I had made an acquaintance with a very sober, good sort of a woman, who was a widow too, like me, but in better circumstances. Her husband had been a captain of a merchant ship, and having had the misfortune to be cast away coming home on a voyage from the West Indies, which would have been very profitable if he had come safe, was so reduced by the loss, that though he had saved his life then, it broke his heart, and killed him afterwards; and his widow, being pursued by the creditors, was forced to take shelter in the Mint.
J'y fis la connaissance d'une bonne et modeste sorte de femme, qui était veuve aussi, comme moi, mais en meilleure condition; son mari avait été capitaine de vaisseau, et ayant eu le malheur de subir un naufrage à son retour des Indes occidentales, fut si affligé de sa perte, que bien qu'il eût la vie sauve, son coeur se brisa et il mourut de douleur; sa veuve, étant poursuivie par les créanciers, fut forcée de chercher abri à la Monnaie.