he would run for it, and be back with it in three minutes. : I had just finished my supper when La Fleur came in to give me an account of his adventure: he told the whole story fimply as it was; and only added, that if Monfieur had forgot (par hazard) to anfwer Madame's letter, the arrangement gave him an opportunity to recover the faux pas-and if not, that things were only as they were. 'twas 1 Now I was not altogether fure of my etiquette, whether I ought to have wrote or no; but if I had a devil himfelf could not have been angry: but the officious zeal of a wellmeaning creature for my honour; and however he might have mistook the road embarrassed me in so doing- his heart or was in no fault-I was under no necef sity to write-and what weighed more than all he did not look as if he had done amifs. -'Tis all very well, La Fleur, faid I-'Twas fufficient. La Fleur flew out of the room like lightening, and return'd with pen, ink, and paper, in his hand; and coming up to the table, laid them close before me, with fuch a delight in his countenance, that I could not help taking up the pen. I begun and begun again; and though I had nothing to say, and that nothing might have been express'd in half a dozen lines, I made half a dozen different beginnings, and could no way please myfelf. In short, I was in no mood to La Fleur stepp'd out and brought a little water in a glass to dilute my ink -then fetch'd fand and feal-wax-It was all one: I wrote, and blotted, and tore off, and burnt, and wrote again -Le Diable l'emporte! faid I half to myfelf- I cannot write this felf-fame letter; throwing the pen down despairingly as I faid it. write. As foon as I had cast down the pen, La Fleur advanced with the inoft respectful carriage up to the table, and making a thousand apologies for the liberty he was going to take, told me he had a letter in his pocket wrote by a drummer in his regiment to a corporal's wife, which, he durst say, would fuit the occafion. I had a mind to let the poor fellow have his humour-Then prithee, said I, let me fee it. La La Fleur instantly pull'd out a little dirty pocket-book cramm'd full of small letters and billet-doux in a fad condition, and laying it upon the table, and then untying the string which held them all together, run them over one by one, till he came to the letter in questionLa voilà! faid he, clapping his hands: fo unfolding it first, he laid it before me, and retired three steps from the table whilft I read it. : THE LETTER. Jo e MADAME, fuis penetré de la douleur la plus vive, et reduit en même tems au defes poir par ce retour inprevû du Corporal qui rend notre entrevue de ce foir la chose du monde la plus impossible. Mais vive la joie! et toute la mienne sera de penser à Vous. L'amour n'est rien fans sentiment, Et le sentiment est encore moins fans amour. On dit qu'on ne doit jamais se defes perer, On |