Page:Narrative of a captivity and adventures in France and Flanders between the years 1803 and 1809.djvu/212

 his confidence, and proposed various plans; none of which seeming to please him, I requested he would leave me to myself for a few minutes, and I would, in the interim, turn over in my mind, other schemes; he consented, and left me. My object for requesting this suspension of the negotiation, was, to send him to his wife, whom I had been informed, by Madame Derikre, he always consulted upon any important matter, and, as she had appeared disposed to be friendly towards me, it was a "ruse" I thought worth the experiment. In about half an hour, Madame Moitier brought me up some coffee, gave me no hopes of her husband's assistance, but told me kindly, that I should remain there till the evening. I thanked her, and again endeavoured to work upon her feelings, by highly colouring our sufferings, and impressively representing the extreme distress to which we were reduced, by her husband's refusal to assist us: she excused him, by pleading his poverty, and the risk of ruin; this I treated as very improbable, enlarging with emphasis, on the paramount duty of an affectionate