which was never feen a grain of duft, is the fame he has worn for fix years together, and is the only coat he poffeffes. He did me the favour to dine with me to-day, this is what he rarely does; and yet it is his own fault if he does not make my table his own; but he chufes rather to dispose of that article of his expences in his own way, in order to reduce it to what is barely neceffary; and in every want of life his frugality ftill finds out means of œconomy. But what most furprizes me is, the secrecy with which he hides, even from me, the use, he makes of his money. I at firft imagined he had fome miftrefs that faved him the trouble of hoarding it up; but the propriety of his conduct foon removed that fufpicion. I can now make no other conclufion, than, that being impatient to return to his own country, he remits his little fortune thither as faft as he makes it, and conceals from me his intention of going and enjoying it there.

"As nothing was more natural, or more likely, I was quite of the fame opinion, but, before my departure, I became better acquainted with this uncommon and virtuous young man.

"My dear countryman," faid I, the day I was taking my leave of him, "I am going back to Paris. Shall

Shall I be unfortunate enough to be of no use to you there? I have afforded you the pleasure of obliging me as much and as long as you have pleased; don't refuse me an opportunity of returning the obligation." No, Sir,' faid he,' you fhall have it; and, in exchange for the little fervices which you are pleased to over-value, I shall come this evening, and request one from you, which is of the most material confequence to me. I must observe that it is a fecret which I am going to communicate to you; but I can be under no apprehenfions. Your name alone is a fufficient guarantee.' I promised to keep it faithfully; and on that very evening he called on me with a cafket full of gold in his hand.

Here,' fays he, are five hundred louis d'ors, arifing from three years favings, and a paper figned with my hand that will indicate the ufe I wish them to be put to.' It was figned Oliver Salvary. How great was my furprize to find it was destined for nothing but objects of luxury!— a thousand crowns to a jeweller; a thousand to a cabinet-maker; a hundred louis for millinery; as much for laces; and the reft to a perfumer.

'I furprize you,' faid he, ' yet you don't fee all. I have already paid, thank Heaven, three hundred louis

L

louis for the like fooleries; and I have much yet to pay before every thing will be discharged.Muft I tell it you, Sir? Alas! I am a dishonoured man in my own country, and I am labouring here to wipe away a ftain I have brought upon my name; in the mean while, I may die, and die infolvent. I wish to make you a witness of my good intentions, and the efforts I am making to repair my misfortunes and my fhame. What I am going to relate to you may be confidered as my teftament, which I request you to receive, that in cafe of my death, you may take the neceffary pains to reinftate my memory.' "You will live long enough," faid I, "you will have time to efface the remembrance of the misfortunes of your youth. But if, in order to make you eafy, you want nothing but a faithful witness of your fentiments and conduct, I am better informed on that fubje&t than you imagine, and you may with all confidence lay open your heart to me."

'I begin then,' faid he, smiling, ' by confeffing, that my misfortunes are entirely owing to myself, and that my errors are without excufe. My profeffion was one of thofe that effentially required the ftricteft probity; and the firft law of that probity is not to dispose of any thing that is not our own. I reckoned with myself, but reckoned ill. I ought

I ought to have reckoned better, and imprudence was not the lefs criminal. what manner I was led into it.

my foolish Hear in

'A reputable extraction, a fair name, the esteem of the public, tranfmitted from my ancestors to their children, my youth, fome fucceffes in which I had been much favoured by circumstances; all seemed to promise that I should make a rapid and brilliant fortune by my profeffion. This was the very rock on which I fplit.

'Monfieur d'Amene, a man of fortune, and who confidered my profpects as infallible, ventured to ground his daughter's happiness upon these delufive hopes. He offered me her hand; and as foon as we were acquainted, a mutual attachment rendered our union equally defirable to both.She is no more!-If he were ftill alive, and I were again to chufe a wife, it should be her. Yes, I swear it should be thee, my dearest Adrienne, that I would chufe from among a thoufand. They might have more beauty, perhaps; but who will ever poffefs thy worth, thy tenderness, thy charming temper, thy good fenfe, and candour, in the fame degree!"

"In this addrefs, his eyes uplifted to Heaven, where he seemed to be looking for her spirit, were moistened with a tear. 'Impute not,' added he, to her any thing that I have done on her account. The innocent caufe of my misfortune, she never even fufpected it. And in the midft of the illufions with which fhe was furrounded, fhe was far from perceiving the abyss to which I was leading her, over a path ftrewed with flowers.Enamoured of her before I married her, more enamoured after poffeffion, I thought I could never do enough to make her happy; and in comparison with the love with which I burned for her, her timid tenderness, and her fenfibility, which were kept within bounds by her modefty, had an appearance of coldnefs. To make my felf beloved as much as I loved her,-fhall I declare it?—I wanted to intoxicate her with happiness. Good heavens! what paffion ought not a man to indulge with diftruft, if it be dangerous to give himself up to the defire of pleafing his wife.

A commodious and elegant manfion, expenfive and ornamental furniture, whatever fashion and tafte could procure in the article of drefs to flatter in young minds the propenfities of felf-love, by affording new fplendour or new attractions to beauty, all this prevented my wife's defires, and

poured