l66 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



eyes lledfaflly toward Heaven. In vain did Mar- 

 garet and I prefs her hands between ours, in vain 

 did we addrefs her by the moft tender appella- 

 tions ; to all thefe teftimonies of our ancient af- 

 fedlion, fhe appeared totally infenfible, and no- 

 thing but deep groans proceeded from her op- 

 preffed bofom. 



The next morning, they brought Paul, flretch- 

 ed along in a palanquin. Reafon had refunied it's 

 empire, but his voice was entirely loft. His inter- 

 view with his mother and Madame de la Tour, 

 which, at firft, I had been apprehenfive of, pro- 

 duced a better efFed than all the care which I had 

 hitherto taken. A ray of comfort beamed on the 

 countenances of thefe two unhappy mothers. They 

 both approached him, clafped him in their arms, 

 kiffed him ; and thofe tears which had been, till 

 then, reftrained, through excefs of forrow, now 

 began to flow. Paul foon mingled his with theirs. 

 Nature, being thus difburdened in thefe three un- 

 happy beings, a languid oppreflion fucceeded to 

 the convulfions of their grief, and procured for 

 them a lethargic repofe, which bore, in truth, a 

 ftrong refemblance to death. 



Meanwhile, M. de la Bourdomye Cent a melTenger 

 to me privately, informing me, that the body of 

 Virginia had, by his order, been conveyed to the 



city. 



