d on the wide sea of passion and
misfortune, saw the finger of apparent divinity in all, and her best hope
was to make herself acceptable to the power she worshipped. Evelyn was only
five years old; his joyous heart was incapable of sorrow, and he enlivened
our house with the innocent mirth incident to his years.

The aged Countess of Windsor had fallen from her dream of power, rank and
grandeur; she had been suddenly seized with the conviction, that love was
the only good of life, virtue the only ennobling distinction and enriching
wealth. Such a lesson had been taught her by the dead lips of her neglected
daughter; and she devoted herself, with all the fiery violence of her
character, to the obtaining the affection of the remnants of her family. In
early years the heart of Adrian had been chilled towards her; and, though
he observed a due respect, her coldness, mixed with the recollection of
disappointment and madness, caused him to feel even pain in her society.
She saw this, and yet determined to win his love; the obstacle served the
rather to excite her ambition. As Henry, Emperor of Germany, lay in the
snow before Pope Leo's gate for three winter days and nights, so did she in
humility wait before the icy barriers of his closed heart, till he, the
servant of love, and prince of tender courtesy, opened it wide for her
admittance, bestowing, with fervency and gratitude, the tribute of filial
affection she merited. Her understanding, courage, and presence of mind,
became powerful auxiliaries to him in the difficult task of ruling the
tumultuous crowd, which were subjected to his control, in truth by a single
hair.

The principal circumstances that disturbed our tranquillity during this
interval, originated in the vicinity of the impostor-prophet and his
followers. They continued to reside at Paris; but missionaries from among
them often visited Versailles--and such was the power of assertions,
however false, yet vehemently iterated, over the ready credulity of the
ignorant and fearful, that they seldom failed in drawing over to their
party some from among our numbers. An instance of this nature coming
immediately under our notice, we were led to consider the miserable state
in which we should leave our countrymen, when we should, at the approach of
summer, move on towards Switzerland, and leave a deluded crew behind us in
the hands of their miscreant leader. The sense of the smallness of our
numbers, and expectation