Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/33

21 ST. MARGARET 21 went in among the bushes, whining and making every possible sign that she shonld follow. This she did with diffi- culty through thorns and over stones and rongh places. The faithfnl creature scraped with his paws and. tried to re- moYo the earth. Margaret now more alarmed than ever, fetched a spade and called a man to help her to dig. They soon discovered the murdered body of her lost lover, in a horrible state of decay. He had been called away from a sinful life, most likely without a moment*s notice, without time for a repentant prayer, certainly without be- ing absolved and reconciled by the rites of the Church. Her grief and her horror were extreme. Next morning, taking her little boy with her, she went to her father*s house at Laviano and begged him to take her in at least as a servant, and let her have some of the food of the pigs like the prodigal son ; she was willing to be beaten, even to be killed. Her &ther felt compassion for her but her step-mother positively re- fused to admit her, so she sat awhile in the vineyard uncertain what to do, or how to feed her child ; she had thoughts of returning to a life of sin, but prayed against that temptation, and wandered forth with her son until she came in sight of the beautifid city of Cortona, and thought it was like Jerusalem ; and there she went to the church of the Friars Minors and asked for the habit of penitence. This they refused as she was still young and pretty and her con- version was so recent that they feared she would relapse into her unholy life. She frequented the church. She la- boured hard to maintain herself and her child, and lived in a poor little dwelling Bear some kind ladies who gave her work. In 1227, when she had destroyed all faer beauty by fasting and weeping, she made a general confession and obtained admission to the Third Order of St. Francia On that occasion she foretold that she would in time become holy and that pilgrims would come to visit her. At this time she removed to a still poorer lodging, nearer to the church of the Friars. She became a servant, and often cooked dainty food for her em- ployers but never touched it herself, living all the time in the most rigidly penitential ascetic manner. After a time, she found that her service pre- vented her attending mass and sermons, and she gave it up. She attended the great ladies of Cor- tona in their confinements, making deli- cate food and devising comforts for them but never departing from her own rigid practice of poverty and self-denial. Then , that she might attain to thorough hu- mility, she went about begging, and if any one gave her a whole loaf she would not accept it lest it should be given out of regard for her ; she would only have such broken scraps as would be given to the first beggar who asked for anything. One day as she prayed with tears before the image of the crucified Saviour in the Franciscan church, He bowed His head and said to her, " What wouldst thou have, poor woman ? " She answered, " I seek nothing, I wish for nothing but Thee, my Lord Jesus." Another day while she was praying she heard the Sa- viour speak to her in the spirit, and re- mind her of her conversion, of the favours granted to her, such as perseverance, in- crease in virtue, strength to do penance, good desires, and other gifts. She ren- dered thanks with groat affection, and Christ told her He had forgiven all her sins, and would make her a mirror of penitence, a net and a ladder to bring sinners to repentance. As the fame of her sanctity began to spread abroad, strangers from all parts of Italy, France, and Spain came to see her and take counsel of her ; and as she was attaining to great humility, the devil tried to destroy this virtue in her and make her vain of her virtues and favoura Then she called to mind her sins and her shameful life, and finding the temptation to pride returning to her thoughts in the night, she went out calling through the streets to the people to arise from their sleep and stone her and to drag her and chase her out of their city that she might not contami- nate them with her wickedness, lest they should suffer a judgment for keeping so depraved a creature amongst them.