He could make spatterdashes, and
play a little upon the fiddle. - Bravo! said Wisdom. - Why, I play a
bass myself, said I; - we shall do very well. You can shave, and
dress a wig a little, La Fleur? - He had all the dispositions in the
world. - It is enough for heaven! said I, interrupting him, - and
ought to be enough for me. - So, supper coming in, and having a
frisky English spaniel on one side of my chair, and a French valet,
with as much hilarity in his countenance as ever Nature painted in
one, on the other, - I was satisfied to my heart's content with my
empire; and if monarchs knew what they would be at, they might be
as satisfied as I was.
MONTREUIL.
As La Fleur went the whole tour of France and Italy with me, and
will be often upon the stage, I must interest the reader a little
further in his behalf, by saying, that I had never less reason to
repent of the impulses which generally do determine me, than in
regard to this fellow; - he was a faithful, affectionate, simple
soul as ever trudged after the heels of a philosopher; and,
notwithstanding his talents of drum beating and spatterdash-making,
which, though very good in themselves, happened to be of no great
service to me, yet was I hourly recompensed by the festivity of his
temper; - it supplied all defects: - I had a constant resource in
his looks in all difficulties and distresses of my own - I was going
to have added of his too; but La Fleur was out of the reach of
every thing; for, whether 'twas hunger or thirst, or cold or
nakedness, or watchings, or whatever stripes of ill luck La Fleur
met with in our journeyings, there was no index in his physiognomy
to point them out by, - he was eternally the same; so that if I am a
piece of a philosopher, which Satan now and then puts it into my
head I am, - it always mortifies the pride of the conceit, by
reflecting how much I owe to the complexional philosophy of this
poor fellow, for shaming me into one of a better kind. With all
this, La Fleur had a small cast of the coxcomb, - but he seemed at
first sight to be more a coxcomb of nature than of art; and, before
I had been three days in Paris with him, - he seemed to be no
coxcomb at all.
MONTREUIL.
The next morning, La Fleur entering upon his employment, I
delivered to him the key of my portmanteau, with an inventory of my
half a dozen shirts and silk pair of breeches, and bid him fasten
all upon the chaise, - get the horses put to, - and desire the
landlord to come in with his bill.
C'est un garcon de bonne fortune, said the landlord, pointing
through the window to half a dozen wenches who had got round about
La Fleur, and were most kindly taking their leave of him, as the
postilion was leading out the horses.
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