uade you all I can to return to them. I presume you
ran away from your home?"

"Yes, Sir, I did," replied he; "for I could not possibly stay there any
longer, and my brother did so before me, for the same reason that I
did."

"Well, I promise you, if you will confide in me, that I will not force
your inclinations; so now tell me who are your father and mother, and
why you left home. You want a friend now, and without confidence you
cannot expect friendship."

"I will tell you all, Sir," he replied, "for I see by your face that you
will not take advantage of me."

He then commenced, and you may imagine my surprise, my dear Madam, when
I found that it was my own brother Philip, whom I had left a child of
ten years old, who was addressing me. He had, as he had asserted, left
his home and thrown himself on the wide world for the same reason which
I had; for his spirit, like mine, could not brook the treatment which he
received. I allowed him to finish his narrative, and then made myself
known to him.

You may imagine the scene, and the delight of the poor fellow, who, as
he encircled me in his arms, clinging to me with the tears of joy on his
cheeks, told me that his great object had been to find me out, and that,
although he had no idea what had become of me, he thought it most likely
that I had taken to a seafaring life.

I now felt certain that Providence had specially interposed in this
business, and had, for its own good reasons, created those unusual
feelings of interest which I described to you, that I might be the
saviour of my brother; and most grateful was I, I can assure you. I had
now a companion and friend, one to love and to cherish. I was no longer
alone in the world and I do not know when I had felt so happy for a long
while.

I left my brother below in the cabin, and went on deck to acquaint the
officers with this strange meeting. The intelligence soon ran through
the vessel, and of course the poor shipwrecked boy became an object of
unusual interest. That whole day I was interrogating and receiving
intelligence from him relative to our family. I made him describe his
sisters and every member of it, even the servants and our neighbours
were not forgotten, and for the first time since I had quitted home, I
knew what had occurred during the six years of my absence. From the
accounts he gave me, I certainly had no inclination ever to return as
long as certain parties were in existence; and m