The Adopted Daughter: A Tale for Young Persons

. Meridith's fire-side, and after tea she began w

t, lady Meridith, soon after; and my uncle, Sir Robert, married again; and as it was not unlikely he would now have a son, all thoughts of the title were given up, I may say without regret, by either of us. My uncle had taken no notice of us for some time; and though he was appointed joint trustee for me, with a friend of my father's, he left every thing in his hands. By my father's will I was not to be put into possession of the estates till I was twenty-five; nor was I allowed sufficient for us to live on in the style we had been accustomed to; particularly as my husband's fortune was small, and from the hope of his possessing the estate of his uncle, his mother had not proposed his following any profession. His father had property both in the East and West-

I wish my husband had never thought of it. However we arrived there with the remains of my dear little boy, whom I had no sooner seen laid in the ground, than I was taken ill, and a premature birth was the consequence; but the ch

ion of it without much trouble. We lived in a house which was situated on it; my little boy grew, and I began to recover my health and spiri

er, and could not be persuaded but that he was imposing on my husband, to whom I mentioned my suspicions; but he thought them groundless, and declared his intention of leaving him in charge of the estate, while he went to look after that in the East-Indies, and which he had been taught to believe was still more considerable. I gave up my opinion to his, and offered to accompany him thither. At first he refused, but I could n

, endeavoured to make my time pass as agreeably as they could in his absence; but I declined going into any company; my little boy, and the prospect of another child, engrossed all my attention, and many anxious hours I passed for the fate of their father, who was absent four months, during which time I heard from him as frequently as I could expect, but he did not recover his property here so easily as

ad now two children, one born in the West, and the other in the East-Indies; I pressed them both to my bosom, and long

uttered by all her auditors; who were too impatient to hear the rest of her eventful

d much more, and when he had quitted the place to return home, they followed him, and after murdering our old English servant, who had this time gone with his master, they robbed him of all he had in his possession. Syphax was one of these negroes, whom he had purchased but a few weeks before, and brought away with him, having been pleased with his appearance; and though he was evidently connected with these who followed them, and knew their intention, it was to his interference that his master owed his life: for, though he had been his property but a little while, his kindness insensibly gained his affection

roperty, I believe to be mine, for a sum of money which I have been robbed of since; my poor servant was killed in my def

man, but the negroes did persuade me; I ashamed that ever I agree to them: but I did not know you a good master till I lived with you: I thought all white men bad men. They treat us ill, and we treat them il

. Meridith promised to

t-Indies with me?' said he; 'you

n do not deserve to be called so. I have been very badly used in the

estates we can live comfortably. O let us go, and think no more of property in the Indies, when we have so much at home.' He seemed affected by my earnestness, but made it appear so very necessary that we should

ed, and begged to postpone the remaind

recital;" and her friends were too attentive to her feelings to urge her to con

said she, "is now accounted for; but he need not have been a

ented to the plan the negroes had proposed, his attachmen

s more than usually silent; she appeared melancholy, and as if