PAUL AND VIRGINIA. II7 



her fountain, now arrived to perfed maturity. He 

 added, that he would not fend her any of the other 

 feeds of the ifland, in order that the defire of feeing 

 it's produftions once more, might determine her 

 to return thither immediately. He importuned her 

 to do this without delay, and thus gratify the ar- 

 dent wifhes of their family, and his own more par- 

 ticularly, as, henceforward, he could tafte no joy 

 at a diftance from her. 



Paul planted, with the greateft care, thefe Euro- 

 pean grains, and above all, thofe of the violet and 

 of the fcabious, the flowers of which feemed to 

 have fome analogy with the charafter and the fitu- 

 ticn of Virginia^ who had fo particularly recom- 

 mended them to him : but whether they had been 

 corrupted on their paflage, or whether, which is 

 more probable, the climate of that part of Africa 

 was not favourable to them, only a very fmall 

 number of them fprung, and even thefe never at- 

 tained to a ftate of perfedion. 



Envy, meanwhile, which frequently even out- 

 runs the happinefs of man,efpecially in the French 

 Colonies, foon circulated reports all over the 

 ifland, which gave Paul the greateft uneafmefs. 

 The people belonging to the velTel which had 

 brought Firginia\ letter, aflerted, that Qie was on 

 the point of marriage j they went fo far as to name 



II the 



