Page:Boissonnas, Un Vaincu, English, 1875.djvu/44

 innocence, unpolluted by sin and uncontaminated by the vices of the world, still it so wrings a parent′s heart with anguish that it is painful to see.”

One has noticed, through all the different periods of Colonel Lee′s life, the strange charm he exerted on children. Hardly had they seen him than they pressed around him, listening to his slightest words, gave him their hearts, and did not forget him. The letter we have just read explains this exceptional attraction. The man who wrote it loved children. He loved them wich predilection. That affection was felt by them and returned to him.