Eternal fountain of happinefs! faid I, kneeling down upon the ground-be thou my witness-and every pure fpirit which taftes it, be my witness also, That I would not travel to Bruffels, unless Eliza went along with me, did the road lead me towards heaven.

In tranfports of this kind, the heart, in fpite of the understanding, will always fay too much.

H

THE LETTER.

AMIENS.

FORTUNE had not finiled

upon La Fleur; for he had been unsuccessful in his feats of chivalry-and not one thing had offer'd to fignalize his zeal for my fervice from the time he had enter'd into it, which was almoft four and twenty hours. The poor foul burn'd with impatience; and the Count de L's fervant's coming with the letter, being the first practicable occafion which offered, La Fleur had laid hold of it; and in order to do honour to his mafter, had taken him into a back parlour in the Auberge, and treated him with a cup or two of the best wine in Picardy; and the Count de L--'s fervant in return, and not to be behind

hand

hand in politenefs with La Fleur, had taken him back with him to the Count's hôtel. La Fleur's prevenancy (for there was a paffport in his very looks) foon fet every fervant in the kitchen at ease with him; and as a Frenchman, whatever be his talents, has no fort of prudery in fhewing them, La Fleur, in lefs than five minutes, had pull'd out his fife, and leading off the dance himfelf with the firft note, fet the fille de chambre, the maitre d'hôtel, the cook, the fcullion, and all the houfhold, dogs and cats, befides an old monkey, a dancing: I fuppofe there never was a merrier kitchen fince the flood.

Madaine de L--, in paffing from her brother's apartments to her own, hearing fo much jollity below flairs, rung up her fille de chambre to ask about it; and hearing it was the English gentleH 2

man's

man's fervant who had fet the whole

house merry with his pipe, fhe order'd him up.

poor

As the fellow could not present himself empty, he had loaden'd himself in going up ftairs with a thousand compliments to Madame de L--, on the part of his mafter-added a long apocrypha of inquiries after Madame de L's health-told her, that Monfieur his Mafter was au defespoir au defefpoir for her re-establishment from the fatigues of her journey-and, to close all, that Monfieur had received the letter which Madame had done him the honour-And he has done me the honour, faid Madame de L-, interrupting La Fleur, to fend a billet in return.

Madame de L- had faid this with such a tone of reliance upon the fact, that

La

La Fleur had not power to disappoint her expectations-he trembled for my honour-and poffibly might not altogether be unconcerned for his own, as a man capable of being attached to a master who could be a wanting en egards vis à vis d'une femme; fo that when Madame de L-- afked La Fleur if he had brought a letter--O qu'oui, faid La Fleur: fo laying down his hat upon the ground, and taking hold of the flap of his right fide pocket with his left hand, he began to fearch for the letter with his right then contrary-wife- Diable!

then fought every pocket-pocket by pocket, round, not forgetting his fob -Pefte! then La Fleur emptied them upon the floor-pulled out a dirty cravat ➡a handkerchief—a comb-a whip-lash---a night-cap-then gave a peep into his hat-Quelle etourderie! He had left the letter upon the table in the Auberge—