another dangerous voyage, I came by land. from Vittoria to Ostend.

As no

vessel was going to sail for some days, I trusted myself, and the little property I had remaining, with two sailors in an open boat till we arrived near Ramsgate we had a tolerably calm passage, when on a sudden the sea became unusually rough; what followed you are well acquainted with, and may Heaven forgive me, but had my generous preservers known my misfortunes, it would have been compassion to have suffered me to perish.

I have now nothing on earth I can call my own; I cannot without your friendly aid return to my father, and

Heaven knows whether he will receive me once more to that dear and lamented home."

The Count d'Alembert assured her she should want nothing while it was in his power to prevent it, and promised to provide for her an escort to Ireland, an offer which was most thankfully accepted by the afflicted widow.

Laura was, during the whole narration, extremely affected, thinking that the same might, perhaps, be the dismal fate of her Edmund: such is generally the case, so prone are we to embitter our existence by the anticipation of evils which may never befal us.

As soon as the nécessary preparations were made, the Count dispatched two of his own domestics, an Irish man-servant and a waiting-maid, with Mrs. Auben, and supplied her with every thing she was likely to want on her journey.

ལ

CHAP. XIII.

Rare are solitary woes,

They love a train, they tread each others heels

In quick and close succession.

In the space of three weeks the Count's domestics returned with the melancholy information of the death of "Poor unfortunate wo

Mrs. Auben.

man," exclaimed Laura, "to what a hard destiny wert thou born; but let us hear," said she, addressing herself to the man, "what occasioned it."

"During the whole of our journey," replied he, "poor Mrs. Auben was in a

not take our advice, but sent word who she was. When they had kept us waiting I don't know how long, out comes an impertinent looking fellow of a footman-The Baron of, my master, desires he may not be troubled again with his runaway daughter, he has been all over the kingdom after you, and could not find you, so wont have any thing to do with you now; and indeed he is very right, for I suppose you would not have come back now if you had not wanted something.'

So saying the ill-bred fellow banged too the door of the chaise, and turning on his heel went in, but not before he had received a plentiful share of abuse from Jenny and me. Our poor lady,