s in the cave. He had a sad account to give me
of the fate of most of the fugitives who had been unable to get on board
the vessel. Some were cruelly sabred by the dragoons, even though
crying for quarter. Others--men, women (young and old), and children--
were lifted up on their horses, and carried off at full speed to the
neighbouring town, where they were thrown into the dungeons already
crowded with prisoners.

"At length the good pastor considered it safe to conduct me to a lonely
farm-house, where he told me I must remain till he could arrange for my
passage to England. I longed to go, in the hopes of recovering my dear
little Elise. Nearly a month passed before he was able to make the
desired arrangements. I wished to pay the good people with whom I had
lived, but they would receive no remuneration, and insisted on carrying
me in a cart to the beach, where the boat was ready to receive me. A
gale came on soon after we were at sea, and we were driven up the
Channel till we were off the town of Yarmouth, where at length I landed.
Some co-religionists of the good Mr Gournay, living in that town,
hearing of my arrival, received me in their house; and from thence I
came on to Norwich, where I have ever since resided. In vain I have
made inquiries for my dear little Elise, greatly helped by my kind
friends in this house, but no news have I received of her. You, I am
told, Monsieur Deane, are likely to be constantly moving about the
country, and it is possible that you may thus hear of the little girl,
should she have escaped."

"But she must have greatly grown since the time you speak of," observed
Deane: "it was fully ten years ago, was it not?"

"Ah, yes--yes!" answered Madame de Mertens; "but she cannot be so
changed that I should not know her; and you may hear, among the Huguenot
families, of a little orphan girl, though, I fear, alas! that there are
many, many such. I will show her picture to you as I conceive her to
be, and that perhaps may help you. I have drawn it often and often; for
my great delight is to think of the little girl, and of my dear husband
also. You would not know him though, I fear, if he survives, so greatly
changed must he be by the hardships and barbarities he has gone through.
Compared to his, my own fate has been fortunate, thanks to the
generosity of my kind friends in this house, and to others. I have also
been able to support myself by teaching, and have even had it in my