,
to conduct the exorcisms, should such be necessary, and have given them
an order to this effect.

"It is forbidden to all others to meddle with the said exorcisms, on pain
of being punished according to law."

It will be seen from the above that His Grace the Archbishop of Bordeaux,
in his enlightened and generous exercise of justice, had foreseen and
provided for every possible contingency; so that as soon as his orders
were made known to the exorcists the possession ceased at once and
completely, and was no longer even talked of. Barre withdrew to Chinon,
the senior canons rejoined their chapters, and the nuns, happily rescued
for the time, resumed their life of retirement and tranquillity. The
archbishop nevertheless urged on Grandier the prudence of effecting an
exchange of benefices, but he replied that he would not at that moment
change his simple living of Loudun for a bishopric.

CHAPTER VIII

The exposure of the plot was most prejudicial to the prosperity of the
Ursuline community: spurious possession, far from bringing to their
convent an increase of subscriptions and enhancing their reputation, as
Mignon had promised, had ended for them in open shame, while in private
they suffered from straitened circumstances, for the parents of their
boarders hastened to withdraw their daughters from the convent, and the
nuns in losing their pupils lost their sole source of income. Their,
fall in the estimation of the public filled them with despair, and it
leaked out that they had had several altercations with their director,
during which they reproached him for having, by making them commit such a
great sin, overwhelmed them with infamy and reduced them to misery,
instead of securing for them the great spiritual and temporal advantages
he had promised them. Mignon, although devoured by hate, was obliged to
remain quiet, but he was none the less as determined as ever to have
revenge, and as he was one of those men who never give up while a gleam
of hope remains, and whom no waiting can tire, he bided his time,
avoiding notice, apparently resigned to circumstances, but keeping his
eyes fixed on Grandier, ready to seize on the first chance of recovering
possession of the prey that had escaped his hands. And unluckily the
chance soon presented itself.

It was now 1633: Richelieu was at the height of his power, carrying out
his work of destruction, making castles fall before him where he could
not make heads