Now it was the very thing I intended to do myself vis-a-vis Madame R****-I had retained the remife on purpofe for it, and it would not have mortified my vanity to have a fervant fo well dreffed as La Fleur was to have got up behind it; I never could have worse spared him.

BUT we must feel, not argue in these embarraffments---the fons and daughters of fervice part with liberty, but not with nature, in their contracts; they are flesh and blood, and have their little vanities and wishes in the midst of the house of bondage, as well as their task mafters---no doubt, they have fet their felf-denials at a price—and their expectations are fo unreasonable, that I would often difappoint them, but that their condition puts it fo much in my power to do it.

Behold!---Behold, I am thy fervant--dif

arms

arms me at once of the powers of a ma

fter-.

-THOU fhalt go, La Fleur! faid I.

-AND what mistress, La Fleur, faid I, canft thou have picked up in fo little a time at Paris? La Fleur laid his hand upon his breast, and faid 'twas a petite demifelle at Monsieur le Count de B****'s -La Fleur had a heart made for fociety; and, to speak the truth of him, let as few occafions flip him as his master-so that fome how or other; but how-heaven knows--he had connected himself with the demoiselle upon the landing of the stair cafe during the time I was taken up with my paffport; and as there was time enough for me to win the Count to my interest, La Fleur had contrived to make it do to win the maid to his-The family, it seems, was to be at Paris that day, and he had made a party with her, and two or three

VOL. II.

G

more

more of the Count's household, upon the

boulevards.

HAPPY people! that once a week at leaft are fure to lay down all your cares together, and dance and fing, and sport away the weights of grievance, which bow down the spirit of other nations to the earth.

THE

THE FRAGME N.T..

PARI S.

L

A Fleur had left me fomething to amufe myself with for the day more than I had bargained for, or could have entered either into his head or mine.

He had brought the little print of butter upon a currant leaf; and as the morning was warm, he had begged a sheet of waste paper to put betwixt the currant leaf and his hand.As that was plate fufficient, I bade him lay it upon the table as it was, and as I refolved to stay within all day, I ordered him to call upon the traiteur to bespeak my dinner, and leave me to breakfast by myself.

WHEN I had finished the butter, I

G 2

threw

threw the currant leaf out of the window, and was going to do the fame by the wafte paper but ftopping to read a line firft, and that drawing me on to a fecond and third--I thought it better worth; so I fhut the window, and drawing a chair up to it, I fat down to read it.

IT was the old French of Rabelais's time, and for ought I know might have been wrote by him-it was moreover in a Gothic letter, and that fo faded and gone off by damps and length of time, it coft me infinite trouble to make any thing of it---I threw it down; and then wrote a letter to Eugenius---then I took it up again, and embroiled my patience with it afresh and then to cure that, I wrote a letter to ElizaStill it kept hold of me; and the difficulty of understanding it increased but the defire.

I GOT my dinner; and after I had enlightened