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MADAME PHILLOPE.

to his affluent circumstances. Upon his return to France, this gentleman, harassed by losses, and fatigued by sickness, arrived with his accomplished lady, and their elegant children, in a hired cabriole, at the gate of Madame P——.

As soon

as their name was announced, the grateful hostess presented herself before them, and kissing the children, burst into tears of joy; when she had recovered herself, she addressed her old patron, by expressing her hopes, that he had amended his fortune abroad, and was now returning to enjoy himself in tranquillity at home. "Alas! my good Madame P———,” said this worthy gentleman, "we left our country, as you know, "to save our lives, we have subsisted upon the remains of our "fortune ever since, and have sustained heavy and cruel

losses; we have been taken prisoners upon our passage, and "are now returning to, our home, if any is left to us, to solicit "some reparation for our sufferings. Times are altered, Madame “ P——, you must not now consider me as formerly, when "I expended the gifts of Providence in a manner which I

hope was not altogether unworthy of the bounty which "showered them upon. me, we must bow down to such dispensations, you see I am candid with you; we are fatigued, "and want refreshment, give us, my good landlady, a little

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plain dinner, such as is suitable to our present condition." Madame P was so much affected, that she could make no reply, and left the room.

Immediately all the kitchen was in a bustle, every pot and pan were placed in instant requisition, the chamber-maids were sent to the neighbouring confectioners for cakes, and

the

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CHAP.

VII.

70

СНАР,
VII.

GENEROSITY. LOVE INFECTIOUS.

the porter was dispatched all over the city for the choicest
fruits. In a short time a noble dinner was served up to this
unfortunate family, followed by confectionary, fruits, and bur-
gundy. When the repast was over, Mons. O-
Mons. O ordered
his bill, and his cabriole to be got ready. Madame P-
entered, and in the most amiable manner requested him, as
she had exceeded his orders, to consider the dinner as a little
acknowledgement of her sense of his past favours; money,
though earnestly pressed upon her, she would not receive.

The whole of this interesting party were moved to tears, by this little act of nature and generosity. When they entered their carriage, they found in it bouquets of flowers, and boxes of cakes for the little children. No doubt Madame P moved lighter that day, than she ever did in her life, and perhaps found the remembrance of her conduct upon the occasion almost as exquisite as the hours of love, which she appeared most happily to enjoy, when we had the honour of being under her roof.

-

Monsieur O could not help exhibiting much feeling, when he related this little event to me. I must not fail to mention that all the house seemed, for the moment, infected with the happy disease of the mistress. General Ruffin's valet de chambre was in love with Dorothée, our chambermaid; the porter was pining for a little black eyed grisette, who sold prints and pastry, in a stall opposite; and the ostler was eternally quarrelling with the chef de cuisine, who repelled him from the kitchen, which, in the person of the assistant cook, a plump rosy norman girl, contained all the treasure

of

MASONS AND GARDENERS.

saw men sun

VII.

71

of his soul-love and negligence reigned throughout the house- CHAP. hold. We We rang the bells, and sacre dieu'd, but all in vain, we suffered great inconvenience, but who could be angry? In the course of our walks, and conversations, with the workmen, whom we met, we found that most of the masons, and gardeners of Rouen, had fought in the memorable, bloody, and decisive battle of Marengo, at which it appears that a great part of the military of France, within four or five hundred miles of the capital, were present. The change they presented was worthy of observation; browned in campaigns, and enured to all the ferocity of war, at the sound of peace assuming all the tranquil habits of ingenious industry, or rustic simplicity. Some of them were occupied in forming the shapeless stone into graceful embellishments for elegant houses, and others in disposing, with botanic taste, the fragrant parterre. After spending four very delightful days in this agreeable city, I bade adieu to my very worthy companion, captain W. C whose intention it was to spend some time here, and those friends, from whom I had received great attention and hospitalities, and wishing the amiable Madame P—— many happy years, many happy years, and receiving from her the same assurances of civility, about seven o'clock in the evening I seated myself in the diligence for Paris, and in a comfortable corner of it, after we had passed the pavé, resigned myself to sleep.

СНАР.

VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.

Early dinner.-Mante.- Frost. Duke de Sully. Approach the

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Capital. Norman Barrier. - Paris. Hótel de Rouen.
Royal.

Palais

CHAP. AT day break, the appearance of the country in all directions was delightful. The faint eastern blush of early morn, threw a mild, refreshing light over the moist and dew-dripping

scenery.

The spirit of our immortal bard, awaking from the bosom of nature, seemed to exclaim—

Look love, what envious streaks

Do lace the severing clouds, in yonder east;
Night's candles are burnt out; and jocund Day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

About eight o'clock in the morning, we arrived at Mante, a picturesque town, built upon a fertile mountain, at the base of which the Seine flowed along, rippling against its many islands of beautiful poplars. At this hour, upon our alighting at the inn, we found a regular dinner ready, consisting of soups, meats, fowls, and confectionary. To the no small surprsie of the host, I expressed a wish to have some breakfast, and at length, after much difficulty, procured some coffee and rolls.

The

EARLY DINNER.

The rest of the party, with great composure, tucked their napkins in the buttonholes of their waistcoats, and applied themselves to the good things before them, with very active address. What a happy race of people! ready for every thing, and at all times; they scarcely know the meaning of inconvenience.

In the midst of difficulty, they find accommodation; with them, every thing seems in harmony. After paying thirty sols for my repast, a charge which announced our approach to the capital, I walked on, and made my way to the bridge over another winding of the Seine, at the bottom of the town; which is a light, and elegant structure. The houses along the sides of the river are handsome, and delightfully situated. The principal church is a fine gothic building, but is rapidly hastening to decay; some of its pinnacles are destroyed, and all its windows broken in.

A small chapel, in the street opposite, which had an appearance of considerable elegance, was converted into a slaughterhouse. Embosomed in woods, on the other side of the bridge, is a fine chateau, formerly belonging to the count d'Adhemar; here, while enjoying the enchanting prospect about me, I heard the jingling approach of our heavy diligence, in which, having reseated myself, we proceeded upon a fine high road, through thick rows of walnut, cherry, mulberry, and apple trees, for several miles, on each side of which, were vineyards, upon whose promising vintage, the frost had committed sad devastation. For a vast extent, they appeared blackened and burnt up. It was said that France sustained a loss of two millions sterling, by this unusual visitation.

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CHAP.

VIII.

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