of me, so made little or no difficulty—only said, his inclination to serve me could reach no further than Calais, as he was to return by way of Brussels to Paris: however, when I had once pass’d there I might get to Paris without interruption; but that in Paris I must make friends, and shift for myself.—Let me get to Paris, Monsieur le Count, said I—and I shall do very well. So I embark’d, and never thought more of the matter.

When La Fleur told me the Lieutenant de Police had been enquiring after me—the thing instantly recurred—and by the time La Fleur had well told me, the master of the hôtel came into my room to tell me the same thing, with this addition to it, that my passport had been particularly ask’d after: the master of the hôtel concluded with saying, He hoped I had one—Not I, faith! said I.

The master of the hôtel retired three steps from me, as from an infected person, as I declared this—and poor La Fleur advanced three steps towards me, and with that sort of movement which a good soul makes to succour a distressed one—the fellow won my heart by it; and from that single trait, I knew his character as perfectly, and could rely upon it as firmly, as if he had served me with fidelity for seven years.

Mon seigneur! cried the master of the hôtel—but recollecting himself as he made the exclamation, he instantly changed the tone of it—If, Monsieur, said he, has not a passport (apparemment) in all likelihood he has friends in Paris who can procure him one—Not that I know of, quoth I, with an air of indifference—Then certes, replied he, you ’ll be sent to the Bastile or the Chatelet, au moins. Poo! said I, the king of France is a good-natured soul—he ’ll hurt no body—Cela n’empeche pas, said he—you will certainly be sent to the Bastile tomorrow morning—But I ’ve taken your lodgings for a month, answered I, and I ’ll not quit them a day before the time for all the kings of France in the world. La Fleur whisper’d in my ear, That nobody could oppose the king of France.

Pardi! said my host, ces Messieurs anglois sont des gens très extraordinaires—and having both said and sworn it—he went out.

The Passport

The Hotel at Paris

I could not find in my heart to torture La Fleur’s with a serious look upon the subject of my embarrassment, which was the reason I had treated it so cavalierly: and to shew him how light it lay upon my mind, I dropt the subject entirely; and whilst he waited upon me at supper, talk’d to him with more than usual gaiety about Paris, and of the opera comique.—La Fleur had been there himself, and had followed me through the streets as far as the bookseller’s shop; but seeing me come out with the young fille de chambre, and that we walk’d down the Quai de Conti together, La Fleur deem’d it unnecessary to follow me a step further—so making his own reflections upon it, he took a shorter cut—and got to the hôtel in time to be inform’d of the affair of the Police against my arrival.

As soon as the honest creature had taken away, and gone down to sup himself, I then began to think a little seriously about my situation.—

—And here I know, Eugenius, thou wilt smile at the remembrance of a short dialogue which pass’d betwixt us the moment I was going to set out—I must tell it here.

Eugenius, knowing that I was as little subject to be overburthen’d with money as thought, had drawn me aside to interrogate me how much I had taken care for; upon telling him the exact sum, Eugenius shook his head, and said it would not do; so pull’d out his purse in order to empty it into mine—I ’ve enough in conscience, Eugenius, said I—Indeed, Yorick, you have not, replied Eugenius—I know France and Italy better than you—But you don’t consider, Eugenius, said I, refusing his offer, that before I have been three days in Paris, I shall take care to say or do something or other for which I shall get clapp’d up into


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