The Fille de Chambre. with earnest gravity assured him it was my most settled opinion. The Count said he was mortified, he could not stay to hear my reasons, being engaged to go that moment to dine with the Duc de C****. But if it is not too far to come to Versailles to eat your soup with me, I beg, before you leave France, I may have the pleasure of knowing you retract your opinion-or, in what manner you support it. But if you do support it, Monsieur Anglois, said he, you must do it with all your powers, because you have the whole world against you. I promised the Count I would do myself the honour of dining with him before I set out for Italy-so took my leave. THE TEMPTATION. PARIS. WHEN I alighted at the hotel, the porter told me, a young woman with a bandbox had been that moment enquiring for me.-I do not know, said the porter, whether she is gone away or no. I took the key of my chamber of him, and went up stairs; and when I had got within ten steps of the top of the landing before my door, I met her coming easily down. Association of Blushes. It was the fair fille de chambre I had walked along the Quai de Conti with: Madame de R**** had sent her upon some commission to a merchante de modes within a step or two of the hotel de Modene; and as I had fail'd in waiting upon her, had bid her enquire if I had left Paris; and if so, whether I had not left a letter addressed to her. As the fair fille de chambre was so near my door, she returned back, and went into the room with me for a moment or two whilst I wrote a card. It was a fine still evening in the latter end of the month of May-the crimson window-curtains (which were of the same colour of those of the bed) were drawn close-the sun was setting, and reflected through them so warm a tint into the fair fille de chambre's face-I thought she blush'd -the idea of it made me blush myself—we were quite alone; and that superinduced a second blush before the first could get off. There is a sort of a pleasing half-guilty blush, where the blood is more in fault than the man'tis sent impetuous from the heart, and virtue flies after it-not to call it back, but to make the sensation of it more delicious to the nerves-'tis associated.* *This association of blushes requires more elucidation than the compass of a note will admit, certainly conscious The Card. But I'll not describe it-I felt something at first within me which was not in strict unison with the lesson of virtue I had given her the night before-I sought five minutes for a card-I knew I had not one. -I took up a pen-I laid it down again-my hand trembled-the devil was in me. I know as well as any one he is an adversary, whom if we resist, he will fly from us—but I seldom resist him at all; from a terror, that though I may conquer, I may still get a hurt in the combat-so I give up the triumph for security; and instead of thinking to make him fly, I generally fly myself. The fair fille de chambre came close up to the bureau where I was looking for a card—took up first the pen I cast down, then offered to hold me the ink: she offer'd it so sweetly, I was going to accept it but I durst not-I have nothing, my dear, said I, to write upon.-Write it, said she, simply, upon any thing I was just going to cry out, Then I will write it, fair girl! upon thy lips. If I do, said I, I shall perish-so I took her by the hand, and led her to the door, and begg'd she would not forget the lesson I had given her-She ness of impropriety may raise the blush even where the heart is not in fault; but can virtue blush because the mind gave way to that consciousness of impropriety? |