AMIENS. THE HE words were fcarce out of my mouth, when the Count de L's poft-chaife, with his fifter in it, drove haftily by: fhe had juft time to make me a bow of recognition-and of that particular kind of it, which told me she had not yet done with me. She was as good as her look; for, before I had quite finished my supper, her brother's servant came into the room with a billet, in which she 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, she was forry, but from what penchant fhe had not confidered, that she had been prevented telling me her ftory-that fhe ftill owed it me; and my rout fhould ever lay through Brussels, and I had not by then forgot the name of Madame de L-that Madame de L if be glad to discharge her obligation. would Then 1. Then I will meet thee, faid I, fair fpirit! at Bruffels-'tis only returning from Italy thro Germany to Holland, by the rout of Flanders, home-twill scarce be ten pofts out of my way; but were it ten thoufand! with what a moral delight will it crown my journey, in fharing in the fickening incidents of a tale of misery 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 firft and faireft of women, as I'm fitting with my handkerchief in my hand in filence the whole night befides her. There was nothing wrong in the fentiment; and yet I inftantly reproached my heart with it in the bittereft and moft reprobate of expreffions. It had ever, as I told the reader, been one of the fingular bleffings of my life, to be almost every hour of it miferably in love with fome one; and my last flame happening to be blown blown out by a whiff of jealoufy on the fudden turn of a corner, I had lighted it up afresh at the pure taper of Eliza but about three months before-fwearing as I did it, that it should last me through the whole journey-Why should I diffemble the matter? I had fworn to her eternal fidelity-fhe had a right to my whole heart to divide my affections was to lessen them to expofe them, was to risk them: where there is risk, there may be lofs:-and what wilt thou have, Yorick! to anfwer to a heart fo full of truft and confidence- fo good, fo gentle and unreproaching? -I will not go to Bruffels, replied I, interrupting myself-but my imagination went on-I recall'd her looks at that crifis of our feparation when neither of us had power to fay Adieu! I look'd at the picture fhe had tied in a black ribband about my neck-and blufh'd as I look'd at it—I would have given the world to have kifs'd it, but was afhamed-And shall this tender flower, faid I, preffing it be tween my hands-fhall it be fiitten to its very root root-and fmitten, Yorick! by thee, who haft promised to shelter it in thy breast? Eternal fountain of happiness! faid I, kneeling down upon the ground-be thou my witness-and every pure fpirit which taftes it, be my witness alfo, That I would not travel to Bruffels, unless Eliza went along with me, did the road lead me towards heaven. In transports of this kind, the heart, in spite of the understanding, will always fay too much. THE LETTER. AMIEN S. FORTUNE ORTUNE had not fimiled upon La Fleur; for he had been unsuccessful in his feats of chivalry--and not one thing had offer'd to fignalize his zeal for my fervice from the time he had enter'd into it, which was almost four and twenty hours. The poor foul burn'd with impatience; and the Count de L's fervant's VOL. I. F coming coming with the letter, being the first practi cable occafion which offered, La Fleur had laid hold of it; and in order to do honour to his inafter, had taken him into a back parlour in the Auberge, and treated him with a cup or two of the best wine in Picardy; and the Count de -'s fervant in return, and not to be behind hand in politenefs with La Fleur, had taken him back with him to the Count's hôtel. La Fleur's prevenancy, for there was a passport in his very looks, foon fet every fervant in the kitchen at ease with him; and as a Frenchman, whatever be his talents, has no fort of prudery in fhewing them, La Fleur, in less than five minutes, had pull'd out his fife, and leading off the dance himself with the first note, set the fille de chambre, the maitre d'hôtel, the cook, the fcullion, and all the houfhold, dogs and cats, befides an old monkey, a dancing: I fuppose there never was a merrier kitchen fince the flood. Madame de L, in paffing from her brother's apartments to her own, hearing fo much jollity below ftairs, rung up her fille de chambre |