^2 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



wool, white and yellow nankeens, and even the 

 fluffs of Madagafcar. 



Madame de la Tour gave her daughter permif- 

 fion to purchafe whatever pleafed her, carefully ex- 

 amining, however, the quality of the goods and 

 their prices, left the merchants (hould impofc 

 upon her. Virginia made choice of what fhe 

 thought would be agreeable to her mother, to 

 Margaret, and to Paul. " This," faid fhe, '* will 

 *' be ufeful for furniture, that for Domingo and 

 " Mary.*^ In fhort, the bag of piaftres was ex- 

 pended, before Ihe thought of her own wants. It 

 became neceflary to cull her portion out of the 

 prefents which (he had diftributed among the 

 houfehold. 



Paid, overwhelmed with forrow, at the fight of 

 thefe gifts of fortune, which prefaged the depar- 

 ture of Virginia, came to my houfe, a few days 

 afterwards ; he faid to me, with a melancholy air: 

 " My fifter is going to leave us -, preparations are 

 " already made for her departure. Come over to 

 *' our habitation, I entreat you, and make ufe of 

 " your influence on the minds of her mother and 

 *^ of mine." I, accordingly, yielded to his impor- 

 tunity, though well afTured that my reprefentations 

 would be ineffeâiual. 



If 



i 



