As she seemed rapidly getting worse, he proposed that he should administer to her the last rites of her religion, to which she thankfully acceded. After having confessed her, he said he thought she had better take a little of a cordial which he had, to strengthen her a little before receiving the sacrament; he was about to shake a small powder into a cup as he spoke, but she interrupted him, and taking a little silver cup from below her pillow, she said, Mix it in this; this cup was given me by my dear husband, and I never, since his death, have drunk out of any other.' He obeyed, and gave the cup into her hand; she raised it to her lips—a shudder she could not account for thrilled through her veins and placing it on the table which stood by her, she said, 'she did not feel inclined to take it then, but would after she had received the sacrament.' In vain he remonstrated-she was firm. He administered the sacrament, then taking the cup, with the mixture in it, into his hands, he held it to her lips; suddenly uttering a loud scream, she exclaimed, O my head! let the doctor come to me—I am dying.' The nurse called

6

the physician; the moment he entered, the patient exclaimed- Seize the priest ! there is poison in the cup! It was but too true, the silver cup was discoloured by the poison he had infused into it. Yet this monster was only sentenced to perpetual banishment: his own life was spared, though he had terminated the existence of so many others. He had enriched himself by first becoming intimately acquainted with the private circumstances of his poor patients, and then influencing them to leave him their property; he afterwards prevented the possibility of their recovery by administering poison to them.

"I am glad to be able to add, that Madame J—————'s mother recovered from the plague; and neither Madame J or any of her other sisters were attacked by it."

"This is a singular story," said Mr. Percy, as he closed the volume; " but I must not remain now to comment upon it. We must stop here for the present, for I have an appointment with Monsieur la B I am afraid he may have been expecting me for

some time; but it was impossible to leave this poor lady in the hands of such a villain."

— you

"You must tell Monsieur la B. were detained by a case of life and death, papa; a lawyer will quite understand that excuse," exclaimed Florence, as Mr. Percy left the room. "Oh!" she continued, "how I did tremble when that vile priest held the cup again to that poor lady's lips, after he had administered to her the sacrament. quite suspected it was poisoned—did you, Mary?"

I

"Yes, from the moment it was mentioned that she was averse to swallowing the mixture, and that a shudder thrilled through her veins, I felt assured there was poison in the cup, but I did not feel afraid of her taking it-it seemed to me as if God's protecting arm was around her. How deeply grateful must she have felt for such a blessed interposition of Providence !"

"True, my dear girls," said Mrs. Percy; "and yet is it not strange, that our gratitude should be alone called forth by such signal instances as this? When is there a moment,

Florence, that God's protecting arm is not sustaining, and defending us? The very constancy of his love, and the commonness of his bounty, causes our cold hearts to undervalue both. Our daily life is a miracle of power and goodness. The air around us has more deadly poison than the chalice of that wicked friar, but he transforms the poison into the stream of health and safety. Oh what a depth of meaning-what an intense and profound devotion is there in these beautiful expressions, so often on our lips-so little in our heart-In Him we live and move, and have our being.' Yet David knew it well, when he exclaimed, If thou hidest thy face they are troubled, thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust.'

206

CHAPTER XVI.

"EMILY, what have I to relate?

"March 3.

To-day we

have had startling intelligence. Our landlord, Monsieur Aimes, came in this morning with a most dismal face, to inform us that Bonaparté had escaped from Elba-had landed yesterday at Cannes, within twenty miles of us-and was now at Grace, with a view of penetrating into Dauphiné, where he has hopes of finding many of the people disposed to join him. Papa at first treated all this as nonsense; but our excellent friend, Monsieur la B—, has just been here, who seems to think that the report really has foundation, and has heard that troops are immediately expected from Marseilles to