The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 274: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE STEAM PACKET, . 209 At length the constancy of his visits to the vicinity of the prison _ became noticed by the gaolers; and information was sent to the Com- mittee of Public Safety. In those times the most trifling act was suf- ficient to create alarm; and Albert’s pertimacity in endeavouring to obtain a means of communication with the Royalists was sufficient to effect not only his own ruin but that of all his family. One night the house in which they dwelt was surrounded and entered by the soldiers of the Republic, and all were arrested. Pauline was immedi- ately dispatched to the hospital of the Magdelonettes, that being the receptacle for female prisoners in those times; while her father, hus- band, and brother were consigned to the Luxembourg. Thus in one ‘moment did misfortune again enter upon the domestic hearth of that unfortunate family, and sweep away all those hopes of peace and happi- ness in which the inmates had indulged. Albert had informed his relatives that Visount de Beauharnais had perished upon the scaffold, that his wife was the daughter of M. Tascher, and that she was a prisoner in the Magdelonettes. Pauline was therefore prepared to meet her on her arrival at that place of deten- tion; and the moment she entered the room to which female prisoners were consigned, she recognised the viscountess amongst four or five ladies who were also captives there. Madame de Beauharnais threw her- selfimto the arms of Madame Alvimar ; and the two friends, thus so sin- — gularly united again, wept copiously upon each other’s bosoms. When the first effusion of passion was somewhat passed, Pauline narrated all that had occurred since the day when they parted upwards of fifteen or sixteen years previously, at the white cottage in the Basse-Ville ; and the tears of the kind-hearted Josephine fell fast, when she heard all that the family of the Michels had endured. | “It is now my turn to give you certain explanations,” said she, “‘ which will fill up some of the gaps in your narrative, and account for much which as yet remains dark and mysterious to you. My name, as you well know, was Marie Francoise Josephine Rose Tascher de la Pagerie; and I was born at St. Pierre, in the island of Martinique. My mother died when I was young; and I accompanied my father to France in 1776, my hand having been previously betrothed to Vis- count Alexander de Beauharnais. It was upon the occasion of my arrival in France that I had the pleasure to form your acquaintance, _and should have been overjoyed to cultivate your friendship, as pro- mised, but for the reasons which I will now explain. I found my husband—for you must know that I had no time allowed to obtain an insight into his character during a period of courtship—a man of stern but honourable character, attached to all the prejudices of rank and P Gomiecbooks (E(0)