THE REMISE DOO R.

CALAIS.

THIS certainly, fair lady! faid I, raifing her hand up a little lightly as I began, must be one of Fortune's whimfical doings; to take two utter ftrangers by their hands-of different fexes, and perhaps from different corners of the globe, and in one moment place them together in fuch a cordial fituation as Friendship herself could scarce have atchieved for them, had fhe projected it for a month

-And

And your reflection upon it, fhews how much, Monfieur, fhe has embarraffed you by the adventure

When the fituation is what we would wish, nothing is fo ill-timed as to hint at the circumftances which make it fo: you thank Fortune, continued fhe-you had reafon-the heart knew it, and was fatisfied; and who but an English philofopher would have fent notice of it to the brain to reverse the judgment?

In faying this fhe difengaged her hand with a look which I thought a fufficient commentary upon the

text.

E 2

It

It is a miferable picture which I am going to give of the weaknefs of my heart, by owning that it fuffered a pain, which worthier occafions could not have inflicted-I was mortified with the lofs of her hand, and the manner in which I had loft it carried neither oil nor wine to the wound: I never felt the pain of a fheepish inferiority fo miferable in my life.

The triumphs of a true feminine heart are fhort upon thefe difcomfitures. In a very few feconds fhe laid her hand upon the cuff of my eoat, in order to finish her reply; fo fome way or other, God knows how, I regained my fituation.

-She

-She had nothing to add.

I forthwith began to model a different converfation for the lady, thinking from the fpirit as well as moral of this, that I had been miftaken in her character; but upon turning her face towards me, the fpirit which had animated the reply was fled the mufcles relaxed, and I beheld the fame unprotected look of diftrefs which firft won me to her intereft-melancholy! to fee fuch fprightlinefs the prey of forrow-I pitied her from my foul; and though

it

may feem ridiculous enough to a torpid heart-I could have taken her into my arms, and cherished her,

though it was in the open ftreet, without blushing.

The pulfations of the arteries along my fingers preffing across her, told her what was paffing within me: she looked down-a filence of fome moments followed.

I fear, in this interval, I must have made fome flight efforts towards a clofer comprehenfion of her hand, from a fubtle fenfation I felt in the palm of my own-not as if fhe was going to withdraw her'sbut as if he thought about itand I had infallibly loft it a fecond time, had not inftinct more than reafon directed me to the last resource