Almost invincibly stubborn Iwas very proud of my two older sisters, but the one who was my ideal from childhood was Pauline. When I was beginning to talk, Mama would ask me: “What are you thinking about?” and I would answer invariably: “Pauline!” ... I had often heard it said that surely Pauline would become a religious, and without knowing too much about what it meant I thought: “I too will be a religious.” This is one of my first memories and I haven’t changed my resolution since then! ... And now I have to speak about my dear Céline, the little companion of my childhood.... Here is a passage from one of Mama’s letters showing how good Céline was and how I was just the opposite. “My little Céline is drawn to the practice of virtue; it’s part of her nature; she is candid and has a horror of evil. As for the little imp, one doesn’t know how things will go, she is so small, so thoughtless! Her intelligence is superior to Céline’s, but she’s less gentle and has a stubborn streak in her that is almost invincible; when she says ‘no’ nothing can make her give in, and one could put her in the cellar a whole day and she’d sleep there rather than say ‘yes.’” Manuscript A 18
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