Eternal fountain of happiness! faid I, kneeling down upon the ground-be thou my witness-and every pure spirit which tastes it, be my witness also, That I would not travel to Brussels, unless Eliza went along with me, did the road lead me towards heaven. In transports of this kind, the heart, in spite of the understanding, will always say too much. H THE LETTER. AMIENS. FORTUNE had not fimiled upon La Fleur; for he had been unsuccessful in his feats of chivalry-and not one thing had offer'd to signalize his zeal for my service from the time he had enter'd into it, which was almost 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 master, 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 in politeness with La Fleur, had taken him back with him to the Count's hôtel. La Fleur's prevenancy (for there was a pafsport 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 shewing them, La Fleur, in less than five minutes, had pull'd out his fife, and leading off the dance himself with the first note, set the fille de chambre, the maitre d'hôtel, the cook, the scullion, and all the houshold, dogs and cats, befides an old monkey, a dancing: I suppose there never was a merrier kitchen fince the flood. hand Madame de L--, in passing from her brother's apartments to her own, hearing fo much jollity below stairs, rung up her fille de chambre to ask about it; and hearing it was the English gentle 1 man's fervant who had set the whole house merry with his pipe, she order'd him up. As the poor 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 master-added a long apocrypha of inquiries after Madame de L's health-told her, that Monfieur his Mafter was au defespoir 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, said 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; so that when Madame de L-- asked La Fleur if he had brought a letter--0 quoui, faid La Fleur: so 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 -Peste! then La Fleur emptied them upon the floor-pulled out a dirty cravat -a handkerchief a comb-a whip-lasha night-cap-then gave a peep into his hat-Quelle etourderie! He had left the letter upon the table in the Auberge |