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20 BIOGRAPHY.
One day in 1809, while the war was still raging im Fin-
land, a note was brought to my father while we were still
at dinner. ‘The contents seemed to surprise him, but he
said nothing, and put the note in his pocket. Early on the
following morning he entered “ Bonne Amie’s” room, after
we had gone in to read, and asked her to let him have the
two elder children for an hour or two.
“Bonne Amie” of course gave her consent at once, but
seemed to be as much surprised as we girls. We followed
my father, and when we had got into his private room, we
heard a knock at the door of the outer room. All this ap-
peared to us rather awful, and we did not know what to
think-of it. My father opened the door, and a man-servant
in the livery of a Jigare-chasseur entered, saying that he
had brought with him four soldiers of the guards, carrying
two chests which he had orders to deliver to my father,
handing him at the same time a sealed packet, with com-
pliments from Count L m, who would call upon my
father about dinner-time. ‘Two large iron-hooped chests
were then carried in, which were placed in my father’s
outer room. When the Jiigare had gone, my father
double-locked and bolted, first the outer door leading to
the hall, then the double doors, and lastly the door between
his two rooms, al] the time in profound silence and to our
great amazement. This done, my father broke the sealed
packet, took out of it two large keys, and applied them to
the chests, which he unlocked and opened. They were full
of small linen bags, and on each was written the initials
of my father’s name, C. F. B. We were now told to take
out the bags and place them in rows upon the floor.
These small bags were very heavy. When they had all
been taken out, my father counted them, untying the string
of one of them. We then saw that they contained large
silver coin. My father then opened the door of a large
closet or wardrobe, telling us to place all the bags in it;
they were so many in number that, when piled one upon
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