at him as I fat in the remife-the more I look'd at him, his croix and his basket, the ftronger they wove themselves into my brain-I got out of the remife and went towards him.

He was begirt with a clean linen apron which fell below his knees, and with a fort of a bib went half way up his breaft; upon the top of this, but a little below the hem, hung his croix. His basket of little patès was cover'd over with a white damafk napkin; another of the fame kind was fpread at the bottom; and there was a look of propreté and neatness throughout, that one might have bought his patès of him, as much from appetite as sentiment.

VOL. II.

E

He

He made an offer of them to neither; but ftood ftill with them at the corner of a hotel, for those to buy who chose it, without folicitation.

He was about forty-eight-of a fedate look, fomething approaching to gravity. I did not wonder.-I went up rather to the basket than him, and having lifted up the napkin, and taken one of his patès into my hand-I begg'd he would explain the appearance which affected me.

He told me in a few words, that the best part of his life had pafs'd in the fervice, in which, after fpending a fmall patrimony, he had obtain'd a company and the croix with it;

but

but that at the conclufion of the laft peace, his regiment being reformed, and the whole corps, with thofe of fome other regiments, left without any provifion, he found himself in a wide world without friends, without a livre and indeed, faid he, without any thing but this-(pointing, as he faid it, to his croix)-The poor chevalier won my pity, and he finish'd .the fcene with winning my esteem

too.

The king, he faid, was the most generous of princes, but his gene rofity could neither relieve or reward every one, and it was only his miffortune to be amongst the number. He had a little wife, he faid, whom

he loved, who did the patiflerie; and added, he felt no difhonour in defending her and himself from want in this way-unless Providence had offer'd him a better.

It would be wicked to with-hold a pleasure from the good, in paffing over what happen'd to this poor Chevalier of St. Louis about nine months after.

It seems he ufually took his ftand near the iron gates which lead up to the palace, and as his croix had caught the eye of numbers, numbers had made the fame enquiry which I had done He had told them the fame ftory, and always with

2

fo

fo much modefty and good fenfe, that it had reach'd at laft the king's ears who hearing the Chevalier had been a gallant officer, and respected by the whole regiment as a man of honour and integrity-he broke up his little trade by a penfion of fifteen hundred livres a year.

As I have told this to please the reader, I beg he will allow me to relate another out of its order, to please myself the two ftories reflect light upon each other-and 'tis a pity they should be parted.