ervation of my life.

'Disgusted with a world,' She replied, 'in which I have met with
nothing but misfortunes, my only wish is to retire into a Convent. But
first I must provide for my Children. I find that my Mother is no
more, probably driven to an untimely grave by my desertion! My Father
is still living; He is not an hard Man; Perhaps, Gentlemen, in spite of
my ingratitude and imprudence, your intercessions may induce him to
forgive me, and to take charge of his unfortunate Grand-sons. If you
obtain this boon for me, you will repay my services a thousand-fold!'

Both the Baron and myself assured Marguerite, that we would spare no
pains to obtain her pardon: and that even should her Father be
inflexible, She need be under no apprehensions respecting the fate of
her Children. I engaged myself to provide for Theodore, and the Baron
promised to take the youngest under his protection.

The grateful Mother thanked us with tears for what She called
generosity, but which in fact was no more than a proper sense of our
obligations to her. She then left the room to put her little Boy to
bed, whom fatigue and sleep had compleatly overpowered.

The Baroness, on recovering and being informed from what dangers I had
rescued her, set no bounds to the expressions of her gratitude. She
was joined so warmly by her Husband in pressing me to accompany them to
their Castle in Bavaria, that I found it impossible to resist their
entreaties. During a week which we passed at Strasbourg, the interests
of Marguerite were not forgotten: In our application to her Father we
succeeded as amply as we could wish. The good old Man had lost his
Wife: He had no Children but this unfortunate Daughter, of whom He had
received no news for almost fourteen years. He was surrounded by
distant Relations, who waited with impatience for his decease in order
to get possession of his money. When therefore Marguerite appeared
again so unexpectedly, He considered her as a gift from heaven: He
received her and her Children with open arms, and insisted upon their
establishing themselves in his House without delay. The disappointed
Cousins were obliged to give place. The old Man would not hear of his
Daughter's retiring into a Convent: He said that She was too necessary
to his happiness, and She was easily persuaded to relinquish her
design. But no persuasions could induce Theodore to give up the plan
which I had at first marked out for him. He had