tle picture from the hands of Paul, said
to him, with emotion, 'My dear brother, I will never part with this while I
live; nor will I ever forget that you have given me the only thing which
you possess in the world.' At this tone of friendship this unhoped-for
return of familiarity and tenderness, Paul attempted to embrace her; but,
light as a bird, she fled, and left him astonished, and unable to account
for a conduct so extraordinary.

"Meanwhile Margaret said to Madame de la Tour, 'Why do we not unite our
children by marriage? They have a tender attachment to each other.' Madame
de la Tour replied, 'They are too young, and too poor. What grief would it
occasion us to see Virginia bring into the world unfortunate children, whom
she would not perhaps have sufficient strength to rear! Your negro,
Domingo, is almost too old to labour; Mary is infirm. As for myself, my
dear friend, in the space of fifteen years I find my strength much failed;
age advances rapidly in hot climates, and, above all, under the pressure of
misfortune. Paul is our only hope: let us wait till his constitution is
strengthened, and till he can support us by his labour: at present you well
know that we have only sufficient to supply the wants of the day: but were
we to send Paul for a short time to the Indies, commerce would furnish him
with the means of purchasing a slave; and at his return we will unite him
to Virginia: for I am persuaded no one on earth can render her so happy as
your son. We will consult our neighbour on this subject.

"They accordingly asked my advice, and I was of their opinion. 'The Indian
seas,' I observed to them, are calm, and, in choosing a favourable season,
the voyage is seldom longer than six weeks. We will furnish Paul with a
little venture in my neighbourhood, where he is much beloved. If we were
only to supply him with some raw cotton, of which we make no use, for want
of mills to work it, some ebony, which is here so common, that it serves us
for firing, and some resin, which is found in our woods: all those articles
will sell advantageously in the Indies, though to us they are useless.'

"I engaged to obtain permission from Monsieur de la Bourdonnais to
undertake this voyage: but I determined previously to mention the affair to
Paul; and my surprise was great, when this young man said to me, with a
degree of good sense above his age, 'And why do you wish me to leave my
family for this precarious pursuit of fortune