the shop not resting in the husband, he seldom comes there:-in some dark and dismal room behind he sits commerceless in his thrum night-cap, the same rough son of Nature that Nature left him.

The genius of a people, where nothing but the monarchy is salique, having ceded this department, with sundry others, totally to the women-by a continual higgling with customers of all ranks and sizes from morning to night, like so many rough pebbles shook long together in a bag, by amicable collisions, they have worn down their asperities and sharp angles, and not only become round and smooth, but will receive, some of them, a polish like a brilliant-Monsieur le Mari is little better than the stone under your foot

-Surely, surely, man! it is not good for thee to sit alone; thou wast made for social intercourse and gentle greetings; and this improvement of our natures from it, I appeal to, as my evidence.

-And how does it beat, Monsieur? said she.With all the benignity, said I, looking quietly in her eyes, that I expected. She was going to say something civil in return, but the lad came into the shop with the gloves.—Apropos, said I, I want a couple of pairs myself.

THE GLOVES.

PARIS.

THE beautiful grisette rose up when I said this, and, going behind the counter, reached down a parcel, and untied it: I advanced to the side over-against her:

they were all too large. The beautiful grisette measured them one by one across my hand.—It would not alter the dimensions. She begged I would try a single pair, which seemed to be the least.-She held it open; -my hand slipped into it at once.-It will not do, said I, shaking my head a little.—No, said she, doing the same thing.

I

There are certain combined looks of simple subtlety, -where whim, and sense, and seriousness, and nonsense, are so blended, that all the languages of Babel set loose together, could not express them:-they are communicated and caught so instantaneously, that you can scarce say which party is the infector. leave it to your men of words to swell pages about it, -it is enough in the present to say again, the gloves would not do; so folding our hands within our arms, we both lolled upon the counter;—it was narrow, and there was just room for the parcel to lay between us.

The beautiful grisette looked sometimes at the gloves, then sideways to the window, then at the gloves,—and then at me. I was not disposed to break silence;—I followed her example: so I looked at the gloves, then to the window, then at the gloves, and then at her— and so on alternately.

I found I lost considerably in every attack:—she had a quick black eye, and shot through two such long and silken eyelashes with such penetration, that she looked into my very heart and veins.-It may seem strange; but I could actually feel she did.

It is no matter, said I, taking up a couple of the pairs next me, and putting them into my pocket.

I was sensible the beautiful grisette had not asked a single livre above the price. I wished she had asked a livre more; and was puzzling my brains how to bring the matter about. Do you think, my dear sir, said she, mistaking my embarrassment, that I could ask a sous too much of a stranger—and of a stranger whose politeness, more than his want of gloves, has done me the honour to lay himself at my mercy?-M'encroyez capable?—Faith! not I, said I; and if you were, you are welcome. So counting the money into her hand, and with a lower bow than one generally makes to a shopkeeper's wife, I went out; and her lad with his parcel followed me.

THE TRANSLATION.

PARIS.

THERE was nobody in the box I was let into, but a kindly old French officer. I love the character, not only because I honour the man whose manners are softened by a profession which makes bad men worse, but that I once knew one, for he is no more, and why should I not rescue one page from violation by writing his name in it, and telling the world it was Captain Tobias Shandy, the dearest of my flock and friends, whose philanthropy I never think of at this long distance from his death, but my eyes gush out with tears. For his sake, I have a predilection for the whole corps of veterans ; and so I strode over the two back rows of benches, and placed myself beside him. The old officer was reading attentively a small pamphlet (it might be the book of the opera) with a large