bidden her to wrap herself in her _capulet_,* a
large white _capulet_ which contrasted vividly with her old black woollen
dress. When she found that her companions would not help her, she
resignedly made up her mind to take off her _sabots_, and pull down her
stockings. It was then about noon, the three strokes of the Angelus rang
out from the parish church, rising into the broad calm winter sky, which
was somewhat veiled by fine fleecy clouds. And it was then that a great
agitation arose within her, resounding in her ears with such a
tempestuous roar that she fancied a hurricane had descended from the
mountains, and was passing over her. But she looked at the trees and was
stupefied, for not a leaf was stirring. Then she thought that she had
been mistaken, and was about to pick up her _sabots_, when again the
great gust swept through her; but, this time, the disturbance in her ears
reached her eyes, she no longer saw the trees, but was dazzled by a
whiteness, a kind of bright light which seemed to her to settle itself
against the rock, in a narrow, lofty slit above the Grotto, not unlike an
ogival window of a cathedral. In her fright she fell upon her knees. What
could it be, _mon Dieu_? Sometimes, during bad weather, when her asthma
oppressed her more than usual, she spent very bad nights, incessantly
dreaming dreams which were often painful, and whose stifling effect she
retained on awaking, even when she had ceased to remember anything.
Flames would surround her, the sun would flash before her face. Had she
dreamt in that fashion during the previous night? Was this the
continuation of some forgotten dream? However, little by little a form
became outlined, she believed that she could distinguish a figure which
the vivid light rendered intensely white. In her fear lest it should be
the devil, for her mind was haunted by tales of witchcraft, she began to
tell her beads. And when the light had slowly faded away, and she had
crossed the canal and joined Marie and Jeanne, she was surprised to find
that neither of them had seen anything whilst they were picking up the
wood in front of the Grotto. On their way back to Lourdes the three girls
talked together. So she, Bernadette, had seen something then? What was
it? At first, feeling uneasy, and somewhat ashamed, she would not answer;
but at last she said that she had seen something white.

* This is a kind of hood, more generally known among the Bearnese
peasantry as a