SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE AND ITALY. VOLUME THE SECOND. THE FILLE DE CHAMBRE. What the old French officer had delivered upon travelling, bringing Polonius's advice to his son upon the same subject into my head; and that bringing in Hamlet, and Hamlet the rest of Shakespeare's works, I stopp'd at the Quai de Conti, in my return home, to purchase the whole set. The bookseller said, he had not a set in the world Comment' said I, taking one up out of a set which lay upon the counter betwixt us. He said, they were sent him only to be got bound, and were to be sent back to Versailles in the morning to the Count de B***. -And does the Count de B***, said I, read Shakespeare? C'est un Esprit fort, replied the bookseller. He loves English books; and what is more to his honour, Monsieur, he loves the English too. You speak this so civilly, said I, that it is enough to oblige an Englishman to lay out a Louisd'or or two in your shop. The bookseller made a bow, and was going to say something, when a young decent girl of about twenty, who by her air and dress seemed to be fille de chambre to some devout woman of fashion, came into the shop, and asked for Les Egarements du Coeur et de l'Esprit. The bookseller gave her the book directly; she pulled out a little green satin lo run round with riband of the same Co and putting her finger and thumb into it, she took out the money and paid for it. As I had nothing more to stay me in the shop, we both walk'd out of the door together. And what have you to do, my dear, said I. with The Wanderings of the Heart, who scarce know yet you have one? nor, till love has first told you of it, or some faithless shepherd has made it ache, canst thou ever be sure it is so. Dieu m'en garde! said the girl. With reason, said 1; for if it is a good one, 'tis a pity it should be stolen; 'tis a little treasure to thee, and gives a better air to your face, than if it was dressed out with pearls, The young girl listened with a submissive attention, holding her satin purse by its riband in her hand all the time 'Tis a very small one, said 1, taking hold of the bottom of it she held it towards me and there is very little in it, my dear, said I: but be as good as thou art handsome, and heaven will fill it, I had a parcel of crowns in my hand to pay for Shakspeare; and, as she had let go the purse entirely, I put a single one in; and tying up the riband in a bow-knot, returned it to her. The young girl made me more an humble courtesy than a low one- 'twas one of those quiet, thankful sinkings, where the spirit bows itself down the body does no more than tell it - - I never gave a girl a crown in my life which gave me half the pleasure, My advice, my dear, would not have been worth a pin to you, said I, if I had not given this along with it; but now, when you see the crown, you'll remember it so don't, my dear, lay it out in ribands. Upon my word, Sir, said the girl, earnestly, I am incapable in saying which, as is usual in little bargains of honour, she gave me her hand En verité, Monsieur, je mettrai cet argent à part, said she, -- When a virtuous convention is made betwixt man and woman, it sanctifies their most private walks; so nothwithstanding it was dusky, yet, as both our roads lay the same way, we made no scruple of walking along the Quai de Conti together. She made me a second courtesy in setting off, and before we got twenty yards from the door, as if she had not done enough before, she made a sort of a little stop to tell me again she thank'd me. It was a small tribute, I told her, which I could not avoid paying to virtue, and would not be mistaken in the person I had been rendering it to for the world. But I see innocence, my dear, in your face · - and foul befall the man who ever lays a snare in its way! I The girl seemed affected some way or other with what I said she gave a low sigh found I was not empowered to inquire at all after it so said nothing more till I got to the corner of the Rue de Nevers, where we were to part. But is this the way, my dear, said 1, to the Hotel de Modene? She told me it was - or, that I might go by the Rue de Guenegaud, which was the next turn. Then I'll go, my dear, by the Rue de Guenegaud, said I, for two reasons; first, I shall please myself; and next I shall give you the protection of my company, as far on your way as can. The girl was sensible I was civil and said, she wished the Hotel de Modene was in the Rue de St. Pierre. You live there, said I. She told me she was fille de chambre to Madame R***. Good God! said I, 'tis the very lady for whom I have brought a letter from Amiens. - The girl told me that Madame R**** she believed, expected a stranger with a letter, and was impatient to see hini so I desired the girl to present my compliments to Madame R**** and say I would certainly wait upon her in the morning. We stood still at the corner of the Rue de Nevers whilst this pass'd. We then stopped a moment whilst she disposed of her Egarements du Coeur, etc. more commodiously than carrying them in her hand they were two volumes; so 1 held the second for her whilst she put the first into her pocket, and then she held her pocket and I put the other after it. 'Tis sweet to feel by what fine-spun threads our affections are drawn together. We set off afresh, and as she took her third step, the girl put her hand within my arm. — { was just bidding her but she did it of herself, with that undeliberating simplicity which shewed it was out of her head that she had never seen me before. For my own part, I felt the conviction of consanguinity so strongly, that I could not help turning half round to look in her face, and see if I could trace out any thing in it of a family likeness Tut! said I, are we not all rela tions? - When we arrived at the turning up of the Rue de Guenegaud, I stopped to bid her adieu for good and all; the girl would thank me again for my company and kindness. She bid me adieu twice I repeated it as often, and so cordial was the parting between us, that had it happened any where else, I'm not sure but I should have signed it with a kiss of charity, as warm and holy as an apostle. But in Paris, as none kiss each other but the men I did what amounted to the same thing I bid God bless her. THE PASSPORT. When I got home to my hotel, La Fleur told me I had been inquired after by the Lieutenant de Police. The deuce take it, said I, I know the reason. It is time the reader should know it, for in the order of things in which it happened, it was omitted; not that it was out of my head, but that, had I told it then, it might have been forgot now, and now is the time I want it. had left London with so much precipitation, that it never entered my mind that we were at war with France: and had reached Dover, and looked through my glass at the hills beyond Boulogne, before the idea presented itself; and with this in its train, that there was no getting there without a passport. Go but to the end of a street, I have a mortal aversion for returning back no wiser than I set out; and as this was one of the greatest efforts I had ever made for knowledge, I could less bear the thoughts of it; so hearing the Count de **** had hired the packet, I begg'd he would take me in his suite. The Count had some little knowledge of me, so made little or no difficulty only said, his inclination to serve me could reach no farther than Calais, as he was to return by way of Brussels to Paris; however, when I had once passed there, I might get to Paris without interruption; but that in Paris I must make friends and shift for myself Let me get to Paris, Monsieur Le Count, said I shall do very well. So I embark'd, and never thought more of the matter. and I When La Fleur told me the Lieutenant de Police had been inquiring after me the thing instantly recurred and by the time La Fleur had well told me, the master of the hotel came into my room to tell me the same thing with this addition to it, that my passport had been particularly asked after: the master of the hotel concluded with saying, he hoped I had one. - Not I, faith! said I. The master of the hotel retired three steps from me, as from an infected person, as I declared this and poor La Fleur advanced three steps towards me, and with that sort of movement which a good soul makes to succour a distress'd onethe fellow won my heart by it; and from that single trait, I knew his character as perfectly, and could rely upon it as firmly, as if he had served me with fidelity for seven years. Monseigneur! cried the master of the hotel but recollecting himself as he made the exclamaIf tion, he instantly changed the tone of it. — Monsieur, said he, has not a passport (apparem. ment), in all likelihood he has friends in Paris |