to Paris; and the poor fellow, to do him justice, had done wonders with it.

He had bought a bright, clean, good fearlet coat and a pair of breeches of the fame―They were not a crown worfe, he faid, for the wearing-I wifh'd him hang'd for telling me -They look'd fo fresh, that tho' I knew the thing could not be done, yet I would rather have impofed upon my fancy with thinking I had bought them new for the fellow, than that they had come out of the Rue de fripperie.

This is a nicety which makes not the heart fore at Paris.

He had purchased moreover a handsome blue fattin waistcoat, fancifully enough embroidered- this was indeed fomething the worfe for the fervices it had done, but 'twas clean fcour'd-the gold had been touch'd up, and upon the whole was rather fhowy than otherwife and as the blue was not violent, it fuited with the coat and breeches very well: he had squeez'd out of the money, moreover, a new bag and a folitaire; and had infifted

with

with the frippier, upon a gold pair of garters to his breeches knees-He had purchased muslin ruffles bien brodés, with four livres of his own money-and a pair of white filk flockings for five more—and, to top all, nature had given him a handfome figure without cofting him a fous.

He enter'd the room thus fet off, with his hair drefs'd in the firft ftile, and with a handfome bouquet in his breaft-in a word, there was that look of festivity in every thing about him, which at once put me in mind it was funday- and by combining both together, it instantly struck me, that the favour he wish'd to ask of me the night before, was to spend the day, as every body in Paris spent it, besides. I had fcarce made the conjecture, when La Fleur, with infinite humility, but with a look of truft, as if I fhould not refuse him, begg'd I would grant him the day, pour faire le gallant vis à vis de fa maitresse.

Now it was the very thing I intended to do myself vis à vis Madame de R-—I had retain'd

retain❜d the remife on purpose for it, and it would not have mortified my vanity to have had a fervant fo well drefs'd as La Fleur was to have got up behind it: I never could have worfe fpared him.

But we must feel, not argue in these embarraffiments- the fons and daughters of fervice part with Liberty, but not with Nature in their contracts; they are flesh and blood, and have their little vanities and wishes in the midst of the house of bondage, as well as their taskmafters-no doubt, they have fet their felfdenials at a price and their expectations are fo unreasonable, that I would often disappoint them, but that their condition puts it so much in my power to do it.

Behold!-Behold! I am thy fervant-disarms me at once of the powers of a mafter

-Thou fhalt go, La Fleur! faid I.

-And what mistress, La Fleur, said I, canft thou have pick'd up in fo little a time at Paris? La Fleur laid his hand upon his breast, and

faid

faid 'twas a petite Demoiselle at Monf. le Count

de B's. La Fleur had a heart made for

fociety; and, to fpeak the truth of him, let as few occafions flip him as his mafter-so that fome how or other; but how-heaven knows -he had connected himself with the Demoiselle upon the landing of the ftair-cafe, during the time I was taken up with my Paffport; and as there was time enough for me to win the Count to my intereft, La Fleur had contrived to make it do to win the maid to his-The family, it feems, was to be at Paris that day, and he had made a party with her, and two or three more of the Count's houfhold, upon the boulevards.

Happy people! that once a week at least are fure to lay down all your cares together, and dance and fing and fport away the weights of grievance, which bow down the spirit of

other nations to the earth.

THE

LA

THE FRAGMENT.

PARIS.

A Fleur had left me fomething to amuse myself with for the day more than I had bargain'd for, or could have enter'd either into his head or mine,

He had brought the little print of butter upon a currant leaf; and as the morning was warm, and he had begg'd a fheet of waste paper to put betwixt the currant leaf and his hand-As that was plate fufficient, I bad him lay it upon the table as it was, and as I refolved to ftay within all the day, I ordered him to call upon the Traiteur to bespeak my dinner, and leave me to breakfast by myself.

When I had finifh'd the butter, I threw the currant leaf out of the window, and was going to do the fame by the wafte paper-but stopping to read a line first, and that drawing me on to a fecond and third-I thought it better worth; Vol. II.

F

fo