I have only one of my original flock left, and she is sister, child, and servant all in one. I fear that I shall soon lose her, for Simon Sablot, a fine young man of French protestant descent, and a ship's carpenter in good business, is looking after her, and I do not think she is at all averse to him. Mr. Cheriton in course of time succeeded to the Carew estate and title, and came to live upon his lands. This was a great joy to me, as it brought Amabel once more within my reach. She often comes to see me, and I have one or other of her daughters with me for weeks at a time. She has been a happy woman, though she has had her troubles, particularly in the loss of several of her children. When peace was proclaimed, Walter and Amabel went abroad and visited our old home in France. They found the convent quite deserted, save by an old priest who did duty in the church, and the court-yard and cemetery so overgrown that they could hardly find the place where dear Mother Superior was buried. The community were living and flourishing in the new house at Fleurs, having received several accessions to their numbers. Mother Prudentia was still superior, and received Amabel with great affection, though she mourned greatly over her desertion of the true church. The dear lady sent me some beautiful lace, and a book of His Grace the Archbishop of Cambrai's writings, which are good reading for any one, whether Catholic or Protestant. There is, it seems, little or no persecution for the sake of religion in France at present, though the Jesuits still hold up their heads, and have whatever education there is for the common people wholly in their own hands. But there is great distress among the people, especially among the peasantry, and many ominous mutterings of discontent. If the poor beast of burden does once get loose, I pity his former keepers. My Lord Carew is an excellent landlord, and has greatly improved the condition both of his estate and the people living upon it. He and Mr. Wesley are as great friends as ever. Mr. Wesley always visits me when he comes into these parts, and approves my management of the children in general, though he thinks I allow them too much play, * and shakes his head over the baby-house and storybooks in the girls' sitting-room. However, he admits nowadays that fiction may have its uses, and has himself edited an edition of Mr. Brooke's "Fool of Quality" under the name of "The life of Henry, Earl of Moreland," and he has also written some notes upon Shakespeare, † as he tells me. He is still hale and hearty, and preaches with all the fire and vigor of his early days, when I heard him in the church-yard of St. Anne's. * It is well-known that Mr. Wesley forbade play entirely in his own school at Kingswood—a strange mistake to be made by such a sensible, practical man. No wonder the school was not a success. † Which were unhappily destroyed.