Some time passed before he learned how the cottagers had come to be there. To someone who had experienced nothing, every part of the story was a wonder.
The old man’s name was De Lacey. He came from a good family in France, where he had lived for many years in comfort and respect. His son had been raised to serve his country, and his daughter Agatha had moved among ladies of the highest rank.
Only a few months before he arrived at the hovel, they had been living in a great and splendid city called Paris, surrounded by friends. The one who brought them down was Safie’s father.