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few words to his affociates, wrote the discharge, and handing it over to a foldier, for the fuccefsful petitioner, he fiercely told him to retire..

Mr. G inftantly fet out for Rouen, where, after a long, and fevere journey, he arrived, exhausted with fatigue, and agitation of mind; without re freshment, this amiable man flew to the gates of the prifon, which contained his mother, and presented the discharge to the goaler, who drily, with a brutal grin, informed him, that a trick had been played off apon him, that he had juft received a counter order, which he held in his hand, and refufed to releafe herkut

It turned out that immediately after Mr. G. had left the committee room, the relenting difpoftion, which he had momentarily awakened in the barbarous breaft of Robespierre, had fubfided.

The generous fentiment was of a short, and fickly growth, and withered under the gloomy, fatal fhade] of his fanguinary nature. A chaffeur had been difpatched with the counter order, who paffed the exulting, but deluded G on the road.

A fhort time after this, and a few days before Madame G, and her unhappy companions were to have perished on the fcaffold, the gates of their prison flew open, the world was released from a monfter Robespierre was no more.

This interefting recital I received from one of the amiable fufferers, in our way to St. Catharine's

Mount. The ftory afforded a melancholy contrast to the rich and cheerful fcenes about us.

From the attic ftory of a lofty house, built under this celebrated cliff, we afcended that part of it, which, upon the road to Paris, is only acceffible in this manner. When we reached the top, the profpect was indeed fuperb; on one fide we traced for miles, the romantic meanders of the Seine, every where forming little iflands of poplars; before us, melting away in the horizon, were the blue mountains of Lower Normandy; at their feet, a variegated difplay of meadows, forefts, corn fields, and vine-. yards; immediately below us, the city of Rouen, and its beautiful fuburbs. This delicious, and expanded profpect, we enjoyed upon a feat erected near a little oratory, which is built upon the top of the mountain, resting, at one end, upon the pedestal of a cross, which, in the time of the revolution, had been fhattered and overturned.

From this place, before dinner, we proceeded to la Montagne; a wild and hilly country, lying oppofite to St. Catharine's. Here we were overtaken by a ftorm, upon which, a curé, who had obferved us from his little cottage, not far diftant, and who had been very lately reinftated in the cure of the church, in the neighboring village, came out to us with an umbrella, and invited us to dinner. Upon our re-. turn to our inn, to drefs, we were annoyed by a nuifance which had before frequently affailed us.

knew a man, who in a moment of humour vented rather a revengeful with that the next neighbor of his enemy might have a child, who was fond of a whif tle and a drum! A more infufferable nuifance was destined for us; the person who lodged in the next room to mine, was a beginner (and a dull one too) upon the trumpet. It was general Ruffin, whom I have mentioned before, forcing from this brazen tube, founds which certainly would have fet a kennel of hounds in a cry of agony, and were almost calculated to disturb the repofe of the dead. General Ruffin, in all other refpects, was a very polite, and indeed a very quiet young man, and a brave warrior; but in the difplay of his paffion for mufic, I fear he mifbook either his talent or his inftrument. At one time we thought of inviting him to dine with us, that we might have a little refpite, but after debating the matter well over, we conceived that to entertain an Italian hero, as he ought to be received by thofe who admire valor even in an enemy, was purchafing filence at a very advanced price, fo we fubmitted to the evil with that refignation which generally follows the incurable absence of a remedy. We now addreffed ourfelves to Madame P, to know how long the general had learned the trumpet, and whether his leisure hours were generally occupied in this way. Madame P, was, ftrange to tell, not very able to afford us much information upon the fubject. She was under the influence of love. The natural tran

quillity of her difpofition, was improved by the profpect of connubial happiness, which although a widow, and touching the frontier of her eight and thirtieth year, she shortly expected to receive from the fon of a neighbouring architect, who was then a minor. In this blifsful frame of mind, our fair hoftefs fcarcely knew when the trumpet of general Ruffin founded. Her foul was in harmony with all the world, and it was not in the power of the demon of discord, nor even of this annoying brazen tube, to difturb her. Madame P well deferved to be bleffed with fuch equanimity, and if she liked it, with fuch a lover, for fhe was a generous and good crea

ture,

A gentleman to whom I was afterwards introduced, when the revolution began to grow hot, fled with his lady and his children into a foreign country, where, upon the relics of a fhattered fortune he remained, until things wore a better afpect, and enabled him, with a profpect of fafety, to return to his native country. In better times, upon his annual vifits to a noble chateau, and large eftates which he once poffeffed in this part of Normandy, he was accuftomed to stop at the Hôtel de Potiers. His équipage was then fplendid, and fuitable to his affluent circumftances. Upon his return to France, this gentleman, harraffed by loffes, and fatigued by ficknefs, arrived with his accomplished lady, and their elegant children, in a hired cabriole, at the gate of Madame

P As foon as their name was announced, the grateful hoftefs prefented herself before them, and kiffing the children, burft into tears of joy; when he had recovered herfelf, fhe addreffed her old patron, by expreffing her hopes, that he had amended his fortune abroad, and was now returning to enjoy himfelf in tranquillity at home." Alas! my good Madame P,” faid this worthy gentleman, "we left our country, as you "know to fave our lives, we have subfifted upon the "remains of our fortune ever fince, and have sustain "ed heavy and cruel loffes; we have been taken "prifoners upon our paffage, and are now returning "to our home, if any is left to us, to folicit fome re"paration for our fufferings. Times are altered, "Madame P→→, you must not now confider me as "formerly, when I expended the gifts of Providence " in a manner which I hope was not altogether un"worthy of the bounty which fhowered them upon "me, we must bow down to fuch difpenfations, you "fee I am candid with you; we are fatigued, and "want refreshment, give us, my good landlady, a little plain dinner, fuch as is fuitable to our prefent "condition."

Madame P was fo much affected, that the could make no reply, and left the room.

Immediately all the kitchen was in a bustle, every pot and pan were placed in inftant requifition, the chamber-maids were fent to the neighboring confec