IN THE STREET. CALAIS. IT must needs be a hoftile kind of a world, when the buyer (if it be but of a forry poft-chaife) cannot go forth with the feller thereof into the street to terminate the difference betwixt them, but he instantly falls into the same frame of mind and views his conventionist with the fame fort of eye, as if he was going along with him to Hydepark corner to fight a duel. For my own part, being but a poor fword'sman, and no way a match for Monfieur Dessein, I felt the rotation of all the movements within me, to which the situation is incident -I looked at Monfieur Deffein through and through-ey'd him as he walked along 7 in profile then, en face-thought he look'd like a Jew-then a Turk-difliked his wig-cursed him by my godswished him at the devil -And is all this to be lighted up in the heart for a beggarly account of three or four Louisd'ors, which is the most I can be overreach'd in? Base passion! faid I, turning myself about, as a man naturally does upon a sudden reverse of sentiment-base, ungentle passion! thy hand is against every man, and every iman's hand against thee-Heaven forbid! faid she, raising her hand up to her forehead, for I had turned full in front upon the lady whom I had seen in conference with the monk-she had followed us unperceived- Heaven forbid indeed! faid I, offering her my own-she had a black pair of filk gloves open only at the thumb and two forefingers, so ac cepted cepted it without referve-and I led her up to the door of the Remife. 1 Monfieur Dessein had diabled the key above fifty times before he found out he had come with a wrong one in his hand: we were as impatient as himself to have it open'd; and so attentive to the obftacle, that I continued holding her hand almost without knowing it; so that Monsieur Deffein left us together with her hand in mine, and with our faces turned towards the door of the Remife, and faid he would be back in five minutes. Now a colloquy of five minutes, in fuch a fituation, is worth one of as many ages, with your faces turned towards the ftreet: in the latter cafe, 'tis drawn from the objects and occurrences withoutwhen your eyes are fixed upon a dead blank-you draw purely from yourselves. 1 A filence of a single moment upon Monfieur Dessein's leaving us, had been fatal to the situation-she had infallibly turned about-fo I begun the conversation inftantly. -But what were the temptations, (as I write not to apologize for the weaknesses of my heart in this tour, - but to give an account of them) - shall be defcribed with the same simplicity, with which I felt them. WHEN I told the reader that I did not care to get out of the Desobligeant, because I faw the monk in close conference with a lady just arrived at the Inn I told him the truth; but I did not tell him the whole truth; for I was full as much reftrained by the appearance and figure of the lady he was talking to. Sufpicion croffed my brain, and said, he was telling her what had passed: fomething jarred upon it within me I wished him at his convent. J When the heart flies out before the understanding, it saves the judgment a world of pains-I was certain she was |