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THE GLOVES

PARIS

THE beautiful grisette rose up when I said this, and, going behind the counter, reached down a parcel, and untied it: I advanced to the side over-against her: they were all too large. The beautiful grisette measured them one by one across my hand,—it would not alter the dimensions. She begged I would try a single pair, which seemed to be the least.-She held it open;-my hand slipped into it at once.-It will not do, said I, shaking my head a little.—No, said she, doing the same thing.

There are certain combined looks of simple subtlety -where whim, and sense, and seriousness, and nonsense, are so blended that all the languages of Babel let loose together, could not express them-they are communicated and caught so instantaneously that you can scarce say which party is the infector. I leave it to your men of words to swell pages about it, — it is enough in the present to say, again, the

gloves would not do; so, folding our hands within our arms, we both loll'd upon the counter;-it was narrow, and there was just room for the parcel to lay between us.

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The beautiful grisette looked sometimes at the gloves, then sideways to the window, then at the gloves and then at me. I was not disposed to break silence;-I followed her example: so I looked at the gloves, then to the window, then at the gloves, and then at her-and so on alternately.

I found I lost considerably in every attack;-she had a quick black eye, and shot through two such long and silken eye - lashes with such penetration that she looked into my very heart and veins. — It may seem strange; but I could actually feel she did.

It is no matter, said I, taking up a couple of the pairs next me, and putting them into my pocket.

I was sensible the beautiful grisette had not asked above a single livre above the price. I wished she had asked a livre more; and was puzzling my brains how to bring the matter about,-Do you think, my dear Sir, said she, mistaking my embarrassment, that I could ask a sous too much of a stranger-and of a stranger whose politeness, more than his want of gloves, has done me the honour to lay himself at

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