Marquis,  "  rose  with  her  trials.  It  was  astonish-
ing to  see  so  delicate  and  beautiful  a  being  buffet
so  resolutely  with  hardships.  She  determined
on  a  desperate  means  of  escape.  One  dark  un-
ruly night,  she  issued  secretly  out  of  a  small
postern  gate  of  the  castle,  which  the  enemy  had
neglected  to  guard.  She  was  followed  by  her
female  attendants,  a  few  domestics,  and  some  gab-
lant  cavaliers  wrho  still  remained  faithful  to  her
fortunes.  Her  object  was  to  gain  a  small  port
about  two  leagues  distant,  where  she  had  private-
ly provided  a  vessel  for  her  escape  in  case  of
emergency.
The  little  band  of  fugitives  were  obliged  to
perform  the  distance  on  foot.  When  they  ar-
rived at  the  port  the  wind  was  high  and  stormy,
the  tide  contrary,  the  vessel  anchored  far  off  in
the  road,  and  no  means  of  getting  on  board,  but
by  a  fishing  shallop  that  lay  tossing  like  a  cockle
shell  on  the  edge  of  the  surf.  The  Duchess
determined  to  risk  the  attempt.  The  seamen
endeavoured  to  dissuade  her,  but  the  imminence
of  her  danger  on  shore,  and  the  magnanimity  of


THE  ADVENTURE  OF  MY  UNCLE.      37

her  spirit  urged  her  on.  She  had  to  be  borne  to
the  shallop  in  the  arms  of  a  mariner.  Such  was
the  violence  of  the  wind  and  waves,  that  he  fal-
tered, lost  his  foothold,  and  let  his  precious  bur-
then fall  into  the  sea.
