ALONE IN THE FOREST. 163 



-children otherwise than in the nursery of a friend, 

 under the care of nurses, and tending on an infant was 

 an entirely new experience, which troubled her much. 



To add to her, labors ague attacked her husband, and 

 to a young active man confinement to his bedroom or 

 to the house was, no doubt, very trying. To do him" 

 justice, he was always kind and considerate to his wife, 

 and, when not suffering under the effects of the ague, 

 took much of the care of the babe upon himself. 



One by one my poor friend parted with her jewelry 

 and her rick silks and satins, in order to raise the means 

 -of defraying the wages of a servant to perform such 

 -services as she was totally unused to and unfitted for. 

 She was fond of flowers, but finding it useless to try and 

 •cultivate them in the rough stony ground about her 

 house, she gave it up and was content with the few I 

 ■could give her from my garden. 



She came often to see me to ask advice about the 



baby, or for milk or other necessaries when in need of 



them. She knew that I took a kindly interest in her, 



and that she was always sure of sympathy and my 



husband's help if required in any difficulty. He pitied 



the misfortunes of her husband, and felt for them both 



i 

 in their trials. 



A longer interval than usual having elapsed without 



. a visit from my friend, and fearing that she, too, had 



fallen a victim to the ague, I walked over to ascertain 



^the cause of her long absence. I found her lying on 



