30. Of the stains which she contracted from unclean men

On account of the most brave endurance of her sufferings, and her frequent familiarity with angels and conversation in Heaven, this virgin had arrived at such purity that, touched on the hand by unworthy and unclean men while still living, she sometimes visibly con- ST. LYDWINE of SCHIEDAM tracted stains, of which black marks remained on her hands two or three days, which had not been seen there before. So also after her death some thing of the like happened. For when her face after her death shone as has been said with such brilliancy, a certain matron came with others to visit, and passed her beads which she held in her hand over her face out of devotion as she thought, and immediately after wards the maiden face from that contact was noticeably darkened. Wherefore, when her body had been placed in the church and some of the bystanders asked that it should be shown and the coffin opened for them, the rest, who knew of this darkening, absolutely forbade this to be done, fearing lest if it should be further darkened by the onlooking of the un worthy, others might be scandalised thence.