manner as if I was going every moment to release it, of myself; fo fhe let it continué, till Monfieur Deffein returned. with the key; and, in the mean time, I fet myself to confider how I fhould undo the ill impreffions which the poor Monk's story, in case he had told it her, must have planted in her breaft against

me.

THE

THE SNUFF-BOX.

TH

CALA I S.

HE good old Monk was within fix paces of us, as the idea of him croffed my mind; and was advancing towards us a little out of the line, as if uncertain whether he should break in upon us or no. He ftooped, however, as foon as he came up to us, with a world of franknefs; and having a horn fnuffbox 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 repli ed, to accept of the box and all, and when you take a pinch out of it, fometimes recollect

collect it was the peace-offering of a man who once used you unkindly, but not

from his heart,

THE poor Monk blushed as red as fcarlet. Mon Dieu! faid he, preffing his hands together-you never used me unkindly.-I fhould think, faid the lady, he is not likely. I blushed in my turn; but from what movements, I leave to the few who feel to analyfe-Excufe me, Madam, replied I—I treated him most unkindly; and from no provocations-'Tis impoffible, faid the lady-My God! cried the Monk, with a warmth of affeveTation which feemed not to belong to him-the fault was in me, and in the indifcretion of my zeal-The lady opposed it, and I joined with her in maintaining it was impoffible, that a fpirit, fo regulated as his, could give offence to a

ny.

VOL. I.

D

I

I KNEW not that contention could be rendered so sweet and pleasurable a thing to the nerves as I 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 rubbed his horn box upon the fleeve of his tunic; and as foon as it had acquired a little air of brightness 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 begged we might exchange boxes. In faying this, he prefented his to me with one hand as he took mine from me in the other: and having kiffed it—with a stream of good nature in his eyes, he put it into his bofom--and took his leave.

*I

I GUARD this box as I would the inftrumental parts of my religion, to help my mind on to fomething better: in truth, Ifeldom 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 justling of the world; they had found full employment for his, as I learnt from his ftory, till a bout 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 passi>ons, he abandoned the fword and fex together, and took fanctuary, not so much in his convent, as in himself.

I FEEL a damp upon my fpirits, as I am going to add, that in my last 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 de