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 wished to know her name, her family, 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 formed a score different plansthere was no such thing as a man's asking her directly the thing was impossible.

A little French débonnaire captain, who came dancing down the street, showed 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, begged 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 if she had come from Paris? "No; she was going that route," she said. "Vous n'êtes pas de Londres ?” "She was not," she replied. Then Madam must have come through Flanders. " Apparemment vous êtes Flammande?" said the French

"Peut

captain. The lady answered, she was. être de Lisle ?" added he. She said she was not "Nor Arras?"—"Nor Cambray?"

-"Nor Ghent?"-" Nor Brussels?"

of Lisle.

answered, she was of Brussels.

She

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 curtsey); so giving her an account of the affair, and of the share he had had in it, he begged 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.

THE REMISE.

CALAIS.

As the little French captain left us, Monsieur 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 Monsieur Dessein opened the door of the remise, was another old, tattered désobligeante; 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 stirred up a disagreeable sensation within me now and I thought 'twas a churlish beast into whose heart the idea could first enter to construct such a machine; nor had I much more charity for the man who could think of using it.

I observed the lady was as little taken with it as myself; so Monsieur Dessein led us on to a couple of chaises which stood abreast, telling us, as he recommended them, that they had been purchased by my Lords A. and B. to go the grand tour, but had gone no further than Paris, so were, in all respects, as good as new. They were too good; so I passed on to a third, which stood behind, and forthwith began to chaffer for the price. "But 'twill scarce hold two," said I, opening the door, and getting in. "Have the goodness, madam," said Monsieur

Dessein, offering his arm, "to step in." The lady hesitated half a second, and stepped in; and the waiter that moment beckoning to speak to Monsieur Dessein, he shut the door of the chaise upon us, and left us.

THE REMISE.

CALAIS.

"C'est bien comique,—'tis very droll,” said the lady, smiling, from the reflection that this was the second time we had been left together by a parcel of nonsensical contingencies. "C'est bien comique," said she.

"There wants nothing," said I, to make it so but the comic use which the gallantry of a Frenchman would put it to; to make love the first moment, and an offer of his person the second."

""Tis their forte," replied the lady.

"It is supposed so, at least; and how it has come to pass,' continued I, "I know not, but

they have certainly got the

credit of under

standing more of love, and making it better, than any other nation upon earth; but, for my

own part, I think them arrant bunglers, and, in truth, the worst set of marksmen that ever tried Cupid's patience.

-"To think of making love by sentiments! "I should as soon think of making a genteel suit of clothes out of remnants :-and to do it -pop-at first sight, by declaration-is submitting the offer and themselves with it, to be sifted with all their pours and contres by an unheated mind."

The lady attended as if she expected I should go on.

"Consider then, madam,” continued I, laying my hand upon hers,

"That grave people hate love for the name's sake;

"That selfish people hate it for their own; "Hypocrites for heaven's ;

"And that all of us, both old and young, being ten times worse frightened than hurt by the very report"

"What a want of knowledge in this branch of commerce a man betrays, who ever lets the word come out of his lips, till an hour or two, at least, after the time that his silence upon it becomes tormenting. A course of small, quiet