she
would wreak her ill-temper upon the late abbess, and impose all sorts of
absurd penances upon her, which Angelique always bore meekly.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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