"Fear not," said he to her; "I feel myself very strong with you." ... When Paul had passed over, and was on the bank, he wished to continue his journey laden with his sister, flattering himself that he could ascend in that manner the mountain of the Three Peaks, which he saw before him at the distance of half a league; but his strength soon began to fail, and he was obliged to set her on the ground and to throw himself down beside her.... Virginia plucked from an old tree, which hung over the banks of the river, some long leaves of hart's tongue which hung down from its trunk. She made of these a kind of buskins with which she bound her feet, which the stones of the way had caused to bleed, for in her hurry to do good she had forgotten to put on her shoes. Feeling herself relieved by the freshness of the leaves she broke off a branch of bamboo and began to walk, leaning with one hand on the cane and with the other on her brother. In this manner they walked on slowly through the woods; but the height of the trees and the thickness of their foliage made them soon lose sight of the mountain of the Three Peaks, by which they had directed themselves, and even of the sun, which was already setting. After some time they quitted, without perceiving it, the beaten path which they had till then followed, and found themselves in a labyrinth of trees, shrubs, and rocks, which had no farther outlet. Paul made Virginia sit down, and ran almost distracted in search of a path out of this thick wood; but he wearied himself in vain. He climbed to the top of a lofty tree, to discover at least the mountain of the Three Peaks, but he could perceive nothing around him but tops of trees, some of which were illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun. Already the shadow of the mountains covered the forests in the valleys; the wind was going down, as is usual at sunset; a profound silence reigned in these solitudes, and no noise was heard but the cry of the stags who came to seek repose in these unfrequented recesses. Paul, in the hope that some hunter might hear him, cried out as loud as he could: "Come! Come! and help Virginia!" But only the echoes of the forest answered to his voice and repeated several times successively: "Virginia! Virginia!" Paul now descended from the tree, overcome with fatigue and disappointment; ... he began to weep. Virginia said to him: "Do not weep, my dear, unless you wish to overwhelm me with grief.... O! I have been very imprudent." And she began to shed tears. Nevertheless, she said to Paul, "Let us pray to God, my brother, and he will have pity on us." Scarcely had they finished their prayer when they heard the barking of a dog.... "I believe," said Virginia, "it is Fidele, our house-dog." Of course all turned out happily. A rescue party had come in search of the estray, and they were soon brought with rejoicing home.