Here the
important part of the letter begins; and here, therefore, I read it to
you word for word."
He folded back the first page of the letter and read as follows.
"* * * Will you help us, my dear sister, to realise our new project?
As English people, we wish to adopt an English child. This may be
done, I believe, at the Foundling: my husband's lawyers in London will
tell you how. I leave the choice to you, with only these conditions
attached to it--that the child is to be an infant under a year old,
and is to be a boy. Will you pardon the trouble I am giving you, for
my sake; and will you bring our adopted child to us, with your own
children, when you come to Neuchatel?
"I must add a word as to my husband's wishes in this matter. He is
resolved to spare the child whom we make our own any future
mortification and loss of self-respect which might be caused by a
discovery of his true origin. He will bear my husband's name, and he
will be brought up in the belief that he is really our son. His
inheritance of what we have to leave will be secured to him--not only
according to the laws of England in such cases, but according to the
laws of Switzerland also; for we have lived so long in this country,
that there is a doubt whether we may not be considered as I domiciled,
in Switzerland. The one precaution left to take is to prevent any
after-discovery at the Foundling.
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