some threads of love and desire are entangled with the piece--must the whole web be rent in drawing them out?-Whip me such stoics, great Governor of nature! said I to myself Wherever thy providence shall place me for the trials of my virtuewhatever is my danger-whatever is my situation -let me feel the movements which rise out of it, and which belong to me as a man ; and if I govern them as a good one, I will trust the issues of thy justice, for thou hast made us, and not we ourselves.

As I finished my address, I raised the fair fille de chambre up by the hand, and led her out of the . room-she stood by me till I locked the door and put the key in my pocket—and then-the victory being quite decisive, and not till then, I pressed my lips to her cheek, and taking her by the hand again, led her safe to the gate of the hotel.

THE MYSTERY.

IF

PARIS.

F a man knows the heart, he will know it was impossible to go back instantly to my chamber -it was touching a cold key with a flat third to

it, upon the close of a piece of music, which had called forth my affections; therefore, when I let go the hand of the fille de chambre, I remained at the gate of the hotel for some time, looking at every one who passed by, and forming conjectures upon them, till my attention got fixed upon a single object which confounded all kind of reasoning upon him.

It was a tall figure of a philosophic, serious, adust look, which passed and repassed sedately along the street, making a turn of about sixty paces on each side of the gate of the hotel. The man was about fifty-two, had a small cane under his arm, was dressed in a dark drab-coloured coat, waistcoat and breeches, which seemed to have seen some years service-they were still clean, and there was a little air of frugal propreté throughout him. By his pulling off his hat, and his attitude of accosting a good many in his way, I saw he was asking cha rity; so I got a sous or two out of my pocket ready to give him, as he took me in his turn-he passed by me without asking any thing, and yet did not go five steps further before he asked charity of a little woman-I was much more likely to have given of the two-He had scarce done with the woman, when he pulled off his hat to another who

was

was coming the same way.—An ancient gentleman came slowly, and, after him a young smart one.—He let them both pass, and asked nothing: I stood observing him half an hour, in which time he had made a dozen turns backwards and forwards, and found that he invariably pursued the same plan.

There were two things very singular in this, which set my brain to work, and to no purpose. The first was, why the man should only tell his story to the sex ;-and, secondly,-what kind of story it was, and what species of eloquence it could be, which softened the hearts of the women, which he knew it was to no purpose to practise upon the men.

There were two other circumstances which entangled this mystery-the one was, he told every woman what he had to say in her ear, and in a way which had more the air of a secret than a petition; -the other was, it was always successful-he never stopped a woman, but she pulled out her purse, and immediately gave him something.

I could form no system to explain the pheno

menon.

I had got a riddle to amuse me for the rest of the evening, so I walked up stairs to my chamber.

THE

THE CASE OF CONSCIENCE.

I

PARIS.

WAS immediately followed up by the master of the hotel, who came into my room to tell me I must provide lodgings elsewhere-How so, friend? said I.-He answered, I had had a young woman locked up with me two hours that evening in my bed-chamber, and it was against the rules of his house. Very well, said I, we will all part friends then, for the girl is no worse-and I am no worse and you will be just as I found you.It was enough, he said, to overthrow the credit of his hotel. Voyez vous, Monsieur, said he, pointing to the foot of the bed we had been sitting npon-I own it had something of the appearance of an evidence; but my pride not suffering me to enter into a detail of the case, I exhorted him to let his soul sleep in peace, as I resolved to let mine do that night, and that I would discharge what I owed him at breakfast.

I should not have minded, Monsieur, said he, if you had had twenty girls-It is a score more, replied I, interrupting him, than I ever reckoned upon→→→

provided,

provided, added he, it had been but in a morning. -And does the difference of the time of the day at Paris make a difference in the sin ?-It made a difference, he said, in the scandal.—I like a good distinction in my heart; and cannot say I was intolerably out of temper with the man.—I own it is necessary, re-assumed the master of the hotel, that a stranger at Paris should have the opportunities presented to him of buying lace and silk stockings and ruffles, et tout cela-and 'tis nothing if a woman comes with a band-box.-O, my conscience, said I, she had one: but I never looked into it. Then, Monsieur, said he, has bought nothing. Not one earthly thing, replied I.-Because, said he, I could recommend one to you who would use you en conscience.—But I must see her this night, said I.—He made me a low bow, and walked down.

Now shall I triumph over this maitre d'hotel, cried I-and what then?-Then I shall let him see I know he is a dirty fellow.—And what then? -What then!-I was too near myself to say it was for the sake of others.—I had no good answer left-there was more of spleen than principle in my project, and I was sick of it before the execution.