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, Mons. 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 Mons. Dessein opened the door of the remise, was another old tattered désobligeant; 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 Mons. 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 Lord 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 inHave 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 fort 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 understanding 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 attentions, not so pointed as to alarm,- -nor so vague as to be misunderstood,with now and then a look of kindness, and little or nothing said upon it,- leaves Nature for your mistress, and she fashions it to her mind. Then I solemnly declare, said the lady blushing, -you have been making love to me all this while. THE REMISE. CALAIS. MONSIEUR Dessein came back to let us out of the chaise, and acquainted the lady that Count de L—, her brother, was just arrived at the hotel. Though I had infinite good will for the lady, I cannot say that I rejoiced in my heart at the event, and could not help telling her so;-for it is fatal to a proposal, Madam, said I, that I was going to make to you. -You need not tell me what the proposal was, said she, laying her hand upon both mine, as she interrupted me. A man my good Sir, has seldom an offer of kindness to make to a woman, but she has a presentiment of it some moments before. —Nature arms her with it, said I, for immediate preservation. But I think, said she, looking in my face, I had no evil to apprehend; and, to deal frankly with you, had determined to accept it.—If I had (she stopped a moment)-I believe your good will would have drawn a story from me, which would have made pity the only dangerous thing in the journey. In saying this, she suffered me to kiss her hand twice; and, with a look of sensibility mixed with concern, she got out of the chaise, and bid adieu. IN THE STREET. CALAIS. I NEVER finished a twelve-guinea bargain so expeditiously in my life. My time seemed heavy upon the loss of the lady; and knowing every moment of it would be as two, till I put myself into motion.-I ordered post-horses directly, and walked towards the hotel. Lord! said I, hearing the town-clock strike four and recollecting that I had been little more than a single hour in Calais, What a large volume of adventures may be grasped within this little span of life, by him who interests his heart in every thing, and who, having eyes to see what time and chance are perpetually holding out to him as he journeyeth on his way, misses nothing he can fairly lay his hands on! -If this won't turn out something,-another will -no matter,-'tis an essay upon human nature;get my labour for my pains,-'tis enough;—the pleasure of the experiment has kept my senses and the best part of my blood awake, and laid the gross to sleep. I pity the man who can travel from Dan to Beersheba, and cry, 'Tis all barren :—and so it is: and so is all the world to him who will not cultivate the fruits it offers. I declare, said I, clapping my hands cheerly together that, was I in a desert, I would find out wherewith in it to call forth my affections :if I could not do better, I would fasten them upon some sweet myrtle, or seek some melancholy cypress to connect myself to ;-I would court their shade, and greet them kindly for their protection ;-I would cut my name upon them, and swear they were the loveliest trees throughout the desert: if their leaves withered, I would teach myself to mourn and ;— when they rejoiced, I would rejoice along with them. The learned Smelfungus travelled from Boulogne to Paris, from Paris to Rome,-and so on;-but he set out with the spleen and jaundice; and every object he passed by was discoloured or distorted. He wrote an account of them; but 'twas nothing but the account of his miserable feelings. I met Smelfungus in the grand portico of the Pantheon:—he was just coming out of it.—'This nothing but a huge cock-pit, said he.-I wish you had said nothing worse of the Venus of Medicis, replied I; for in passing through Florence, I had heard he had fallen foul upon the goddess, and used her worse than a common strumpet, without the least provocation in nature. * Vide S-'s Travels. |