Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: June 15, 2025
General Vincent, leaving the south of the island in a state of perfect tranquillity, had arrived to enjoy his honours in the presence of L'Ouverture and his family. Madame Dessalines had come over from Saint Marc. As Afra was of the party, Monsieur Pascal had found it possible to leave his papers for a few hours. Toussaint had caught as many fish as if he had been Paul himself.
There was a pause; after which Euphrosyne said "I suppose we shall hear the battle." There was another pause, during which Madame's tears were dropping into her lap. Afra wondered how General Dessalines would bear to hear the firing from his chamber, so near, and be unable to help. "That puts me in mind," said Madame, rising hurriedly "how could I forget?
"Nonsense!" replied Afra. "Miss," this to the owner of the studio, who was so called in honor of her English birth, "are you ever troubled by the ghost of that young painter who hung himself up there?" "Those who have occasion to commit suicide are not likely to come back: they have had enough of this world," said the Englishwoman. "Did some one really die here?" I asked.
"You have not told me who the gentleman is, you know; so there is not much harm done. No, do not tell me, my dear, till Mademoiselle Raymond desires it." "Oh, I may as well, now you know so much. I dare say Afra would have no objection; particularly as you will then understand what I meant about living somewhere else.
I shall go with Afra to the cacao-gathering at Le Zephyr, as I did last year. Oh, that sweet cool place in the Mornes du Chaos! How different from this great ugly square white convent, with nothing that looks cheerful, and nothing to be heard but teaching, teaching, and religion, religion, for ever."
She was pretty sure Afra would think as she did: and, if so, the time might come it made her breathless to think of it, but she could not help thinking of it every day the time might come when she might ask Toussaint himself what he thought was exactly meant, in all cases, by forgiving our enemies; and particularly whether this did not extend to forgiving other people's enemies, and using no vengeance and no violence at all.
"Think of them as you did of your sons, when they were at Paris as absent for a while to gain experience, and sure to return. You will find one of them, perhaps both, as happy on your bosom hereafter as we see your Placide by his father's side." "How can you say so, Afra? Which of my girls will ever come to me again, as they did at Breda?"
"I would not be rash, Euphrosyne replied; but we know now how these people came into the morne, and L'Ouverture will guard the pass. And remember, Afra, we have beaten them; and they will take care how they attack us another time. Remember, we have beaten them." "We have beaten them," said Dessalines, laughing. "And what did you do to beat off the French, my little lady?"
She did not know, any more than the crowd that lined the way, that in the centre of this body of military, and concealed by the green boughs, were the eleven mulatto prisoners. Afra entered quickly to say farewell; and, lifting her veil hastily, she said, "Kiss me, and let me go. L'Ouverture says he shall take us into church himself, as my father is not here.
They were her last words, no sooner spoken than she gave up her soul to God "peacefully," says her historian, "as a child composing itself to sleep in its mother's arms." She died on the 27th of January, 1540, at half-past nine in the evening, aged sixty-six or sixty-seven. Her precious remains repose in the Church of St. Afra, at Brescia, and are in a state of wonderful preservation.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking