without shedding its petals for Thee . . . and then I will sing, I will always sing, even if I must gather my roses in the very midst of thorns—and the longer and sharper the thorns the sweeter shall be my song.
HIST. D'UNE AME, CH. XI
Sœur Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus
often spoke of a well-known toy with
which in childhood's days she had amused
herself: a kaleidoscope; in form somewhat
like a small telescope; on looking
through, one sees an endless succession
of pretty and many-coloured designs,
varying at each turn of the kaleidoscope.
"This toy," she said, "aroused my admiration and I used to wonder what could produce so pleasing a phenomenon; when one day, after serious examination, I saw there were simply a few tiny scraps of paper and of wool cut no matter how, and thrown here and there. I pursued my investigation and discovered three mirrors inside the tube: I had there the key to the problem.
