THE LETTER*

told her, that Monsieur his master was au desespoir for her re-establishment from the fatigues of her journey-and, to close all, that Monsieur 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 send a billet in return?

Madame de L*** had said this with such a tone of reliance upon the fact, that La Fleur had 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-se 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 contrary-wiseDiable! then sought every pocket-pocket by pocket, round, not forgetting his fob-Peste!then La Fleur emptied them upon the floorpulled out a dirty cravat-a handkerchief-a comb-a whip-lash-a night-cap-then 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.

AMIENS.

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 (per 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 lightning, and returned 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 expressed 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.

THE LETTER.

La Fleur stept out, and brought a little water in a glass to dilute my ink-then fetched sand and scaling-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 same letter; throwing the pen down despairingly as I said it.

As soon as I had cast down the 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, prythee, said I, let me see it.

La Fleur instantly pulled out a little dirty pocket-book, crammed 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, ran 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.

Je 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 mond la plus impossible. Mais vive la joie! et toute la mienne sera de penser à vous.

L'amour n'est rien sans sentiment.

Et le sentiment est encore moins sans amour. On dit qu'on ne droit jamais se desespérer. On dit aussi que Monsieur le Corporal monte la garde Mercredi: alors ce sera mon tour. Chacun à son tour.

En attendant-Vive l'amour! et vive la baga. telle!

Je suis, MADAME,

Avec toutes les sentimens le plus

reslectueux et les plus tendres, tout à 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

ENTRANCE INTO PARIS.

stood trembling for my honour, his own, and the honour of his letter-I took the cream gently off it, and whipped it up in my own way -I sealed it up, and sent him with it to Madame de L***—and the next morning we persued our journey to Paris.

PARIS.

WHEN a man can contest the point by dint of equipage, and carry all on floundering before him with half a dozen lackies and a couple of cooks -'tis very well in such a place as Paris-he may drive in at which end of a street he will.

A poor prince, who is weak in cavalry, and whose whole infantry does not exceed a single man, had best quit the field, and signalize himself in the cabinet, if he can get up into it-I say up into it for there is no decending perpendicularly amongst them with a " Me voici! mes enfans"-ere I am whatever many may think.

I own my first sensations, as soon as I was left solitary and alone in my own chamber in the hotel, were far from being so flattering as I had prefigured them: I walked up gravely to the window in my dusty black coat, and looking through the glass, saw all the world in yellow, blue, and green, running at the ring of pleasure