nothing. I stood observing him half an hour, in which time he had made a dozen turns backwards and forwards, and found that he invariably pursued the same plan. There were two things very singular in this, which set my brains to work, and to no purpose -the first was, why the man should only tell his story to the sex- and secondly what kind of story it was, and what species of eloquence it could be, which soften'd the hearts of the women, which, he knew, 'twas to no purpose to practice upon the men. There were two other circumstances which entangled this mystery: the one was, he told every woman what he had to say in her ear, and in a way which had much more the air of a secret than a petition; the other was, it was always successful; he never stopped a woman, but she pull'd out her purse, and immediately gave him something. I could form no system to explain the pheno menon. I had got a riddle to amuse me for the rest of the evening, so I walked up stairs to my chamber. THE CASE OF CONSCIENCE. PARIS. I was immediately followed up by the master of the hotel, who came into my room to tell me I must provide lodgings elsewhere. How so, friend? said 1. He answered, I had had a young woman lock'd up with me two hours that evening in my bed-chamber, and 'twas against the rules of his house. Very well, said I, we'll all part friends then, for the girl is no worse and I am no worse, and you will be just as I found you. It was enough, he said, to overthrow the credit of his hotel. - Voyez vous, Monsieur, said he, pointing to the foot of the bed we had been sitting upon. I own it had something of the appearance of an evidence; but my pride not suffering me to enter into a detail of the case, I exhorted him to let his soul sleep in peace, as I resolved to let mine do that night, and that I would discharge what I owed him at breakfast. I should not have minded, Monsieur, said he, if you had had twenty girls. 'Tis a score more, replied I, interrupting him, than I ever reckoned upon. - -Provided, added he, it had been but in a morning. And does the difference of the time of the day at Paris make a difference in the sin? It made a difference, he said, in the scandal. I like a good distinction in my heart; and cannot say I was intolerably out of temper with the man, I own it is necessary, resumed the master of the hotel, that a stranger at Paris should have the opportunities presented to him, of buying lace and silk stockings and ruffles, et tout cela and it is nothing if a woman comes with a band-box. O' my conscience, said I, she had one: but I never looked into it. Then, Monsieur, said he, has bought nothing. Not one earthly thing, replied I. Because, said he, I could recommend you to one who would use you en conscience. But I must see her this night, said 1. He made a low bow and walked down. Now shall I triumph over this maitre d'hotel, eried I and what then? Then I shall let him see I know he is a dirty fellow. then? What then! I was too near say it was for the sake of others. And what myself to I had no good answer left there was more of spleen than principle in my project, and I was sick of it before the execution. In a few minutes the grisette came in with her box of lace. I'll buy nothing, however, said I within myself. - I The grisette would shew me every thing. was hard to please; she would not seem to see it; she opened her little magazine, and laid all her laces one after another before me unfolded and folded them up again one by one with the most patient sweetness. I might buy or not she would let me have every thing at my own price the poor creature seemed anxious to get a penny; and laid herself out to win me, and not - so much in a manner which seemed artful, as in one I felt simple and caressing. man, If there is not a fund of honest cullibility in so much the worse my heart relented, and I gave up my second resolution as quietly as the first. Why should I chastise one for the trespass of another? if thou art tributary to this tyrant of an host, thought I, looking up in her face, so much harder is thy bread. If I had not had more than four Louis d'or In my purse, there was no such thing as rising up and shewing her the door, till I had first laid three of them out in a pair of ruffles. The master of the hotel will share the profit with her no matter then I have only paid, as many a poor soul has paid before me, for an act he could not do or think of. THE RIDDLE. PARIS. When La Fleur came up to wait upon me at supper, he told me how sorry the master of the hotel was, for his affront to me in bidding me change my lodgings. A man who values a good night's rest, will not lie down with enmity in his heart, if he can help it So I bid La Fleur tell the master of the ho tel, that I was sorry on my side for the occasion I had given him; and you may tell him if you will, La Fleur, added I, that if the young woman should call again, I shall not see her. This was a sacrifice, not to him, but to myself, having resolved, after so narrow an escape, to run no more risks, but to leave Paris, if it was possible, with all the virtue I entered it. C'est deroger à la noblesse, Monsieur, said La Fleur, making me a bow down to the ground as he said it - Et encore, Monsieur, said he, may change his sentiments, and if (par hazard) he should like to amuse himself, him I find no amusement in it, said I, interrupting Mon Dieu! said La Fleur and took away. - some In an hour's time he came to put me to bed, and was more than commonly officious thing hung upon his lips to say to me, or ask me, which he could not get off; I could not conceive what it was, and indeed gave myself little trouble to find it out, as I had another riddle so much more interesting upon my mind, which was that of the man's asking charity before the door of the hotel. I would have given any thing to have got to the bottom of it; and that, not out of curiosity 'tis so low a principle of inquiry, in general, I would not purchase the gratification of it whith a two-sous-piece; but a secret, I thought, which so soon, and so certainly softened the heart of every woman you came near, was a secret at least equal to the philosopher's stone: had I had both the Indies, I would have given up one to have been master of it. - I tossed and turned it almost all night long in my brains to no manner of purpose, and when I awoke in the morning, I found my spirit as much troubled with my dreams, as ever the king of Babylon had been with his; and I will not hesitate to affirm, it would have puzzled all the wise men of Paris as much as those of Chaldea, to have given its interpretation. LE DIMANCHE. - PARIS. It was Sunday and when La Fleur came in, in the morning, with my coffee, and roll and butter, he had got himself so gallantly arrayed, scarce knew him. I had covenanted at Montreuil to give him a new hat with a silver button and loop, and four Louis d'or pour s'adoniser, when we got to Paris; and the poor fellow, to do him justice, had done wonders with it. He had bought a bright, clean, good scarlet coat, and a pair of breeches of the same. — They were not a crown worse, he said, for the wearing. I wished him hanged for telling me looked so fresh, that though I knew the thing could not be done, yet I would rather have im they posed upon my fancy with thinking I had bought them new for the fellow, than that they had come out of the Rue de la Friperie. This is a nicety which makes not the heart sore at Paris. He had purchased, moreover, a handsome blue satin waistcoat, fancifully enough embroidered ; this was indeed something the worse for the ser vice it had done, but it was clean scoured the gold had been touched up, and upon the whole, it was rather showy than otherwise -and as the blue was not violent, it suited with the coat and breeches very well: he had squeezed out of the money, moreover, a new bag and a solitaire, and had insisted with the fripier upon a gold pair of garters to his breeches knees. He had purchased muslin ruffles, bien brodées, with four livres of his own money and a pair of white silk stockings for five more; and to top all, nature had given him a handsome figure, without costing him a sous. He entered the room thus set off, with his hair dressed in the first style, and with a handsome bouquet in his breast in a word, there was that look of festivity in every thing about him which at once put me in mind it was Sunday and by combining both together, it instantly struck that the favour he wished to ask of me the night before, was to spend the day as every body in Paris spent it besides. I had scarce made the conjecture, when La Fleur, with infinite humility, but with a look of trust, as if I should not refuse him, begged I would grant him the day, pour faire le galant- vis-à-vis de sa mai me, tresse. Now it was the very thing I intended to do myself vis-à-vis Madame de R***. I had retained the remise on purpose for it, and it would not have mortified my vanity to have had a servant so well dressed as La Fleur was, to have got up behind it: I never could have worse spared him. But we must feel, not argue in these embarrassments; the sons and daughters of service part |