they brought us here. The
ship was swallowed up with all our riches; James, occupied solely with
me, had forgotten all; we no longer possessed anything; I was an orphan
with no fortune; James could not apply to any one without being
recognized.

"What remained to us in Martinique had, without doubt, been
confiscated--and then, how could we claim this property? For all
resource there remained to us a ring which I wore on my finger at the
time of the ship-wreck; we intrusted it to the tenants of this farm, who
had received us, to sell the diamond at Abbeville; they got for it about
four thousand livres--that was all our store. My health was so affected
that we were obliged to stop here; this measure, besides reconciled both
prudence and economy; the farmers were good, full of cares for us.

"Little by little my health became re-established. Almost without
resources we thought of the future with terror; however, we were young,
misfortune had redoubled our love; the simple, obscure, peaceable life
of our hosts impressed us; they were old, without children; we proposed
to them to take the half of their farm, and to make our apprenticeship
under their direction, avowing to them that we had no other resources
than the four thousand livres that we would share with them. Touched
with our position, these good people wished at first to dissuade us from
this project, representing to us how hard and laborious this life was. I
insisted; I felt myself full of courage and strength; James had lived a
hard life too long not to accustom himself to that of the fields. We
accomplished our design; I was tranquil about James. Who would seek the
Duke of Monmouth in an obscure farm in Picardy? At the end of two years
we had finished our apprenticeship, thanks to the lessons and teaching
of our good forerunners; their little fortune, augmented by our four
thousand livres, was sufficient. They made an agreement with the
treasurer of the abbey that we should succeed them and we take the
entire farm."

"Ah, madame, what resignation! what energy!" cried the chevalier.

"Ah, if you knew, my friend," said Monmouth, "with what admirable
serenity of soul, with what gentle gayety Angela endured his rough
life--she, accustomed to a life of luxury!--if you knew how she always
knew how to be gracious, elegant, and charming, all the while
superintending the affairs of the household with admirable activity!--if
you knew in fine, what strength I drew from