his intimates, and those whom he
received into his private friendship, he was cheerful and affable; to
women he was polite in the extreme, and, in the midst of his gravest
avocations, would rise to pick up his secretary's fallen handkerchief.
Devoted to the affairs of state, Pitt paid no attention to his own
pecuniary concerns, so that the only provision he could make for his
niece at his death, was to recommend her to the favor of his king and
country, who acknowledged their obligation to him by bestowing upon
her a pension of twelve hundred pounds, annually.

Soon after the death of her uncle, she left England, and spent some
years in visiting the chief cities of continental Europe. Her rank,
her beauty, and her fortune, were alone sufficient to attract crowds
of suitors; but they were all rejected. After satisfying her curiosity
in Europe, she embarked, with a numerous retinue, for Constantinople,
with the determination of making a long sojourn in the East, and
taking with her a large amount of property. A storm overtook the
vessel on the coast of Caramania, fronting the Island of Rhodes; the
vessel struck against a rock, and soon went to pieces, burying Lady
Hester's jewels and other property, to a large amount, in the waves.
Her own escape was almost miraculous. The piece of the wreck on which
she had taken refuge was cast on the shore of a small, desert island,
where she remained twenty-four hours, without help or food of any
kind. At last, some fishermen of Marmoriga, who were in search of the
remains of the wreck, found her out, and brought her to Rhodes.

Her resolution was not daunted by this disaster. She returned to
England, collected the remains of her fortune, and, after investing a
portion of it in the English funds, embarked once more for the East,
taking with her articles for presents, and whatever else might be of
service in the countries she designed to visit. Her voyage was
prosperous, and she landed at the site of the ancient Laodicea, now
called Latakia, between Tripoli and Alexandretta, on the coast of
Syria.

In the neighborhood of this place she fixed her residence, and entered
upon a course of preparation for her intended journeys into the most
inaccessible parts of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and the desert. She
strengthened her body by diet and exercise, and, from being weak and
debilitated, became strong and vigorous as an Amazon. She studied the
Arab language, and sought for intercourse with t