came up to us, with a world of franknefs; and having a horn fnuff-box in his hand, he prefented it open to me You fhall tafte mine-faid I, pulling out my box (which was a fmall tortoife one); and putting it into his hand-'Tis moft excellent, faid the monk; Then do me the favour, I replied, to accept of the box and all, and when you take a pinch out of it, fometimes recollect it was the peace offering of a man who once ufed you unkindly, but not from his heart. Mon The poor monk blush'd as red as scarlet. Dieu! faid he, preffing his hands together-you never used me unkindly.-1 fhould think, faid the lady, he is not likely. I blufh'd in my turn; but from what movements, I leave to the few who feel to analyfe-Excufe me, Madam, replied I-I treated him moft unkindly; and from no provocations-Tis impoffible, faid the lady-My God! cried the monk, with a warmth of affeveration which feemed not to belong to him-the fault was in me, and in the indifcretion of my zeal-The lady oppofed it, and I joined with her in maintaining it was impoffible, that a fpirit fo regulated as his, could give offence to any. I knew not that contention could be rendered fo fweet and pleasurable a thing to the nerves as 1 then felt it. We remained filent, without any fenfation of that foolish pain which takes place, when in fuch a circle you look for ten minutes in one another's faces without faying a word. Whilft this lafted, the monk rubb'd his horn box upon the fleeve of his tunic; and as foon as it had acquired a little air of brightnefs by the friction-he made a low bow, and faid, 'twas too late to fay whether it was the weakness or goodness of our tempers which had involved us in this conteft-but be it as it would he begg'd we might exchange boxes. In faying this, he prefented his to me with one hand, hand, as he took mine from me in the other; and having kifs'd it--with a stream of good nature in his eyes, he put it into his bofom-and took his leave. I guard this box as I would the inftrumental parts of my religion, to help my mind on to fomething better in truth, I feldom go abroad without it; and oft and many a time have I called up by it the courteous fpirit of its owner, to regulate my own, in the juftlings of the world; they had found full employment for his, as I learnt from his ftory, till about the forty-fifth year of his age, when upon fome military fervices ill requited, and meeting at the fame time with a difappointment in the tendereft of paffions, he abandon'd the fword and the fex together, and took fanctuary, not fo much in his convent, as in himself. I feel a damp upon my fpirits, as I am going to add, that in my latt return through Calais, upon inquiring after Father Lorenzo, I heard he had been dead near three months, and was buried, not in his convent, but according to his defire, in a little cimetiery belonging to it, about two leagues off I had a strong defire to fee where they had laid him,-when, upon pulling out his little horn box, as I fat by his grave, and plucking a nettle or two at the head of it, which had no bufinefs to grow there, they all ftruck together fo forcibly upon my affections, that I burst into a flood of tears -but I am as weak as a woman; and I beg the world not to fimile, but pity me. THE THE REMISE DOOR. CALAIS. HAD never quitted the lady's hand all this have been indecent to let it go, without first preffing it to my lips: the blood and fpirits, which had suffered a revulfion from her, crouded back to ́her, as I did it. Now the two travellers who had spoke to me in the coach-yard, happening at that crifis to be paffing by, and obferving our communications, naturally took it into their heads that we must be man and wife at least; fo stopping as foon as they came up to the door of the Remife, the one of them, who was the inquifitive traveller, afk'd us, if we let out for Paris the next morning?—I could only answer for myself, I faid; and the lady added, fhe was for Amiens.- We dined there yesterday, faid the fimple traveller-You go directly through the town, added the other, in your road to Paris. I was going to return a thousand thanks for the intelligence, that Amiens was in the road to Paris; but, upon pulling out my poor monk's little horn-box to take a pinch of snuff—I made them a quiet bow, and wishing them a good pasfage to Dover-they left us alone. -Now where would be the harm, faid I to myfelf, if I was to beg of this distressed lady to accept of half of my chaife?-and what mighty mifchief could enfue? Every dirty paffion, and bad propenfity in my nature, took the alarm, as I ftated the propofition It will oblige you to have a third horse, faid AVARICE, which will put twenty livres out of your pocket- -You know not who fhe is, faid CAUTION Or what fcrapes the affair may draw you into, whisper'd CowARDICE. Depend upon it, Yorick! faid DISCRETION, 'twill be faid you went off with a mistress, and came by affignation to Calais for that purpose. -You can never after, cried HYPOCRISY aloud, fhew your face in the world—or rife, quoth MEANNESS, in the church-or be any thing in it, faid PRIDE, but a loufy prebendary. But 'tis a civil thing, faid I-and as I generally act from the firft impulfe, and therefore feldom, liften to these cabals, which ferve no purpose, that I know of, but to encompass the heart with adamant -I turned inftantly about to the lady—— -But he had glided off unperceived, as the caufe was pleading, and had made ten or a dozen paces down the street, by the time I had made the determination; fo I fet off after her with a long flride, to make her the propofal with the best addrefs I was mafter of; but obferving the walked with her cheek half refting upon the palm of her hand—--with the flow, fhort-measur'd step of thoughtfulness, and with her eyes, as fhe went ftep by step, fix'd upon the ground, it ftruck me, fhe was trying the fame cause herself.. -God help her! faid I, fhe has fome mother-in-law, or tartufish aunt, or nonfenfical old woman, to confult upon the occafion, as well as myself fo not caring to interrupt the proceffe, and deeming it more gallant to take her at difcretion than by surprise, I faced about, and took a fhort turn or two before the door door of the Remife, whilft fhe walk'd mufing on one fide. IN THE STREET. CALAIS. AVING, on firft fight of the lady, fettled 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 fhe was a widow, and wore a character of diftress -I went no further; I got ground enough for the fituation which pleafed me--and had the remained elofe befide my elbow till midnight, I should have held true to my fyftem, and confidered her only under that general idea. She had fcarce got twenty paces diftant from me, ere fomething within me called out for a more particular inquiry-it brought on the idea of a further feparation-I might poffibly never fee her more-the heart is for faving what it can; and [ wanted the traces through which my withes might find their way to her, in cafe I fhould never rejoin her myself in a word, I wifhed to know her name her family's-her condition; and as I knew the place to which fhe was going, I wanted to know from whence fhe came but there was no coming at all this intelligence; a hundred little delicacies ftood in the way. I form'd a fcore dif ferent plans-There was no fuch thing as a man's afking her directly-the thing was impoffible. : A little French debonaire captain, who came dancing down the street, fhewed me it was the eaficft thing in the world; for popping in betwixt C. 2 us, |