Letter 11. To the same

My very dear Lord,—M. Ruphy tells me that he has heard on good authority that they are determined to let us have only the third of the canal. If such is their will and pleasure, it will be but a burden and of little use to us, for the least we can manage with would be the ten and a half feet, and if Monsieur does not grant us this charity we shall be always inconvenienced, for, as it is, we have had considerably to reduce our plans in order to accommodate them to the ten and a half feet. But after all the good God will come to our aid, and when you have done all you can we shall abide contentedly by whatever may be His holy will. Is it not so, my very dear Father? and certainly through His grace we shall be all the more humble and the more faithful to His most holy love—a love with which I beseech His goodness to fill our hearts.

Do not forget the church, for, not knowing what to employ our men on, we will set them working there.

Good morning, my dearest and best of Fathers. Keep well for our sakes.¹