Alfred de Rosann — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

? > ex 18 ALFRED DE ROSANN. from his purposes, but endeavoured to change the conversation. As it wanted at least two hours till dinner-time, they took advantage of the interval, and walked out into the town to purchase a few neces- saries for their journey. Belle-Rose himself volun- teered to buy a couple of trunks or portmanteaus, and entered a shop for that purpose, while De Rosann remained in the street, reading a large bill which was posted against a wall, and which gave him information relative to the hours of arrival and departure of the steam-packets which traversed the ocean between Havre and Southampton. On their return to the hotel, the landlord informed our hero and his companion, “ That the cook had ex- quisitely attended to their orders, that the market had bountifully supplied the larder, and that they might confidently rely upon instantaneously being served with an unexceptionably toothsome repast.’’ “The trunk-maker® adjoining will presently send two small portmanteaus to the inn,’’ said Belle-Rose, addressing the host; “ will you have the goodness to convey one to each of our chambers.”’ “ Tnfallibly,’’ answered the landlord, opening the parlour door for his waiter, who appeared at the mo- ment with the dinner. A Frenchman is naturally of a gay and lively dis- position. Instead of the sober, phlegmatic, and even temperament of the Englishman, he has either an un- bridled flow of spirits, or a deep depression. But the former generally prevails; and when he is en train de faire mille folies,* there is not a happier being in the world. His eyes sparkle with a peculiar vivacity; his conversation, though light and superficial, is replete with natural wit, and he feels himself inde- pendent of the world. | Such was now the case with De Rosann. He felt * Literally, ‘‘ In the humour to commita thousand follies.” The expression is synonymous with ‘up to anything,” or ‘ready for all kinds of fun.”’ WOOKS.Gom (CO) =) a