to hear my reasons, being engaged to go that moment to dine with the Duc de C▬▬▬▬.

But, if it is not too far to come to Versailles, to eat your soup with me, I beg, before you leave France, I may have the pleasure of knowing you retract your opinion—or in what manner you support it.-But, if you do support it, Mons. Anglois, said he, you must do it with all your powers, because you have the whole world against you.-I promised the Count I would do myself the honour of dining with him before I set out for Italy-so took my leave.

THE TEMPTATION

PARIS

WHEN I alighted at the hotel, the porter told me a young woman with a band-box had been that moment enquiring for me....I do not know, said the porter, whether she is gone away or no.-I took the key of my chamber of him, and went up stairs; and when I had got within ten steps of the top of the landing before my door, I met her coming easily down.

It was the fair fille de chambre I had walked along the Quai de Conti with: Madame de R**** had sent her upon some commission to a merchande des modes within a step or two of the hotel de Modene; and, as I had failed in waiting upon her, had bid her enquire if I had left Paris; and, if so, whether I had not left a letter addressed to her.

As the fair fille de chambre was so near my door, she turned back, and went into the room with me for a moment or two, whilst I wrote a card.

It was a fine, still evening in the latter end of the

month of May, the crimson window-curtains (which

were of the same colour as those of the bed) were drawn close, the sun was setting, and reflected through them so warm warm a tint in the fair fille de chambre's face,-I thought she blushed-the idea of it made me blush myself; we were quite alone, and that super-induced a second blush before the first could get off.

There is a sort of a pleasing, half-guilty blush, where the blood is more in fault than the man'tis sent impetuous from the heart, and virtue flies after it, not to call it back, but to make the sensation of it more delicious to the nerves;-'tis associated

But I'll not describe it; I felt something at first within me which was not in strict unison with the lesson of virtue I had given her the night before -I sought five minutes for a card; I knew I had not one. I took up a pen—I laid it down again— my hand trembled the devil was in me.

I know as well as any one he is an adversary whom, if we resist, he will fly from us; but I seldom resist him at all, from a terror that, though I may conquer, I may still get a hurt in the combat;-so I give up the triumph for security, and, instead of thinking to make him fly, I generally fly myself.