Page 268 of 483

"And now, with the world before me, whither should I bend my

steps? I resolved to fly far from the scene of my misfortunes;

but to me, hated and despised, every country must be equally

horrible. At length the thought of you crossed my mind. I learned

from your papers that you were my father, my creator; and to whom

could I apply with more fitness than to him who had given me

life? Among the lessons that Felix had bestowed upon Safie,

geography had not been omitted; I had learned from these the

relative situations of the different countries of the earth. You

had mentioned Geneva as the name of your native town, and towards

this place I resolved to proceed.