But this expiation did not satisfy two sainted women，Madame Courtin，Marquise de Boucs，and the Comtesse de Chateauvieux.
This outrage committed on'the most holy sacrament of the altar，'though but temporary，would not depart from these holy souls，and it seemed to them that it could only be extenuated by a'Perpetual Adoration'in some female monastery.Both of them，one in 1652，the other in 1653，made donations of notable sums to Mother Catherine de Bar，called of the Holy Sacrament，a Benedictine nun，for the purpose of founding，to this pious end，a monastery of the order of Saint-Benoit；the first permission for this foundation was given to Mother Catherine de Bar by M.de Metz，Abbe of Saint-Germain，'on condition that no woman could be received unless she contributed three hundred livres income，which amounts to six thousand livres，to the principal.'After the Abbe of Saint-Germain，the king accorded letters-patent；and all the rest，abbatial charter，and royal letters，was confirmed in 1654 by the Chamber of Accounts and the Parliament.
Such is the origin of the legal consecration of the establishment of the Benedictines of the Perpetual Adoration of the Holy Sacrament at Paris.
Their first convent was'a new building'in the Rue Cassette，out of the contributions of Mesdames de Boucs and de Chateauvieux.
This order，as it will be seen，was not to be confounded with the Benedictine nuns of Citeaux.
It mounted back to the Abbe of Saint-Germain des Pres，in the same manner that the ladies of the Sacred Heart go back to the general of the Jesuits，and the sisters of charity to the general of the Lazarists.
It was also totally different from the Bernardines of the Petit-Picpus，whose interior we have just shown.
In 1657，Pope Alexander VII.had authorized，by a special brief，the Bernardines of the Rue Petit-Picpus，to practise the Perpetual Adoration like the Benedictine nuns of the Holy Sacrament.
But the two orders remained distinct none the less.
BOOK SIXTH.——LE PETIT-PICPUS
Ⅺ END OF THE PETIT-PICPUS
At the beginning of the Restoration，the convent of the Petit-Picpus was in its decay；this forms a part of the general death of the order，which，after the eighteenth century，has been disappearing like all the religious orders.
Contemplation is，like prayer，one of humanity's needs；but，like everything which the Revolution touched，it will be transformed，and from being hostile to social progress，it will become favorable to it.
The house of the Petit-Picpus was becoming rapidly depopulated.In 1840，the Little Convent had disappeared，the school had disappeared.There were no longer any old women，nor young girls；the first were dead，the latter had taken their departure.
Volaverunt.
The rule of the Perpetual Adoration is so rigid in its nature that it alarms，vocations recoil before it，the order receives no recruits.
In 1845，it still obtained lay-sisters here and there.But of professed nuns，none at all.
Forty years ago，the nuns numbered nearly a hundred；fifteen years ago there were not more than twenty-eight of them.
How many are there to-day？In 1847，the prioress was young，a sign that the circle of choice was restricted.She was not forty years old.
In proportion as the number diminishes，the fatigue increases，the service of each becomes more painful；the moment could then be seen drawing near when there would be but a dozen bent and aching shoulders to bear the heavy rule of Saint-Benoit.The burden is implacable，and remains the same for the few as for the many.
It weighs down，it crushes.
Thus they die.At the period when the author of this book still lived in Paris，two died.
One was twenty-five years old，the other twenty-three.This latter can say，like Julia Alpinula：
'Hic jaceo.
Vixi annos viginti et tres.'
It is in consequence of this decay that the convent gave up the education of girls.
We have not felt able to pass before this extraordinary house without entering it，and without introducing the minds which accompany us，and which are listening to our tale，to the profit of some，perchance，of the melancholy history of Jean Valjean.We have penetrated into this community，full of those old practices which seem so novel to-day.It is the closed garden，hortus conclusus.We have spoken of this singular place in detail，but with respect，in so far，at least，as detail and respect are compatible.We do not understand all，but we insult nothing.
We are equally far removed from the hosanna of Joseph de Maistre，who wound up by anointing the executioner，and from the sneer of Voltaire，who even goes so far as to ridicule the cross.
An illogical act on Voltaire's part，we may remark，by the way；for Voltaire would have defended Jesus as he defended Calas；and even for those who deny superhuman incarnations，what does the crucifix represent？
The assassinated sage.
In this nineteenth century，the religious idea is undergoing a crisis.
People are unlearning certain things，and they do well，provided that，while unlearning them they learn this：
There is no vacuum in the human heart.
Certain demolitions take place，and it is well that they do，but on condition that they are followed by reconstructions.
In the meantime，let us study things which are no more.
It is necessary to know them，if only for the purpose of avoiding them.
The counterfeits of the past assume false names，and gladly call themselves the future.This spectre，this past，is given to falsifying its own passport.Let us inform ourselves of the trap.
Let us be on our guard.The past has a visage，superstition，and a mask，hypocrisy.
Let us denounce the visage and let us tear off the mask.
As for convents，they present a complex problem，——a question of civilization，which condemns them；a question of liberty，which protects them.
BOOK SEVENTH.——PARENTHESIS
Ⅰ THE CONVENT AS AN ABSTRACT IDEA
This book is a drama，whose leading personage is the Infinite.
Man is the second.
