I have avoided saying it, and I have suffered doing so; but finally it escapes from me, and I even hope that my frankness will be useful to those women who, not finding a confessor sufficient to guide them, use no discernment in their choice of spiritual directors. I cannot cease marveling and being surprised when I see certain people who I will not name; I open my eyes wide when I see them; I gaze on them: they speak and I lend them my ear; I inform myself, one tells me stories, I collect them; and I don't understand how people who seem to me diametrically opposed to good sense, to straight reasoning, to an experience of the world, to a knowledge of men, to the science of religion and mores, presume that God has renewed the marvel of apostles in our day, and has realized a miracle in their persons, rendering them capable, simple-minded and petty spirits that they are, of directing peoples souls, the most delicate and sublime form of governing; and if they nonetheless believe themselves born for such an elevated task, which is so difficult and belongs to so few people, and persuade themselves that by doing so they only exercise their natural talents and follow an ordinary vocation, I can understand them still less.

 I see very well that the taste they have for being the depositary of family secrets, for being necessary for reconciliations, for procuring commissions or for organizing the servants, for finding every door open in the houses of noblemen, for eating often at large tables, for taking carriage rides in a large city, and for making delicious retreats to the countryside, for seeing many renowned and distinguished men be interested in their life and health, and to manage every human interest for others and themselves, I see very well, once again, that this alone has brought about the specious and blameless pretexte of caring for people's souls, and spread among society an inexhaustible nursery of spiritual directors.