amen!

Tidying up (yet again!) the mound of books that my baby girl had so graciously piled on the floor, I came across this little gem of a quote. It is the last line of The Swiss Family Robinson and is found at the end of this moving passage:

The anchor has been weighed, the sails unfurled, the flag run up to the masthead, and a rapid wind promises speedily to separate us from our children.

I will not attempt to paint the grief of my dear Elizabeth - it is the grief of a mother, silent and profound. Jack and Ernest are weeping bitterly, and my own grief is, I must confess, but badly concealed.

I finish these few lines whilst the ship's boat is waiting. My sons will thus receive my last blessing. May God ever be with you. Adieu, Europe! adieu, dear Switzerland! Never shall I see you again! May your inhabitants be always happy, pious, and free!

Oh if only, if only...

Thank you David Wyss for taking the words right out of my mouth, though I knew not that they were there.