THE

FILLE DE CHAMBRE

WHA

PARI S.

HAT the old French officer had deliver'd upon travelling, bringing Polonius's advice to his fon upon the fame fubject into my head-and that bringing in Hamlet; and Hamlet, the rest of Shakespear's works, I ftopp'd at the Quai de Conti in my return home, to purchafe the whole fet.

VOL. II.

B

The

The bookfeller faid he had not a fet in the world-Comment! faid I;

upon

taking one up out of a fet which lay the counter betwixt us.. He faid, they were fent him only to be got bound, and were to be fent back to Versailles in the morning to the Count de B****

-And does the Count de B**** faid I, read Shakespear? C'est un Efprit fort; replied the bookfeller.He loves English books; and what is more to his honour, Monfieur, he love the English too. You speak this fo civilly, faid I, that 'tis enough to oblige an Englishman to lay out a Louis d'or or two at your fhop-the bookfeller made a bow, and was

going to fay fomething, when a young decent girl of about twenty, who by her air and drefs, feemed to be fille de chambre to fome devout woman of fashion, came into the fhop and asked for Les Egarments du Cœur & de l'Efprit: the bookfeller gave her the book directly; fhe pulled out a little green fattin purfe run round with a ribband of the fame colour, and putting her finger and thumb into it, fhe took out the money, and paid for it. As I had nothing more to stay me in the shop, we both walked out at the door together.

And what have you to do,

my dear, faid I, with The Wanderings of the Heart, who fcarce know yet you have one? nor till love has

first told you it, or fome faithless fhepherd has made it ache, can't thou ever be fure it is fo.- Le Dieu m'en guard! faid the girl. With reason, faid I for if is a good one, 'tis pity

it fhould be ftolen: 'tis a little treafure to thee, and gives a better air to your face, than if it was drefs'd out with pearls.

The young girl liftened with a fubmiffive attention, holding her fattin purfe by its ribband in her hand all the time-'Tis a very small one, faid I, taking hold of the bottom of it- fhe held it towards me-and there is very little in it, my dear, faid I; but be but as good as thou art handfome, and heaven will fill it: I had a parcel