not power to disappoint her expectations-he trembled for my honour and possibly might not altogether be unconcerned for his own, as a man capable of being attached to a master who could be wanting en egards vis a vis d'une femme; so that when Madame de L *** asked La Fleur if he had brought a letter-O qu'oui, said La Fleur: so laying down his hat upon the ground, and taking hold of the flap of his right side pocket with his left hand, he began to search for the letter with his right; then contrarywise-Diable! then sought 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 lash-a night-capthen gave a peep into his hat, - Quelle etourderie! He had left the letter upon the table in the Auberge 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 simply as it was; and only added, that if Monsieur had forgot (par hazard) to answer Madame's letter, the arrangement gave him an opportunity to recover the faux pas-and if not, that things were only as they were.

Now I was not altogether sure of my etiquette, whether I ought to have wrote or no; but if I had-a devil himself could not have been angry: 'twas but the officious zeal of a well-meaning creature for my honour; and however he might have mistook the road or embarrassed me in so doing-his heart was in no fault-I was under no necessity to write-and what weighed more than all he did not look as if he had done amiss.

-'Tis all very well, La Fleur, said I-'Twas sufficient. 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 such 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 myself.

In short, I was in no mood to write.

La Fleur stepp'd out and brought a little water in a glass to dilute my ink-then fetch'd sand and seal-wax-It was all one: I wrote, and blotted, and tore off, and burnt, and wrote again -Le Diable l'emporte! said I half to myself-I cannot write this self-same letter; throwing the pen down despairingly as I said it.

As soon as I had cast down my pen, La Fleur advanced with the most 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 suit the occasion.

I had a mind to let the poor fellow have his humour-Then prithee, said I, let me see it.

La Fleur instantly pull'd out a little dirty pocket-book cramm'd full of small letters and billet-doux in a sad 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 question-La voila! said he, clapping his hands: so unfolding it first, he laid it before me, and retired three steps from the table whilst I read it.

MADAME,

J

THE LETTER.

E suis penetré de la douleur la plus vive, et reduit en même temps au desespoir par ce retour imprevû du Corporal qui rend notre entrevue de ce soir la chose du monde la plus impossible.

Mais vive la joie! et toute la mienne sera de penser a vous.

L'amour n'est rien sans sentiment.

Et le sentiment est encore moins sans amour.

On dit qu'on ne doit jamais se desesperer.

On dit aussi que Monsieur le Corporal monte

le garde Mercredi: alors ce sera mon tour.

Chacun a son tour.

En attendant-Vive l'amour! et vive la bagatelle!

Je suis, MADAME,

Avec toutes les sentiments les

plus respecteux et les plus tendres tout a vous,

JAQUES ROQUE. It was but changing the Corporal into the Count and saying nothing about mounting guard on Wednesday-and the letter was neither right or wrong-so to gratify the poor fellow, who stood trembling for my honour, his own, and the honour of his letter, -I took the cream gently off it, and whipping it up in my own way-I seal'd it up and sent him with it to Madame de L ***-and the next morning we pursued our journey to Paris.