Page:Reading for winter evenings.pdf/13

13 wife had lain in about a month; and she and I, and the two children, slept on a ground floor. We had just time to carry the children up stairs, before all was afloat in the room. When day appeared, we could see nothing from the windows but water. All the out-houses, ricks, and utensils were swept away; and all the cattle and sheep drowned. The sea kept rising, and the force of the current bore so hard against our house, that we thought every moment it must fall. We clasped our babies to our breasts, and expected nothing but present death. At length we spied a boat coming to us. With a good deal of difficulty, it got under our window, and took us in, with a servant maid and boy. A few clothes was all the property we saved; and we had not left the house half an hour, before it fell, and in a minute nothing was to be seen of it. Not only the farm-house, but the farm itself, was gone.

"I was now again a ruined man; and, what was worse, I had three partners in my ruin. My wife and I looked at one another, and then at our little ones, and wept. Neither of us had a word of comfort to say. At last, thought I, this country is not Morocco, however. Here are good souls that will pity our case, and perhaps relieve us. Then I have a character, and a pair of hands. Things are bad, but they might have been worse. I took my wife by the hand, and knelt down. She did the same. I thanked God for his mercy in saving our lives, and prayed that he would continue to protect us. We rose up with lightened hearts, and were able to talk calmly about our condition. It was my desire to return to my former master, the nurseryman; but how to convey my family so far without money was the difficulty. Indeed, I was much worse than nothing; for I owed a good deal to my landlord. He came down, upon the news of the misfortune; and, though his own losses were heavy, he not only forgave me the debt, and released me from all obligations, but made me a small present. Some charitable neighbours did the like. But I was most of all affected by the kindness of our late maid-servant, who insisted upon our accepting of a crown, which she had saved out of her wages. Poor soul! we had always treated her like one of ourselves, and she felt for us like one.

"As soon as we had got some necessaries, and the weather was tolerable, we set out on our long march. My wife carried our infant in her arms. I took the bigger child on my back, and a bundle of clothes in my hand. We could walk but a few miles a day; but we, now and then, got a lift in an empty wagon or cart, which was a great help to us. One day we