So, secretly, and in the night, I
left my home, with an old and trusty servant, known to you as
Prudence, and my unfortunate, little brother and sisters.
Strange to say, Prudence was attached to one of them, and to
neither of the rest - that one was Leoline, whom she resolved to
keep and care for, and neither she nor I minded what became of
the other two."
"From Paris we went to Dijon, where we dropped Hubert into the
turn at the convent door, with his name attached, and left him
where he would be well taken care of, and no questions asked.
With the other two we started for Calais, en route for England;
and there Prudence got rid of Honorine in a singular manner. A
packet was about starting for the island of our destination, and
she saw a strange-looking little man carrying his luggage from
the wharf into a boat. She had the infant in her arms, having
carried it out for the identical purpose of getting rid of it;
and, without more ado, she laid it down, unseen, among boxes and
bundles, and, like Hagar, stood afar off to see what became of
it. That ugly little man was the dwarf; and his amazement on
finding it among his goods and chattels you may imagine; but he
kept it, notwithstanding, though why, is best known to himself.
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