Monsieur Rivoire, the doctor, who had made a cut in it so as to see
inside it, said that he should be obliged to take out a piece of the
bone; and that, sure enough, would have made me lame for life. But when I
got to Lourdes, and had prayed a great deal to the Blessed Virgin, I went
to dip my foot in the water, wishing so much that I might be cured, that
I did not even take the time to pull the bandages off. And everything
remained in the water; there was no longer anything the matter with my
foot when I took it out."
Doctor Bonamy listened, and punctuated each word with an approving nod.
"And what did your doctor say, Sophie?" he asked.
"When I got back to Vivonne, and Monsieur Rivoire saw my foot again, he
said: 'Whether it be God or the Devil who has cured this child, it is all
the same to me; but in all truth, she is cured.'"
A burst of laughter rang out. The doctor's remark was sure to produce an
effect.
"And what was it, Sophie, that you said to Madame la Comtesse, the
superintendent of your ward?"
"Ah, yes! I hadn't brought many bandages for my foot with me, and I said
to her, 'It was very kind of the Blessed Virgin to cure me the first day,
as I should have run out of linen on the morrow.'"
Then there was fresh laughter, a general display of satisfaction at
seeing her look so pretty, telling her story, which she now knew by
heart, in too recitative a manner, but, nevertheless, remaining very
touching and truthful in appearance.
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