lowed till a door was opened, which, I thought, in a moment, revealed Paradise to mortal eyes! In short, I was in the royal ball-room. The place was immensely large, and as for splendour, it was well nigh overpowering. Lewis XV. sat in an arm chair, with the Princes of the blood on one hand, and the Princesses on the other. Here I saw the Dauphin, afterwards Lewis the XVI., besides several others who met their tragical fate in the troubles of their unhappy country. I saw the manner in which refreshments were served; their cups were beautifully crowned with flowers, &c.; and sitting in a gallery among the second nobility of France, was doubtless the only individual who, with vulgar eyes, was permitted to gaze upon these royal pastimes. They danced minuets, which performances, it may well be supposed, were charming enough to one observer. I heard the names of the Princes and Princesses which danced in company. The ball was over about nine o'clock at night.

On the company being arranged for the Royal Family to pass through a part of the gallery already named, I was the only one who could not take my station according to my rank or qualification. This did not however prevent me seeing as well as the the rest. The Royal party passed close by me, and I got an impression of their physiognomy which I could not but recall with a degree of sorrow, when, years afterwards, I heard of their lamentable decapitation. I observed the floors of the rooms and gallery to sparkle with numerous particles of gold after the departure of the Royal Family and their noble at

D

tendants, the gold having fallen from their glittering robes in their various movements.

After the ball, the illustrious party passed into the Royal balcony, in sight of which a great quantity of fire works were exhibited. What most took my attention was Vulcan with his Cyclops forging thunder for Jupiter. At the conclusion, an incredible number of rockets went off in long succession, which made the most tremendous noise I ever heard.

On making my exit from the palace, and gaining the open streets, I for the first time became aware of my unpleasant situation. I had, in losing my companions, lost every farthing of my money; it was the middle of the night, and I was more than twenty miles from Paris. While in this dilemma, I spied a carriage just setting out for the capital; I ran and got hold of it, hoping, with its assistance, to be able to run all the way. Just as we were about starting, as luck would have it, I was seen by my two quondam friends, who had been many hours in search of me. Our joy was mutual. We remained all night at Versailles, and travelled to Paris next day. On my Brother asking me how I liked the illumination, and on my telling him what I had seen, he could not at first believe but that my inexperience had been deceived, and that I had seen some grand show which I had mistaken for the real splendour of royalty. I had sufficient means, however, to convince him of the fact.

CHAP. IV.

UNEASY at not being my own supporter.- Return to Antwerp. -Commence qualifying myself for active life. Hear of a situation.-Apply to Count D'Balleatte.-Rejected. Re-application.-Again refused.-Finally sent for and engaged.-Set out for Normandy.-Jack Boots. Saddle sick.-Overtaken by a Courier to the Danish Ambassador.-Arrive at Paris.-Travel on to 'Caen. A favourite with my Master.-An imprudent frolic, and accident.- Quarrel with Master's Tutor. Tell my Master a secret. - Contrive to secure a new Master.-Leave the Count D'Balleate's service, and engage with a Mr Campbell.

"All hail, great master! grave Sir, bail! I come

To answer thy best pleasure; be't to fly,

To swim, to dive into the fire, or ride

On the curl'd clouds."

THE TEMPEST.

WHEN I had been a year and a half with my Brother and Sister, being still without any particular employment to procure myself an income, I began to feel not very easy in what I considered a state of dependency: I, therefore, gave my Brother a hint one day, that I must think, either of some employment, or of returning to my own country. My Sister was for retaining me, and did not doubt but that some

thing would easily be found by which the abilities I possessed would raise me in the world. My Brother, however, seeing a little farther than she did, would have me return to Antwerp for a few months, and qualify myself by learning to dress ladies' hair, and to write and speak the French language, for such a situation of ease and profit as he knew he could procure me very readily. I followed his advice, and though I did not, as he probably expected, become a permanent inhabitant of the French Capital, yet I know not that, for my worldly advantage, I could have received or followed advice which would have answered so well. I left Paris in the middle of winter, with a mutual understanding among us, that I should go home and fit myself to return by the following October.

As I would not by any means make my tale a tedious one, I shall pass over a number of minor circumstances, and relate in as simple a style as possible, what I judge in my own mind, will be most interesting. It is true, if I thought myself justified in being more minute, the thread of my narrative might seem sometimes less broken; but as I am confident that, by this plan, I should forfeit my readers' patience, I will not adopt it.

What I had entered upon I by no means neglected, but immediately on my arrival at home, turned my attention in the way my brother desired, and soon became a proficient at the toilette, and attained a tolerable degree of knowledge of the French language. It would be uninteresting to dwell with minuteness on little circumstances which

occurred during this short period, and in what particular light my friends viewed my projects. I will rather go on to say, that, during the month of August following, the barber, who had been my preceptor in the art of curling and adorning, informed me, one day, that a certain nobleman in the neighbourhood, namely the Count D'Baleatte, wanted a person who could speak French, dress hair, and ride on horse-back. I made no delay, but went directly after the situation.

This I did the more eagerly, as I had lately become desirous of being able to act independently of my Brother at Paris; for I had found it out that he had, in a letter to my Mother, spoken rather slightly of me, saying, "that I was young and had much to learn from experience, and that I thought all was gold that glittered, &c."

When I arrived at the Count D'Baleatte's, the porter, of whom I made my first enquiries, stared most wonderfully at my pretensions; but it happened there were some female domestics in the house to whom my family were well known, and they kindly took upon themselves to ask the important man, if he knew whom he was slighting? that, in short, "Mr. D'Amour, they were confident, possessed every necessary qualification." In this, however, they were not strictly right, for as to riding on horse-back, I believe I had once in my life been astride of a horse, but was so ignorant of the simple principles of guiding the animal, that I was in imminent danger of riding into a church; indeed, it was thought by some people who were looking at me, that I ac