He took refuge in your father's house, and lay hid there; but his retreat was discovered.

During the next night, a party of Cossacks, commanded by an officer, and followed by a travelling-carriage, arrive at our door; they rouse the general from his sleep and take him away with them." "Oh, heaven! what did they mean to do with him ?" "Conduct him out of the Russian dominions, with a charge never to return, on pain of perpetual imprisonment.

His last words were: 'Dagobert, I entrust to thee my wife and child!'-- for it wanted yet some months of the time when you were to be born.

Well, notwithstanding that, they exiled your mother to Siberia; it was an opportunity to get rid of her; she did too much good at Warsaw, and they feared her accordingly.
Not content with banishing her, they confiscated all her property; the only favor she could obtain was, that I should accompany her, and, had it not been for Jovial, whom the general had given to me, she would have had to make the journey on foot.

It was thus, with her on horseback, and I leading her as I lead you, my children, that we arrived at the poverty-stricken village, where, three months after, you poor little things were born!" "And our father ?" "It was impossible for him to return to Russia; impossible for your mother to think of flight, with two children; impossible for the general to write to her, as he knew not where she was." "So, since that time, you have had no news of him ?" "Yes, my children--once we had news." "And by whom ?" After a moment's silence, Dagobert resumed with a singular expression of countenance: "By whom ?--by one who is not like other men.