home, when his afs died. Every one feem'd defirous to know what business could have taken fo old and poor a man fo far a journey from his own home. It had pleased heaven, he said, to bless him with three fons, the finest lads in all Germany; but having in one week loft two of them by the fmall-pox, and the youngest falling ill of the fame diftemper, he was afraid of being bereft of them all; and made a vow, if Heaven would not take him from him alfo he would go in gratitude to St. Iago in Spain. and wept When the mourner got thus far in his story, he stopp'd to pay nature her tribute bitterly. He faid Heaven had accepted the conditions; and that he had fet out from his cottage with this poor creature, who had been a patient partner of his journey -that it had eat the fame bread with him all the way, and was unto him as a friend. money. Every body who flood about heard the poor fellow with concern La Fleur offered him The mourner faid he did not want it it was not the value of the afs → but the lofs of him. The afs, he faid, he was affured, loved him and upon this told them a long story of a mifchance upon their paffage over the Pyrenean mountains which had feparated them from each other three days; during which time the afs had fought him as much as he had fought the afs, and that they had neither scarce eat or drank till they met. Thou hast one comfort, friend, said I, at leaft in the lofs of thy poor beaft; I'm fure thou haft been a merciful master to him. Alas! faid! faid the mourner, I thought fo, when he was alive but now he is dead I think otherwife.. I fear the weight of myself and my afflictions together have been too much for him they have fhortened the poor creature's days, and I fear I have them to answer for. Shame on the world! faid I to myfelf - Did we love each other as this poor foul but loved his ass'twould be fomething. NAMPONT. NAM PONT. THE POSTILLION. HE concern which the poor fellow's story THE threw me into, required fome attention: the postillion paid not the leaft to it, but fet off upon the pavè in a full gallop. The thirstieft foul in the most fandy defert of Arabia could not have wished more for a cup of cold water, than mine did for grave and quiet movements; and I fhould have had an high opinion of the poftillion had he but stolen off with me in fomething like a penfive pace On the contrary, as the mourner finished his lamentation, the fellow gave an unfeeling lash to each of his beafts, and fet off clattering like a thousand devils. I called to him as loud as I could, for heavens' fake to go flower- and the louder I called the more unmercifully he galloped. The deuce take him and his gallopping too faid I he'll go on tearing my nerves to pieces till he has worked me into a foolish paffion, and then he'll go flow, that I may enjoy the fweets of it. The poftillion managed the point to a miracle: by the time he had got to the foot of a steep hill about half a league from Nampont, he had put me out of temper with him and then with myfelf, for being fo. My cafe then required a different treatment; and a good rattling gallop would have been of real fervice to me -Then, -Then, prithee get on-get on, my good lad, faid I. The poftillion pointed to the hill I then tried to return back to the ftory of the poor German and his àfs but I had broke the clew and could no more get into it again, than the postillion could into a trot. The deufe go, faid I, with it all! Here am I fitting as candidly difpofed to make the best of the worst, as ever wight was, and all runs counter. There is one fweet lenitive at least for evils, which nature holds out to us; so I took it kindly at her hands, and fell asleep; and the first word which aroufed me was Amiens. Blefs me! faid 1, rubbing my eyes this is the very town where my poor lady is to come. AMIENS. THE AMIENS. HE words were scarce out of my mouth, when the count de L 's post-chaise, with his fifter in it, drove hastily by: fhe had just time to make me a bow of recognition and of that particular kind of it, which told me The had not yet done with me. She was as good as her look, for, before I had quite finished my fupper, her brother's fervant came into the room with a billet, in which the faid, fhe had taken the liberty to charge me with a letter, which I was to prefent myself to Madame R *** the first morning I had nothing to do at Paris. There was only added, the was forry, but from what penchant The had not confidered, that the had been prevented telling me her story — that she still owed it me; and if my route should ever lay through Bruffels, and I had not by then forgot the name of Madame de L *** that Madame de L*** would be glad to discharge her obligation. -- Then I will meet thee, faid I, fair spirit! at Bruffels 'tis only returning from Italy through Germany to Holland, by the route of Flanders, home -'twill fcarce be ten posts out of my way; but were it ten thousand! with what a moral delight will it crown my journey, in fharing in the fickening incidents of a tale of mifery told to me by fuch a fufferer? to fee her weep and though I cannot dry up the fountain of her tears, what an exquifite fenfation is there ftill left, in wiping them away from off the cheeks of the first and fairest of women, as I'm fitting |