circle, and making a disqualifying bow on his part. Had the whole parterre cried out, Place aux dames, with one voice, it would not have conveyed the sentiment of a deference for the sex with half the effect. Just heaven! for what wise reasons hast thou ordered it, that beggary and urbanity, which are at such variance in other countries, should find a way to be at unity in this? -I insisted upon presenting him with a single sous, merely for his politesse. A poor little dwarfish brisk fellow, who stood over-against me in the circle, putting something first under his arm, which had once been a hat, took his snuff-box out of his pocket, and generously offered a pinch on both sides of him: it was a gift of consequence, and modestly declined-The poor little fellow pressed it upon them with a nod of welcomeness-Prenez en―prenez, said he, looking another way; so they each took a pinch-Pity thy box should ever want one! said I to myself; so I put a couple of sous into it-taking a small pinch out of his box, to enhance their value, as I did it-He felt the weight of the second obligation more than that of the first-'twas doing him an honour-the other was only doing him a charity—and he made me a bow down to the ground for it. -Here! said I to an old soldier with one hand, who had been campaigned and worn out to death in the service-here's a couple of sous for thee-Vive le Roi! said the old soldier. I had then but three sous left; so I gave one, simply pour l'amour de Dieu, which was the footing on which it was begged-The poor woman had a dislocated hip; so it could not be well upon any other motive. Mon cher et tres charitable Monsieur-There's no opposing this, said I. My Lord Anglois-the very sound was worth the money-so I gave my last sous for it. But in the eagerness of giving, I had overlooked a pauvre honteux, who had no one to ask a sous for him, and who, I believed, would have perished, ere he could have asked one for himself: he stood by the chaise a little without the circle, and wiped a tear from a face which I thought had seen better days-Good God! said I-and I have not one single sous left to give him-But you have a thousand! cried all the powers of nature, stirring within me so I gave him-no matter what-I am ashamed to say how much, now-and was ashamed to think how little, then: so if the reader can form any conjecture of my disposition, as these two fixed points are given him, he may judge within a livre or two what was the precise sum. I could afford nothing for the rest, but Dieu vous benisse-Et le bon Dieu vous benisse encore-said the old soldier, the dwarf, &c. The paurre honteux could say nothing-he pulled out a little handker chief, and wiped his face as he turned away-and I thought he thanked me more than them all. THE BIDET. HAVING settled all these little matters, I got into my post-chaise with more ease than ever I got into a post-chaise in my life; and La Fleur having got one large jack-boot on the far side of a little bidet❤, and another on this (for I count nothing of his legs)— he cantered away before me as happy and as perpendicular as a prince. -But what is happiness! what is grandeur in this painted scene of life! A dead ass, before we had got a league, put a sudden stop to La Fleur's career -his bidet would not pass by it—a contention arose betwixt them, and the poor fellow was kicked out of his jack-boots the very first kick. La Fleur bore his fall like a French christian, saying neither more or less upon it, than Diable! so presently got up and came to the charge again astride his bidet, beating him up to it as he would have beat his drum. The bidet flew from one side of the road to the other, then back again-then this way-then that way, and, in short, every way but by the dead ass F • Post-horse. |