Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

The poftillion pointed to the hill-I then tried to return back to the flory of the poor German and his ass-but I had broke the clue-and could no inore get into it again, than the postillion could into a trot.

-The deuce go, said I, with it all! Here am I fitting as candidly disposed to make the best of the worst, as ever wight was, and all runs counter.

There is one sweet lenitive at least for evils, which nature holds out to us; fo I took it kindly at her hands, and fell afleep; and the first word which roused me was Amiens.

[ocr errors]

1

[ocr errors][merged small]

1

-Bless me! faid I, rubbing my eyes -this is the very town where my poor lady is to come.

i

AMIENS.

1

THE

scarce

out of my

HEL words were mouth, when the Count de L's postchaise, with his sister in it, drove haftily by: she had juft time to make me a bow of recognition and of that par ticular kind of it, which told me she 'had not yet done with me. She was as good as her look; for, before. I had quite finished my fupper, her brother's servant came into the room with a billet, in which she said the had taken the liberty to charge me with a letter, which I was to prefent myself to Madame R the first morning Inhad nothing to do at Paris. There was only added, she was forry, but from what penchant she had not confidered that

fhe

:

she had been prevented telling me her story that she still owed it me; and if my rout should ever lay through Brufsels, and I had not by then forgot the name of Madame de L that Madame de L-- would be glad to difcharge her obligation.

Then I will meet thee, said I, fair fpirit! at Bruffels 'tis only returning. from Italy through Germany to Holland, by the rout of Flanders, home- 'twill. scarce be ten posts out of my way; but were it ten thousand! with what a moral delight will it crown my journey, in sharing in the fickening incidents of a tale of misery told to me by fuch al fufferer? to fee her weep! and though

I cannot dry up the fountain of her

i

tears, what an exquifite sensation is there

still left, in wiping them away from off. the cheeks of the first and fairest of

women,

[ocr errors]

women, as I'm fitting with my handkerchief in my hand in filence the whole night befides her.

:

There was nothing wrong in the sentiment; and yet I instantly reproached my heart with it in the bitterest and most reprobate of expressions.

It had ever, as I told the reader, been one of the fingular blessings of my life, to be almost every hour of it mi ferably in love with fome one; and my last flame happening to be blown out by a whiff of jealousy on the sudden turn of a corner, I had lighted it up afresh at the pure taper of Eliza but about three months before-fwearing as I did it, that it should last me through the whole journey-Why should I difsemble the matter? I had fworn to her eternal fidelity-she had a right to my whole

whole heart- to divide my affections was to leffen them to expose them, was to risk them: where there is risk, there may be lofs:-and what wilt thou have, Yorick! to answer to a heart fo full of

1

truft and confidence-so good, so gentle and unreproaching?

-I will not go to Brussels, replied I, interrupting myfelf-but my imagination went on-I recall'd her looks at that erifis of our feparation when neither of us had power to say Adieu! I look'd at the picture she had tied in a black ribband about my neck and blush'd as It look'd at it-I would have given the world to have kiss'd it, but was afhamed-And shall this tender flower, faid I, preffing it between my handsshall it be smitten to its very root-and fmitten, Yorick! bythee, who haft promised to shelter it in thy breaft?

Eternal

:

« ZurückWeiter »