Depend upon it, Yorick! said DISCRETION, 'twill be said you went off with a mistress, and came by assignation to Calais for that purpose.

-You can never after, cried HYPOCRISY aloud, or rise, quoth MEANNESS, in the church-or be any thing in it, said PRIDE, but a lousy prebendary.

shew your face in the worldface in the world

But 'tis a civil thing, said I—and as I generally act from the first impulse, and therefore seldom listen to these cabals, which serve no purpose that I know of, but to encompass the heart with adamant —I turn'd instantly about to the lady——————

-But she had glided off unperceived, as the cause was pleading, and had made ten or a dozen paces down the street, by the time I had made the determination; so I set off after her with a long stride, to make her the proposal with the best address I was master of; but observing she walk'd with her cheek half resting upon the palm of her hand-with the slow, short-measur❜d step of thoughtfulness, and with her eyes, as she went step by step, fixed upon the ground, it struck me, she was trying the same cause herself. God help her! said I, she has some mother-in-law, or tartufish aunt, or nonsensical old woman, to consult upon the occasion, as well as myself: so not caring to interrupt the processe, and deeming it more gallant to

take her at discretion than surprise, I faced about, and took a short turn or two before the door of the Remise, whilst she walk'd musing on one side.

H

IN THE STREET

CALAIS

AVING, on first sight of the lady, settled the affair in my fancy, "that she was of the better order of beings"—and then laid it down as a second axiom, as indisputable as the first, that she was a widow, and wore a character of distress-I went no further; I got ground enough for the situation which pleased me—and had she remained close beside my elbow till midnight, I should have held true to my system, and considered her only under that general idea.

She had scarce got twenty paces distant from me, ere something within me called out for a more particular inquiry-it brought on the idea of a further separation-I might possibly never see her more—the heart is for saving what it can; and I wanted the traces through which my wishes might find their way to her, in case I should never rejoin her myself: in a word, I wish'd to know her name —her family's—her condition; and as I knew the

place to which she was going, I wanted to know from whence she came : but there was no coming at all this intelligence: a hundred little delicacies stood in the way. I form'd a score different plans -There was no such thing as a man's asking her directly—the thing was impossible.

A little French debonaire captain, who came dancing down the street, shewed me, it was the easiest thing in the world; for popping in betwixt us, just as the lady was returning back to the door of the Remise, he introduced himself to my acquaintance, and before he had well got announced, begg'd I would do him the honour to present him to the lady-I had not been presented myself- -so turning about to her, he did it just as well by asking her, if she had come from Paris? No, she was going that

route, she said. -Vous n'êtes pas de Londre ?-She

was not, she replied,- -Then Madame must have come through Flanders-Apparemment vous êtes Flammande? said the French captain-The lady answered, she was— Peut-être de Lisle? added heShe said, she was not of Lisle.-Nor Arras ?— nor Cambray ?-nor Ghent ?-nor Brussels? She answered, she was of Brussels.

He had had the honour, he said, to be at the bombardment of it last war-that it was finely situated, pour cela-and full of noblesse when the

Imperialists were driven out by the French (the lady made a slight curtsy)—so giving her an account of the affair, and of the share he had had in it— he begg'd the honour to know her name—so made his bow.

Et Madame a son Mari? said he, looking back when he had made two steps and without staying for an answer-danced down the street.

Had I served seven years' apprenticeship to good-breeding, I could not have done as much.

Α

THE REMISE

CALAIS

S the little French captain left us, Mons. Dessein came up with the key of the Remise in his hand, and forthwith let us into his magazine of chaises.

The first object which caught my eye, as Mons. Dessein open'd the door of the Remise, was another old tatter'd Desobligeant: and notwithstanding it was the exact picture of that which had hit my fancy so much in the coach-yard but an hour before the very sight of it stirr'd up a disagreeable sensation within me now; and I thought 'twas a churlish beast into whose heart the idea could first