r Hecker's confessor for two years at Wittem, and had at least
tacitly approved his spirit; and now came his condemnation. No wonder
that Isaac was profoundly distressed by it. Yet his conviction of the
validity of his inner life was not shaken for an instant. Nor was the
trial of long duration. We have found a letter from Father Heilig
dated two months later than the one we have been considering, and it
is full of messages of reassurance and encouragement. The
intervention of De Buggenoms completed the work. It is possible that
Father Heilig had not simply a desire to test Brother Hecker's
humility, but, by studying the effect of the trial imposed, to remove
doubts still lingering in his own mind. Some words in both the
letters referred to lead us to this inference.

Father L'hoir had not forgotten his young friend, who received a
letter from him a couple of months after leaving Wittem, which
breathes in every word the tenderest utterance of friendship; and a
year after, another one similarly affectionate, congratulating him on
his ordination. This Father L'hoir must have been a noble soul to
write so lovingly; we wish that space permitted us to give his
letters to the reader.

Amongst the papers left by Father Hecker we found one carefully
preserved, bearing date at St. Mary's, Clapham, the feast of St.
Raphael (Oct. 24) 1848, a month after his arrival there. It is a
manuscript of thirty-nine closely-written pages of letter-paper. It
is an account of conscience made, no doubt, to Father de Held, though
its preparation may have occupied some of his time before leaving
Wittem. We will make some extracts. It begins thus:

"Before commencing what is to follow, I cannot resist making the
confession of my feebleness and incapacity to express even
conveniently those things which I feel it my duty to relate, that I
may walk with greater security and quicker step in the way of God. It
would not surprise me if one who has not taken the pains to
investigate this matter sufficiently should doubt indeed whether such
singular graces, seeing the faults I daily commit and my many
imperfections, had really been given to such an individual. A similar
remark to this was made by my last director. But this is a cause of
much joy and consolation to me; (that is to say) that my interior
life is hid and unknown to others except those who direct me. All
that I can adduce in behalf of its truth and credibility are these
words of sacred Scr