child, his only solace; and I shall never forget his benign language; the resignation with which he touched upon the subject of his dissolution.
"The hour, he said, was fast approaching; he felt sensible that he was every day drawing nearer to the period which would close for ever this mortal scene, and which would leave his child an orphan.
"The last mournful words faltered on his lip: his venerable hands, his tear-swollen eyes, were raised in supplication to Heaven. My feelings became excessive: unconscious of what I did, I threw myself at his feet, and clasped his knees.
"'Dear sir,' I exclaimed, 'your child shall be protected. Grant me the right of doing so; grant me the blessing which I crave; make me her guardian!'
"He was inexpressibly affected; his frame shook; he made a motion for me to rise; I obeyed, but he spoke not.
"The next moment Angelina entered. She did not seem to observe my confusion, nor the agitation of her father: she held in her hand a bird, which, with infantine playfulness, she advanced to show me; and having caressed it with the simplicity of youth, she gave the little captive its liberty. The sorrow she had experienced for the
