many
acts of bravery, as well as by his humane and honorable conduct. So
highly was he regarded by the East India Company, that he was
selected for most important services, and assigned to posts of great
responsibility. He was past thirty years of age when I met him, on the
occasion of one of his visits to England. The attraction was mutual;
and when he returned to Calcutta, I went with him as his wife. Then
came twenty years of a happy married life;--happy, I mean, so far as a
perfect union of souls can make us happy in this world, but miserable,
at times, through intense anxiety for the absent one exposed to fearful
perils.

"We had three children." There was a tremor in the voice of Mrs.
Montgomery as she referred to her children. "One only remains." She
paused, as if to recover herself, and then went on.

"I lost my husband first. Ten years ago, he fell at the post of duty,
and, while my heart lay crushed and bleeding under the terrible blow, it
leaped with throbbings of pride, as his honored name went sounding from
lip to lip, and from land to land. I had not the sad pleasure of being
with him in that last time. For the sake of our children, I was residing
in England.

"Troubles rarely come alone. Two years afterwards my oldest son died. My
home was in the family of General Montgomery, where I was treated with
great kindness; but as my income was not sufficient for an establishment
of my own, I felt a sense of obligation that is always oppressive to
one of my nature. This feeling grew upon me daily, and at last began to
haunt me like a constantly re-appearing spectre. It is now about
three years since, in looking over some old letters and papers, I came
unexpectedly upon a document written by my mother--all the evidence as
to this was clear--and addressed to myself. How it should have remained
so long unobserved, and yet in my possession, is one of the mysterious
things which I do not attempt to explain. There is a Providence in
all things, even to the most minute, and I simply refer the fact to
Providence, and leave it there. This document spoke briefly, but with
no special particularity, of her marriage with a Captain Allen, and
settlement in this town. It stated that she had two children, a son and
a daughter, and that in leaving America for England, she had taken her
daughter, but left the son behind. There was no suggestion as to the
use to be made of these facts; but there was such a statement of them as