f voice that it was almost impossible for
those present not to turn round and expect to see the child, she held
up a dress which was near her, as would be done by a kind-hearted
person wishing to clothe a poor frozen child. The friend who was
standing by her bedside had not sufficient time to ask her to explain
the words she had spoken, for a sudden change took place, both in her
whole appearance and manner, when her attendant pronounced the word
obedience,--one of the vows by which she had consecrated herself to our
Lord. She instantly came to herself, and, like an obedient child
awakening from a sound sleep and starting up at the voice of its
mother, she stretched forth her hand, took the rosary and crucifix
which were always at her side, arranged her dress, rubbed her eyes, and
sat up. She was then carried from her bed to a chair, as she could
neither stand nor walk; and it being the time for making her bed, her
friend left the room in order to write out what he had heard during the
day.

On Sunday, the 9th of March, the friend asked her attendant what
Sister Emmerich meant the evening before when she spoke of a child
called Joseph. The attendant answered, 'She spoke of him again many times
yesterday evening; he is the son of a cousin of mine, and a great
favourite of hers. I fear that her talking so much about him is a sign
that he is going to have an illness, for she said so many times that
the poor child was almost without clothing, and that he must be cold.'

The friend remembered having often seen this little Joseph playing
on the bed of Sister Emmerich, and he supposed that she was dreaming
about him on the previous day. When the friend went to see her later in
the day to endeavour to obtain a continuation of the narrations of the
Passion, he found her, contrary to his expectation, more calm, and
apparently better in health than on the previous day. She told him that
she had seen nothing more after the scourging of our Lord; and when he
questioned her concerning what she had said about little Joseph, she
could not remember having spoken of the child at all. He then asked the
reason of her being so calm, serene, and apparently well in health; and
she answered, 'I always feel thus when Mid-Lent comes, for then the
Church sings with Isaias in the introit at Mass: "Rejoice, O, Jerusalem,
and come together all you that love her; rejoice with joy, you that
have been in sorrow, that you may exult and be filled from t