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wards and forwards, and found that he invariably pursued the fame plan.

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

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There were two other circumftances which entangled this mystery; - the one he told every woman what he had to say in her ear, and in a way which had much more the air of a fecret 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 fyftem to explain the phenomenon.

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

THE CASE OF CONSCIENCE.

PARIS.

I WAS immediately followed up by

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the mafter of the hotel, who came into my room to tell me I must provide lodgings elsewhere. How fo, friend? faid 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, faid I, we will all part friends then-for the girl is no worse — and I am no worse - and will be juft as I found you. It was enough, he said, to overthrow the credit of his hotel. - Voyez-vous, Monfieur? faid he, pointing to the foot of the bed we had been fitting upon - I own it had something of the appearance of an evidence; but my pride not fuffering me to enter into any detail of the case, I exhorted him to let his foul fleep in peace, as I refolved to let mine do that night, and that I would discharge what I owed him at breakfast.

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I should not have minded, Monfieur, faid he, if you had had twenty girls - It is a fcore more, replied I, interrupting him, than I ever reckoned upon - 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 fin?-It made a difference, he said, in the scandal.—I like a good diftinction in my heart; and cannot say I was intolerably out of temper with the man. I own it is necessary, re-affumed the mafter of the hotel, that a stranger at Paris fhould have the opportunities presented to him of buying lace and filk stockings and ruffles, et tout cela and it is nothing if a woman comes with a bandbox.-O' my confcience, faid I, she had one; but I never looked into it. Monfieur, faid he, has bought nothing?— Not one earthly thing, replied I. cause, said he, I could recommend one to you who would use you en confcience. But I muft fee her this night, said I. He made me a low bow, and walked down.

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Now fhall I triumph over this maître

d'hôtel, cried I and what then? Then
I fhall let him fee I know he is a dirty
fellow. And what then?—What then!
I was too near myself to say it was for
the fake of others. I had no good an-
fwer left-there was more of fpleen than
principle in my project, and I was fick
of it before the execution.

In a few minutes the Griffet came in with her box of lace I'll buy nothing, however, faid I within myself.

The Griffet would fhow me every thing` -I was hard to please: fhe would not feem to fee it; fhe opened her little magazine, and laid all her laces one after another before me-unfolded and folded them up again, one by one, with the most patient sweetness—I might buy—or not— she would let me have every thing at my own price-the poor creature feemed anxious to get a penny; and laid herself out to win me, and not so much in a manner which feemed artful, as in one I felt fimple and careffing.

If there is not a fund of honeft cullibility in man, so much the worse—my heart relented and I gave up my second refo

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lution as quietly as the firft-Why should I chastise one for the trespass of another? if thou art tributary to this tyrant of an hoft, thought I, looking up in her face, fo much harder is thy bread.

If I had not had more than four Louis d'ors in my purse, there was no such thing as rifing up and showing her the door, till I had first laid three of them out in a pair of ruffles.

-The malter of the hotel will share the profit with her—no matter—then I have only paid, as many a poor foul has paid before me for an act he could not do or

think of.

THE RIDDLE.

PARIS.

WHEN La Fleur came up to wait upon me at fupper, he told me how forry the master of the hotel was for his affront to me in bidding me change my lodgings,

A man who values a good night's reft will not lie down with enmity in his heart, if he can help it-So I bid La Fleur tell

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