When therefore Marguerite appeared again so unexpectedly, he considered her as a gift from heaven: he received her and her children with open arms, and insisted upon their establishing themselves in his house without delay. The disappointed cousins were obliged to give place. The old man would not hear of his daughter’s retiring into a convent: he said that she was too necessary to his happiness, and she was easily persuaded to relinquish her design. But no persuasions could induce Theodore to give up the plan which I had at first marked out for him. He had attached himself to me most sincerely during my stay at Strasbourg; and when I was on the point of leaving it, he besought me with tears to take him into my service: he set forth all his little talents in the most favourable colours, and tried to convince me that I should find him of infinite use to me upon the road. I was unwilling to charge myself with a lad but scarcely turned of thirteen, whom I knew could only be a burden to me: however, I could not resist the entreaties of this affectionate youth, who in fact possessed a thousand estimable qualities. With some difficulty he persuaded his relations to let him follow me, and that permission once obtained, he was dubbed with the title of my page.