Page:Works of Voltaire Volume 02.djvu/177

Rh rose dying ; he never would have deserted her pillow to accompany the woman who poisoned her. Oppressed by these thoughts, I entered, shuddering, the room which I expected contained a corpse."

She was still alive. Old Clive-Hart died soon, because his physical strength was worn out by debauchery; but young Miss Primrose was sustained by a constitution as robust as her blood was pure. She saw me, and inquired, in a tender tone, after John. A flood of tears gushed from my eyes. I could not reply. I was unable to speak to the father. I was obliged to leave her to the faithful hands that served her.

We went to inform his lordship of this disaster. He is as kind to his friends as terrible to his foes. Never was there a more compassionate man with so stern a countenance. He took as much pains to assist the dying lady, and to overtake the abandoned woman, and discover John, as he had done to give Spain to the archduke. But all our search proved in vain. I thought it would kill Freind. Now we flew to the residence of Miss Primrose, whose dying was protracted, now to Rochester, Dover, Portsmouth. Couriers were despatched everywhere. We wandered about at random, like dogs that have lost the scent, while the unfortunate mother expected hourly the death of her child.

At length we learned that a handsome lady, accompanied by three young men and some servants,