After our father’s death, the estate that he left us was equally divided among us; and as soon as these two sisters received their portions, they went from me to live with their mother. My other two sisters and myself staid with our mother, who was then alive, and when she died, left each of us a thousand sequins. As soon as we received our portions, the two elder, (for I am the youngest,) being married, followed their husbands, and left me alone. Some time after, my eldest sister’s husband sold all that he had, and with that money and my sister’s portion, they went both into Africa, where her husband, by riotous living and debauchery, spent all; and, finding himself reduced to poverty, he found a pretext for divorcing my sister, and put her away. She returned to this city; and, having suffered incredible hardships by the way, came to me in so lamentable a condition, that it would have moved the hardest heart to compassion. I received her with all the tenderness she could expect; and, inquiring into the cause of her sad condition, she told me with tears how inhumanly her husband had dealt by her. I was so much concerned at her misfortune that it drew tears from my eyes. I put her into a bath, and clothed her with my own apparel, and spoke to her thus: Sister, you are the elder, and I esteem you as my mother; during your absence, God has blest the portion that fell to my share, and the employment I follow to feed and bring up silk-worms. Assure yourself there is nothing I have but is at your service, and as much at your disposal as my own. We lived very comfortably together for some months; and as we were often discoursing together about our third sister, and wondering we heard no news of her, she came in as bad a condition as the elder; her husband had treated her after the same manner, and I received her likewise with the same affection as I had done the former.