Alfred; or, The Adventures of a French Gentleman — page 132: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

OF A FRENCH GENTLEMAN. 109 necessity of a toast underneath, and of vine-leaves on the breasts of the woodcocks, nor of the manner in which a hare should be trussed. Indeed, the woman herself acknowledged to me, during the meal, that she had often boiled her game for the sake of variety. Her husband was in a particularly good humour; and as he sipped his sour wine after supper, he pressed me so earnestly to tell him my whole history, that I candidly confessed my escape from the galleys, and my anxiety to reach St. Malo. At the word galleys he became furious. His wife endeavoured to appease her husband’s wrath: but he swore that if he had known he was entertaining a fugitive convict, he would have kicked me out long ago. ‘ By the God who made me,’ he cried, ‘ I shall never forget this disgrace.’—‘ Are you not a poacher?’ said IT; ‘and do you not daily run the chance of going to Brest yourself?’—<‘ Audacious scoundrel! returned the man, his choler rising to so dreadful a degree, that I was glad to escape from the reach of his violence. But before I was beyond ear-shot, I heard him quarrelling with his wife, who said in a taunting tone, ‘ You know you have been twice to the galleys already; and you reproach that unfortunate stranger for the same thing.’—That is the very reason why we must endeavour to appear more scrupulous in the eyes of the world,’ was the answer. I did not stay to listen to their conversation farther : but left the vicinity of the cottage with all possible speed, congratulating myself on the good supper I had cooked and partaken of. In half an hour I heard the barking of the dog at this farm-house; and by a circuitous route obtained access to the stable in which I have had the honour to encounter my present companions.” ‘‘ Never have I heard more pleasant adventures,” cried Belle- Rose, when Champignon had ceased speaking: “and I thank you particularly, my worthy knight-errant, for having interlarded your discourse with as few culinary ideas as possible. All things have their proper places; and be assured that you ought not to mix pepper- corns with pudding, nor ashes with bread.” ‘¢} understand your allusion,” returned Champignon, who re- lished advice about as little as did the peasants he described in his history as having forgotten salt to their soup. “And now it is my turn to fill up a few blanks that occur in the course of your narrative, Champignon,”’ said De Rosann. ‘Do you know, that the key which liberated you, did the same kind office for us, and must have been dropped by accident; that the questions of Jeannette, relative to the Chinese and Ma- dagascar, were occasioned by some extravagant tales of Belle- Rose ; that the rustling you heard in the wood was caused by me, and the laughter emanated from both of us; and that you were allowed to sleep in the pig-stye, because we occupied the only bed-room the worthy peasant had to spare ?” ‘‘ Impossible!” cried Champignon, his countenance expressive of unteigned astonishment. ‘This is evidently the work of des- tiny |” ‘‘ It is very easily accounted for,” answered De Rosann. “You escape from the galleys half-an-hour or an hour after we have se- GOMIGDoOoks (C(O)