God and His Mother are amongst us...." So his voice had poured on, telling the enormous awe-stricken crowd of the blood that already had been shed on the place where they stood, of the body of the Apostle that lay scarcely fifty yards away, urging, encouraging, inspiring.

They had vowed themselves to death, if that were God's Will; and if not, the intention would be taken for the deed.

They were under obedience now; their wills were no longer theirs but God's; under chastity--for their bodies were bought with a price; under poverty, and theirs was the kingdom of heaven.
He had ended by a great silent Benediction of the City and the World: and there were not wanting a half-dozen of the faithful who had seen, they thought, a white shape in the form of a bird that hung in the air while he spoke white as a mist, translucent as water....
The consequent scenes in the city and suburbs had been unparalleled, for thousands of families had with one consent dissolved human ties.
Husbands had found their way to the huge houses on the Quirinal set apart for them; wives to the Aventine; while the children, as confident as their parents, had swarmed over to the Sisters of St.Vincent who had received at the Pope's orders the gift of three streets to shelter them in.

Everywhere the smoke of burning went up in the squares where household property, rendered useless by the vows of poverty, were consumed by their late owners; and daily long trains moved out from the station outside the walls carrying jubilant loads of those who were despatched by the Pope's delegates to be the salt of men, consumed in their function, and leaven plunged in the vast measures of the infidel world.

And that infidel world welcomed their coming with bitter laughter.
From the rest of Christendom had poured in news of success.