- Here! Said I To An Old Soldier With One Hand, Who Had Been
Campaigned And Worn Out To Death In The Service - Here's A Couple Of
Sous For Thee.
- Vive le Roi!
Said the old soldier.
I had then but three sous left: so I gave one, simply, pour
l'amour de Dieu, which was the footing on which it was begg'd. - The
poor woman had a dislocated hip; so it could not be well upon any
other motive.
Mon cher et tres-charitable Monsieur. - There's no opposing this,
said I.
Milord Anglois - the very sound was worth the money; - so I gave MY
LAST SOUS FOR IT. But in the eagerness of giving, I had overlooked
a pauvre honteux, who had had no one to ask a sous for him, and
who, I believe, would have perished, ere he could have ask'd one
for himself: he stood by the chaise a little without the circle,
and wiped a tear from a face which I thought had seen better days.-
-Good God! said I - and I have not one single sous left to give
him. - But you have a thousand! cried all the powers of nature,
stirring within me; - so I gave him - no matter what - I am ashamed to
say HOW MUCH now, - and was ashamed to think how little, then: so,
if the reader can form any conjecture of my disposition, as these
two fixed points are given him, he may judge within a livre or two
what was the precise sum.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 40 of 149
Words from 10988 to 11240
of 40886
